Ngari Prefecture
Ngari Prefecture is a prefecture of China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Its capital is Gar County. Its administrative centre and largest settlement is Shiquanhe. Parts of the border of Ngari with India are part of the Sino-Indian border dispute.History
Ngari was once the heart of the ancient kingdom of Guge. Later Ngari, along with Ü and Tsang, composed Ü-Tsang, one of the traditional provinces of Tibet, the others being Amdo and Kham.
The lowlands of Ngari is known as Maryul. During the 10th century, the kingdom of Maryul was founded, taking the name Ladakh, lasted until 1842.
The prefecture has close cultural links with Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti district of the bordering Indian province of Himachal Pradesh.Geography and climate
The paved Xinjiang-Tibet Highway passes through this area. There are well-known prehistoric petroglyphs near the far western town of Rutog.
The town of Ngari lies above sea level in northwest Tibet some west of the capital, Lhasa. Ngari Gunsa Airport began operations on July 1, 2010, becoming the fourth civil airport in Tibet along with Lhasa Gonggar Airport in Lhasa, Qamdo Bamda Airport in Chamdo and Nyingchi Mainling Airport.
Ngari is best known for Mount Kailash, also called Sumeru, and Lake Manasarovar. Mount Kailash is above sea level and is the main peak of the Transhimalaya. The holy mountain and lake are associated with a number of religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, and Bon, among others, attracting numerous domestic and international religious pilgrims and tourists. Surrounding Mount Kailash are four ancient and famous monasteries: Zhabura, Chiu Gompa, Zheri and Zhozhub. Manasarovar lies above sea level, covers an area of and reaches a maximum depth of.
Ngari has a cold desert climate, with strong dry-winter subarctic climate tendencies.Subdivisions
Ali Prefecture is subdivided into seven county-level divisions: seven counties.Footnotes
