TIBET. 



SITUATION AND EXTENT. 

 Mites. Degrees. Sq. Milfe.- 



Length 1500? beUyeen ^5 and 101 East longitude.? 

 Breadth 500 5 Detween ^27 and 35 North latitude. J 3»5,jw 



Name...." The country of Tibet," says captain Turner, " is called 

 by the inhabitants Pue, or Puckoachim, which is derived, as they 

 told me, from Pue, signifying northern, and Koachim, snow; thar, 

 is, the snowy region of the north."* The Chinese call it Asang. 

 The origin of the name of Tibet (which in Bengal and the country 

 itseif is pronounced Tibbet or Tibt) does not appear. 



Boundaries... .Tibet is bounded on the north and north-west by the 

 great desert of Cobi in Tartary ; on the east by China ; on the south 

 by Assam and Birmah; and on the south-west and west by Hin- 

 doostan. 



Divisions. ...This country is divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower 

 Tibet. Upper Tibet is also called Nagari,and divided into the three 

 pi*ovinces of Sangkar, Pourang, and Tamo. The provinces of Middle 

 Tibet are Shang, Ou, and Kiang : those of Lower Tibet, Congbo, Ko- 

 hang, and Takbo, or Bootan. The latter is an extensive country, usu- 

 ally considered as distinct from Tibet Proper. The countries to the 

 west of Bootan and to the north of Hindoostan, a Morung, Mocam- 

 pour, Nipaul, Gorka, and Kameoon, are not considered as parts of 

 Tibet. 



Face of the country, mountains, forests.. ..Tibet at first view 

 appears to the traveller as one of the least favoured countries under 

 heaven, and seems to be in a great measure incapable of culture. It 

 exhibits only low rocky hills without any visible vegetation, or exten- 

 sive arid plains, both of the most stern and stubborn aspect, promis- 

 ing full as little as they produce. Bootan, however, or the most south- 

 ern part, though it presents only the most misshapen irregularities, 

 has its mountains covered with verdure, and rich with abundant fo- 

 rests of large and lofty trees. 



The mountains in which the Ganges has its source, are called those 

 of Kentaisse; on the south are the mountains of Himmala. 



Lakes. ...The most considerable lake with respect to dimensions, is 

 that of Terkiri, which is about 80 miles in length and 25 broad ; but 

 the most remarkable is that of Jamdro or Palte which is represented 

 as a wide trench of about two leagues broad; every where surround- 

 ing an island of about twelve leagues in diameter. 



Rivers. ...The principal river of Tibet is the Sanpoo, or Burram- 

 pooter, which has already been described as a river of Hindoostan. 

 The Ganges likewise has its source among the mountains of Tibet, 

 as has also the Chinese rivers Hoanho and Kianku, the great river 



* Account of an Embassy to the Court of the Teeshoo Lama in Tibet, by Captain 

 Samuel Turner, p. 305. 



