Changthang
| Changtang | |||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | 羌塘 | ||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 藏北高原 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | North Tibet plateau | ||||||||
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| Tibetan name | |||||||||
| Tibetan | བྱང་ཐང་། | ||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Qiāngtáng |
| Wade–Giles | Chi'ang1-t'ang2 |
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Zàng Běi Gāoyuán |
| Wade–Giles | Tsang4 Pei3 Kao1-yüan4 |
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Wylie | byang thang |
| Tibetan Pinyin | Qangtang |
The Changtang (alternatively spelled Changthang) is a high altitude plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into southeastern Ladakh, with vast highlands and giant lakes. From eastern Ladakh, the Changtang stretches approximately 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) east into Tibet as far as modern Qinghai. All of it is geographically part of the Tibetan Plateau. The Changtang is home to the Changpa, a nomadic Tibetan people.
The climate of Changtang is harsh and unpredictable. The summers are warm but short and thunder storms can occurred at any time of year, often with hail. The winters are cold and Arctic-like, despite the latitude, due to the high elevation.
Changtang was once ruled by a culture known as the Zhangzhung, which later merged with Tibetan culture.
The people of the Changtang are nomadic pastoralists, they are known as 'Changpa', for 'northerners,' or 'Drukpa' for 'nomads' in Tibetan. As of 1989[update] there were half a million nomads living in Changtang. Unlike many other nomadic groups, the Changpa are not under pressure from settled farmers as the vast majority of land they inhabit is too inhospitable for farming.
The economy of the region is based around the of the Changpa, and the most important resource is the plants the animals graze on. The transhumance of the Changpa over one year limits the impact that their animals have on the grazing lands, the grasses of which are dead for eight to nine months of the year, and provide poor fodder during that time. Unlike many other nomadic pastoralists, the Changpa do not move from one climatic region to another; this allows them to move shorter distances in many cases, in the range of about 10–40 miles. Migratory routes are established and followed year after year, staying in the same encampments each year, often in camps that have stone walls for corrals and for sheltering the tents. Wealthier nomads may have buildings for storage and living in for the part of the year they spend at that encampment.
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Wikipedia