Population: 2.62 million currently in a land with a 1,228,400 million kilometers.The Tibetan nationality accounts for over 90% of the population, but that of the Han nationality and other ethnic groups is very small. Affected by nature, geographic conditions and climate, 80% of the population in Tibet is distributed mainly over the valley along the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra River valley and the deep valleys along three rivers (Lantsang River, Lujang River and Yangtse River) which are located in the eastern part of Tibet. There are few people in the northern part of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau because of its harsh climate. The southeastern part of Tibet is covered by primeval forests; there population density is low, transportation is inadequate and other conditions unfavorable. In 2000, the population density of Tibet was only 2.1 persons per square kilometer.
Government:The Dali Lama claims to represent the government of Tibet from its headquarters in Dharamsala, India. Many of the movement to free Tibet refer to the CTA as the Tibetan Government in Exile, ensuring their beliefs that the CTA is the true and rightful government of Tibet. No nation recognizes the CTA as a formal government, and it continues to negotiate with China to achieve an autonomous status, allowing thousands of exiled Tibetans to return home. The Tibetan Government in Exile began in 1949, when China invaded Tibet and the Dali Lama fled to India to in attempts to free Tibet from Chinese Administration. China refuses, despite international controversy over the issue, and China has expressed irritation with nations which support the Tibetan Government in Exile or meet with its officials. China argues that it has a historical mandate to control Tibet, although many Tibetans argue that Tibet was once an independent kingdom, and that this status should be restored. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is currently advocating for autonomous status.Politics: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, is Tibet's head of state and spiritual leader. He is a firm believer in non-violence, tried for eight years to coexist peacefully with the Chinese. But China's systematic subjugation of Tibet's territory and its people led to a cycle of repression and struggle. In March 10 1959, Tibetan resistance culminated in a national uprising against the Chinese. The People's Liberation Army crushed the uprising, killing more than 87,000 Tibetans in central Tibet alone. The Dalai Lama, members of his government and some 80,000 Tibetans escaped from and were granted political asylum in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Today there are over 120,000 Tibetans in exile including more than 5,000 living outside of the Indian sub-continent. Large numbers of Tibetans continue to arrive from Tibet to escape Chinese persecution.
In exile, the Tibetan Government has been reorganised according to modern democratic principles. It administers all matters pertaining to Tibetans in exile, including the re-establishment, preservation and development of Tibetan culture and education, and leads the struggle for the restoration of Tibet's freedom. The Tibetan people, both inside and outside Tibet, consider their Government in Exile based in Dharamsala, North India, to be the sole legitimate government of Tibet.
Education:
Tibet's people have a relatively lower educational level than that of other provinces or regions, with a large number of illiterates and semi-illiterates. In 2000, The illiterate rate was 32.50% which was the highest in China. The weakness in the educational infrastructure and the lack of advanced and intermediate professionals and staff are major problems in Tibet. In 2000, the enrollment rate of school-age children was 85.80% and which was the lowest in China. A recent census results described that Tibet has four universities with an approximate of 5,475 enrolled students and 813 teachers, about 110 secondary schools with 61,817 students and 5,048 teachers, and 842 primary schools with 313,807 pupils and 13,181 teachers.
Language: The Tibetans regard their language as the root of their ancient culture whereas the Chinese authorities view it as the symbol of nationalist sentiment. Some officials think Tibetan language as a ripe target for both the current campaign against the pro-independence movement and the campaign throughout Tibet to eradicate traditional beliefs. The Communist Party leaders in the “TAR” circulated a document arguing that separatism was partly caused by schools teaching too much religion and using the Tibetan language.The written Tibetan language is drastically deteriorating. Business and government reports, especially at a higher level, are primarily written in Chinese. Almost all computer software in Tibet is formatted to write in Chinese. Even well-educated Tibetans are losing the ability to write in their own language.By the end of July 2002, the Chinese authorities closed down Tsangsul School. This Tibetan-run school was first founded through the joint effort of three Tibetan individuals to promote and preserve Tibetan language. The primary reason for the school’s closure was its popularity for giving emphasis to Tibetan culture. The school followed the curriculum similar to the other middle level school with an emphasis on Tibetan. At the time of its closure the school had 500 students, of whom 60 students—all orphans—received free education while the others, who generally were unable to pay the regular exorbitant fees asked by other schools, paid a nominal fee of 20 yuan per semester, significantly less than the cost of a Chinese government-run school.
