Lhasa

Lhasa, or Lasa (pop. 200,000) is the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, and was the historical capital of whole Tibet before 1950. Lhasa means place of the Gods. It is pronounced L'hássa or Läässa.

There are today more Han Chinese than Tibetans in Lhasa, mostly a result of deliberate PRC government policies.

The historic ensemble of the Potala Palace, in Lhasa, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

A 670-mile-long Qinghai-Tibet railroad to Lhasa is currently under construction.