GEOGRAPHY: Bounded by the Himalayan mountains to the south, the region sits on a high plateau at 13,000 to 16,400 feet, hence its nickname "the roof of the world." The capital, Lhasa, lies in a valley shielding it from the harshest weather.

POPULATION: About 2.7 million people, mostly Tibetans, live in Tibet, according to the Chinese government. Official figures are believed to underestimate large numbers from China's Han ethnic majority, who have migrated to the region in recent years to find work or open businesses.

HISTORY AND RELIGION: Once a warlike kingdom, Tibet adopted Buddhism 1,300 years ago. The Dalai Lamas became the supreme spiritual and temporal leaders about 300 years ago. Over centuries, Tibet was at times part of expansive Chinese empires. Chinese communist troops entered Tibet in 1951 to reassert control, and the Dalai Lama fled in 1959 after an abortive uprising.

ECONOMY: Tibet remains China's poorest province. China has poured billions of dollars in investments and subsidies into Tibet to boost the economy and tamp down anti-government sentiment. Most Tibetans remain farmers and herders. Average annual income hit $395 last year, according to official statistics.

POLITICS: Radical communist policies in Tibet eased in the 1980s, but control over religion tightened again after 1989 riots against Chinese rule, led in part by the Buddhist clergy. Talks between China and envoys from the Dalai Lama occurred sporadically earlier this decade, though without substantive progress. The Dalai Lama says he seeks genuine autonomy for Tibet within China, though Beijing accuses him of promoting separatism.