Religion: Tibetans commonly have three religious traditions: the divine dharma or Buddhism; Bon dharma; and the dharma of human beings, or folk religion. Buddhism includes doctrines and practices that are thought to be distinctively Buddhist. They believe that the divine dharma- the principle or law that orders the universe- is separate and distinct from the other two, although Tibetan Buddhism clearly incorporated elements of both of these traditions. Bon is commonly considered to be the indigenous religious tradition of Tibet. It is a system of shamanistic and animistic practices performed by priests called shen (gshen) or bonpo (bon po). Although this is widely assumed by Buddhists, historical evidence indicates that the Bon tradition only developed as a self-conscious religious system under the influence of Buddhism. The Tibetan folk religion composes indigenous beliefs and practices, many of which are commonly viewed as being distinct from the mainstream of Buddhist practice. These are primarily concerned with propitiation of the spirits and demons of Tibet, which are believed to inhabit all areas of the country Folk religious practices rely heavily on magic and ritual and are generally intended to bring mundane benefits, such as protection from harm, good crops, healthy livestock, health, wealth, etc. Their importance to ordinary people should not be underestimated, since in the consciousness of most Tibetans the world is full of multitudes of powers and spirits, and the welfare of humans requires that they be propitiated and sometimes subdued. Every part of the natural environment is believed to be alive with various types of sentient forces, who live in mountains, trees, rivers and likes, rocks, fields, the sky, and the earth. Every region has its own native supernatural beings, and people living in these areas are strongly aware of their presence. In order to stay in their good graces, Tibetans give them offerings, perform rituals to propitiate them, and sometimes refrain from going to particular places so as to avoid the more dangerous forces.
Economy: Tibetan economy has developed in recent years. In 2000, the GDP was 11.746 billion Yuan, the total gross output value of industry and farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery was 6.95 billion Yuan, and the per capita GDP 4,559 Yuan. The total value of imports and exports in Tibet in 2000 reached 130.29 million US dollars. At present, farming and animal husbandry are the major industries in Tibet. The gross output of farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery accounted for 73.67% of the total gross output value of industry and farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery in 2000. Still productivity is very low, and manual farming and animal husbandry are still the primary pattern. Although in some areas near cities, a few machines are used for agricultural purposes, manpower and animal power are still applied in plowing the land. So agricultural production is neither high nor stable. In Tibet, the industry sector is quite small in size and diversity; it is characterized by extensive management at low efficiency. Based on the statistics,about 1.2418 million people worked as employees, accounting for 47.40% of the total population in Tibet. The total wage bill of staff and workers was 2,320.07 million Yuan, and the per capita yearly wage was 14,976 Yuan. The annual per capita net income of rural residents was 1,331 Yuan. The annual per capita disposable income of urban residents was 6,448 Yuan. Per capita consumption of all residents on average was 1,823 Yuan, for rural residents 1,144 Yuan, and urban residents 4,737 Yuan. In health facilities, for every 10,000 persons there were 17.62 hospital beds and 20.94 doctors.
Suffrage:
What is the Green Book?
Today, Tibetans who live outside India, Nepal and Bhutan above the age of 18 pays contributes US$96 annually. Unemployed and students pay US$46 and those financial difficulties make a nominal contribution. There are also individuals who contribute more than US$96 and individuals that run successful businesses in India and Nepal make a more substantial contribution from their annual profit. The total amount raised annually is used towards the partial funding of the Tibetan Government in Exile.
The Green Book has over the years in effect has become the passport of the exiled Tibetans to claim their rights from the Tibetan Government in Exile. Also in future it will become a base to claim Tibetan citizenship. Today, it is used for school admission, school or university scholarship, and employment within the exiled community. Payment of the voluntary contribution is a condition to gain voting rights in parliamentary elections.
Tibetans inside Tibet do not have Green Books. If a Tibetan were to return and be found with one, it would undoubtedly be a basis for persecution since the Green Book is the most official document issued by the Tibetan Government in exile.
>some information was obtained my the NGM issues July 2006, December 2008
The most current controversy in Tibet and all over the world is that the Dali Lama wants to step down as a political leader in Tibetan Exile government. He quotes: "As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power," the Dalai Lama said in a prepared speech on the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese control. "Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect." His Holiness still stands as a SPIRITUAL leader.Analysts and supporters have described the decision of the Dalai Lama, whose office traditionally combines spiritual and temporal roles, as historic.
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