LHASA
- CHINA |
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Lhasa (pop. 200,000; Traditional Chinese: ??,
Simplified Chinese: ??, Hanyu Pinyin: Lasŕ), sometimes called Llasa, is the
capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China,
and is the traditional capital of Tibet. Lhasa means "place of the Gods".
Its altitude is approximately 3650 meters (12,000 ft) above sea level.
In the first half of the 20th century several western explorers made
celebrated journeys to the city, including Francis Younghusband, Alexandra
David-Néel and Heinrich Harrer. |
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The Potala Palace, is a UNESCO World Heritage
Site; other important buildings are the Jokhang, the Norbulingka, Drepung
monastery and Sera monastery.
A 1,080-km (670-mile) Qinghai-Tibet Railroad to Lhasa is currently under
construction. |
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