The Salt Well County in Tibet

The Salt Well County in Tibet – Brief Introduction

The Salt Well County is situated in the southeast part of Qamdo Prefecture in the east part of Tibet Autonomous Region. It is passed through by both of the Hengduan Mountain Range and Ningjing Mountain Range. In the east there is Jinsha River and in the west there is Lancang River. There is rich in the natural resources in Salt Well Natural Reserves.

As a matter of fact the official name of Salt Well County is Salt Well Naxi Nation Village, Mangkang County, Tibet Autonomous Region. It is actually located in the southeast part of Qamdo Prefecture and the southeast part of Tibet Autonomous Region. It is available between the Mangkang County in Tibet and Deqyen County of Yunnan Province. The average elevation is about 2400 meters. To the northeast, it adjoins Batang of Sichuan Province. To the south it adjoins Deqyen County of Yunnan Province. To the west it adjoins Zuogong County of Tibet.

The Salt Well County in Tibet – History

The Salt Well County was a mysterious place of Tibet and it was the traffic hinge to Tubo Dynasty in ancient times. It was also the only way which must be passed to Tibet Region for tea business. Acted as the only one cultural landscape along the Ancient Tea-horse Road, the salt well attracts large numbers of tourists to visit. It is also the only one region which established the Catholic Church in Tibet so far. The Catholicism culture was introduced in Tibet region since the 19 Century. The Catholic Church is believed by all the catholic followers in Tibet. In Salt Well County, some Tibetan people believed in Tibet Buddhism and some believed in local sect, Naxi minority people believed in Dongba Sect, and some local people believed in Catholicism.

The Salt Well County in Tibet – Geography

The Salt Well County is located at the east longitude 98°28′-99°06′ and north latitude 28°37′-29°30′. It stands opposite to Sichuan Province in the east. The Salt Well village is the county center. It is approximately 1336 kilometers far from Lhasa City and about 550 kilometers far from Qamdo Prefecture. It covers an area of 13000 square kilometers. The cultivated land covers an area of 39600 mu (1 mu ≈ 0.0007 square kilometers).

The Salt Well County is situated in the southeast part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and connects to Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. It is available in the valley area of Jinsha River, Lancang River and Nu River. The terrain of the Salt Well County is higher in the north but lower in the south. The main mountain ranges are Ningjing Mountain and Nu Mountain. The highest peak is Bori Peak and it is about 5084 meters high.

The Salt Well County in Tibet – Climate

It is plateau temperate semi-humid monsoon climate in the Salt Well County. There is rich in sunshine. It is warm and moist in summer, and it is cold and dry in winter. The annual average temperature is about 10 ?. In January, the average temperature is -2?. In July the average temperature is about 16 ?. The annual precipitation is about 500mm.