296 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



MONGOLIA 



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Drawn by James M. Darley 



A MAP OF TIBET AND BORDER COUNTRIES 



The meagerness of authentic information concerning- the interior of Tibet is indicated 

 b}- the fact that the population of its 463,000 square miles is variously estimated at from 

 1,500,000 to 6,000,000. The only census ever taken of the country was that conducted by the 

 Chinese nearly two hundred years ago, showing 316,000 lamas (monks) and 635,000 laity. 

 For a more detailed map of this region, see the National Geographic Society's "Map of Asia," 

 published as a supplement with the May Geographic. 



hold of Lamaism — the degenerate Bud- 

 dhism of Tibet. 



The border region is a country of 

 mountains. Batang, the chief city, is one 

 of the lowest points, and yet its altitude 

 is 9,000 feet above sea-level, nearly twice 

 that of Denver. 



Most of the surrounding country is 

 12,000 to 15,000 feet high, the latter alti- 

 tude being more than 500 feet higher 

 than Mt. Whitney, California, highest 

 peak in the United States proper. From 

 this great upland rise numerous peaks 

 20,000 feet and more in height. 



The view from the summits of some of 

 the passes that must be traversed in 

 traveling about this marvelously rugged 

 country can hardly be surpassed anywhere 

 in the world. The panorama for hun- 



dreds of miles on a clear day is one of 

 countless high peaks interspersed with 

 greater snowy masses that exceed in 

 height the topmost pinnacles of all other 

 continents. 



Below timber-line are some fine forests, 

 and the Alpine-like flowers of the short 

 summer are exceedingly beautiful. Here 

 and there among the mountains are clear, 

 sparkling lakes, their waters so cold that 

 in most of them fish cannot live. 



STRANGE MYTHS AS TO THE ORIGIN OE 

 TIBETANS 



Kham, the easternmost province of 

 Tibet, gives its color to the entire border 

 region, and its people are said to be the 

 most robust of all Tibetans. 



Little is known of the origin and an- 



