103 Schlagintweit's Geographical Configuratic 



do occur in Tibet ; thej are, however, much less i 

 considerably smaller than we had been led to expect. 



Tibet may be best described, in short, as a longitudinal vallej 

 included between the Himalaya and Karakoriim, and covered 

 with many lateral ridges. 



In its eastern part it is drained by the Dihong, an affluent of the 

 Brahmaputra. The heighth of its capital, Lhassa, may be esti- 

 mated at 10,000 ft. 



Its central x>art is formed by the gradual rising of the ground 

 in the environs of the lakes Mansaraur and Rakus Tal, the aver- 

 age height being 15,400 ft. 



The western part is drained by the Indus and Satlej rivers, with 

 their affluents ; it comprises Gnari Khorsum, Ladak and Balti. 

 The principal towns of these provinces are : Gartok (15,090 ft), 

 Leh (11,527 ft.), and Skardo (7,255 ft.). 



The unusual height of some of the valleys of Western Tibet, 

 as compared with those in other parts of the globe, may not 

 improbably have a considerable share in the erroneous belief 

 deduced from early reports as to this country being almost ex- 

 clusively a plateau. 



Instances of two river-systems belonging to one general lon- 

 gitudinal depression are not unfrequent on a minor scale, though 

 Tibet must be considered perhaps as the largest form of tins 

 kind. In the Alps, the Upper Engadin with the Val Bergel'., 

 and the valley of the Yorder-Rhine with that of the Eh6ne,"caa 

 be mentioned as somewhat analagous. 



Between the Karakorum and the Kuenlum, especially near the 

 western crest of the former, several well defined plateaux of 

 extraordinary height occur. Some of the highest are called : 

 Dapsang (17,500 ft.), Biillu (16,883 fl.), Aksae Chin (16,620 ft.). 

 Vohab (16,419 ft.). In Balti, the plateau Deosai is 14,2 



e highest, at L . 

 • globe, which generally lie a 

 Their average heights diii<?r 



. mentioned above. 



There is also a large plateau surrounding the elevated lake 

 Titicaca (12,843 fl.). 



In the Alps, plateaux occur onlv at their base; the Swiss 

 plateau having a mean height of 1,460 ft., the Suevo-Bavaruin 

 plateaux of 1,420 fl.* It is here that the principal Alpine lakes 

 are situated. In the Himalaya there are no such picture.-q'^* 

 plains adorning the foot of the mountains. The watershed 'oi- 

 tween the In-.L;^ " " ~ '- altogether upon a lower level 



and no conn- .ilaya exists, similar to that 



between the S Alps. 



* Hermann a . gr. d. Alpen," Vol. ii. p. 617. 



