Eating Tsampa -- the staple food of Tibet Credit: Matjaz Vrecko

People
The Tibetan people form the majority of the population in Tibet. Chinese immigrants form a sizable part of the population. The inhospitable climate and terrain is responsible for Tibet's having a very low population density. A significant part of the population is nomadic or semi-nomadic. The main language of the region is Tibetan.

Tibetans are nomads, or farmers raising barley, yak, and sheep. There are various different tribes, each with their own distinctive styles of dresses. In the seventh century, the king of Tubo, Songsten Gampo, married Wen Cheng, a Tang princess. The princess brought Chinese culture into Tibet. Till 1949, Tibetans were divided into two classes: slaves and slave owners.