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Lhasa, the capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region, has a history of more than 1,300 years. At an elevation of 3,658 m, (12,000 feet), the city, nicknamed Sunlight City, is the highest city in the world. This ancient sprawling city, settled 1,300 years ago, covers 30,000 square kms, (3'000,000 hectares), with a population of 400,000, of which 87% are Tibetans. The urban population is 180,000.
Located at the bottom of a small basin surrounded by mountains, the center of the Tibet Plateau. Blessed with flat land and mild weather, Lhasa is free of frigid winters and unbearably hot summers, having an annual average daily temperature of 8 degrees C (43 degrees F). It enjoys 3,000 hours of sunlight annually, much more than all other cities in this regard, giving the city its title of "sunlit city."
Lhasa enjoys an annual precipitation of 500 mm. It rains mainly in July, August and September. The rainy seasons in the summer and fall are the best seasons of the year, when it rains mostly at night, and is sunny in the daytime.
Lhasa boasts many historical sites and scenic spots both in its urban areas and outskirts. The Potala Palace and Jokhang, Sera, Gaindan monasteries and Drepung Temple are well known at home and abroad.
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