Tibet

Tibet, on the Tibetan Plateau on the northern side of the Himalayas, is now an autonomous region of China. It’s nicknamed the “Roof of the World” for its towering peaks. It shares Mt. Everest with Nepal. Its capital, Lhasa, is site of hilltop Potala Palace, once the winter home of the Dalai Lama, and Jokhang Temple, Tibet’s spiritual heart, revered for its golden statue of the young Buddha.

Tibet was independent in the 14th century until Qing dynasty expeditionary force attacked them, conquering Tibet in 1720. It remained a Qing territory until the fall of the dynasty. In 1951, the People’s Republic of China annexed the country and the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959.