Nagqu Prefecture

Nagqu Prefecture is located in northern Tibet, between Tanggula Mountains and Nyainqentanglha Mountains. It has an average altitude of more than 4450 meters. The largest distance between the east and west is 233 kilometers while the largest distance between north and south is 233 kilometers. Nagqu Prefecture covers an area of 16195 square kilometers with a population of about 0.1 million.

Nagqu Prefecture was the military food supply base of the Tubo Kingdom. It acted as a main transportation road in Tang and Song dynasties. It was originally named Heho County and changed to Nagqu in 1965. Nagqu is a city without trees.

Nagqu Prefecture - Mountains and Rivers

There are numerous mountains in Nagqu Prefecture: the Sangdemkhangsam Mountains in the southwest, the Namurea Mountains in the northwest, the Gonggarwagama Mountains in the southeast, the Seru Mountains and the Kora Mountains in the east. Those mountains are branch mountains of Nyainqentanglha Mountains.

The highest peak in Nagqu Prefecture is Sangdemkhangsam Peak with an altitude of about 6500 meters. Its main peak is about 100 kilometers away from southern Nagqu Town. The Gonnggarwa Peak and Serulaghen Peak are 5500 meters above the sea level and covered with snow all round the year.

The rivers flow through Nagqu Prefecture is Nagqu River and its tributaries. Numerous seasonal rivers and streams merge into Nagqu River or flow into the lakes Nagqu Prefecture. These rivers have a total runoff of 4.4 million cubic meters.

Lake Dachi Co, Lake Nesbeng Co, Lake Tsomuru Co and Lake Hang Co are bigger lakes in Nagqu Prefecture. All these lakes are fresh water lake except Lake Nesbeng Co.

Nagqu Prefecture - Climate

Nagqu Prefecture enjoys a plateau sub-frigid monsoon semi-humid climate. The winter here lasts half a year. It has a small difference in annual temperature but a big temperature difference between day and night. The climate of Nagqu Prefecture is characterized by dry and windy.

The average annual temperature In Nagqu Prefecture is -2.1? and the average temperature in January is -14.4?. There is no absolute frost-free day. The months between October and May of the next year is blizzard and soil freezing period. The annual precipitation is 406.2 millimeters and mainly concentrated in the months between June and September.

Nagqu Prefecture - Folk Culture

The Horse Racing Festival in Nagqu is the most solemn festival in Nagqu Prefecture. Horse racing is an important and indispensable celebrating activity for most of the Tibetan festivals. Horse is a sacred and holy animal for local Tibetans not only because horse plays important role in their daily life but also because they believe that the horse could determine the fate of their tribe, as well as choose the leader of their tribe.

On these important festivals, the local Tibetans would be dressed in their holiday best. They would share their traditional food with each other. The racing ground would be decorated by colorful flags. There are some newly brought events (such as the weight lifting, push-and-pull) except the traditional ones (horse racing, archery, horse-riding stunt).