Tibetan Plateau

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:TibetplateauA2002144.0440.500m.jpg The Tibetan Plateau or Qinghai-Tibetan (Qingzang) Plateau is a large, elevated region in Central Asia, covering much of Tibet. It occupies an area of around 1,000 by 2,500 kilometers, and has an average elevation of over 5,000 meters. Called "the roof of the world," it contains the world's tallest mountain range, the Himalayas, as well as Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain. The plateau was formed by the collision of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates in the Cenozoic period (approximately 55 million years ago), although the process is still ongoing.

The uplift of the plateau is thought to have had a significant effect on climate change, and it is believed to affect the Asian monsoon. The mountains block the rain from going north which makes India wet with the monsoons, and creates a dry area north of these mountains known as the Gobi Desert.

The quasi-uninhabited region Kekexili is located in the northwestern part of the Plateau.