The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the highest and youngest plateau in the world, known as the "Roof of the World" and also referred to as the "Third Pole of the Earth". It covers an area of 2.5 million square kilometers, with an average altitude of over 4,000 meters, and the core area exceeds 5,000 meters. Surrounded by high mountains on its outer edge, it stands towering above the surrounding regions with a vertical drop of thousands of meters, further highlighting the majestic posture of the plateau. In fact, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is composed of a series of high mountains running mainly in an east-west direction, which geographers call a "mountainous plateau". There are 14 peaks in the world with altitudes exceeding 8,000 meters, of which 10 are concentrated in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Most peaks above 5,000 meters are covered with snow all year round, with glaciers distributed like silver chains.
The terrain of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is complex and diverse. Between the Kunlun Mountains and the Gongdang Mountains lies the North Tibet Plateau, also known as the Qiangtang Plateau. The Qiangtang Plateau is vast and flat, with lakes scattered throughout. It is about 2,000 kilometers long from east to west and 700 kilometers wide from north to south, with an average altitude of 4,500–5,000 meters. Between the Altyn Tagh Mountains and the Qilian Mountains and the Kunlun Mountains lies the Chaidamu Basin, covering an area of 220,000 square kilometers. In this vast tectonic basin on the plateau, salt and oil and natural gas resources are very abundant.
South of the Gongdang Mountains and Nyingchi Tanggula Mountains and north of the Himalayas lies the South Tibet Valley. The Yarla Zangbo River flows through the valley, with abundant water resources and lush pastures.
The clothing of Tibetan people is closely related to the climate. Due to the cold in the morning and evening, Tibetans wear tightly wrapped robes. However, when the sun shines brightly at noon and the temperature rises, they have to take off one sleeve or even both sleeves and tie them around their waists.
The altitude of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau reaches about one-third of the troposphere, so low temperatures are inevitable. The average annual temperature in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is below 0°C, and the average temperature in most areas in the warmest month is less than 10°C. Those who have lived on the plateau for a long time know that even in the "midsummer", you can't do without sweaters, and sometimes you even need to wear cotton-padded jackets. In areas above 4,500–5,000 meters, there are also days with snowfall in July and August. Such a cold climate can only be compared with the North and South Poles of the Earth. Therefore, it is truly the "third pole of the Earth".
The sun radiation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is intense, and even in the coldest winter, the sun can make people feel warm when it comes out. The strong solar radiation and the large altitude difference make the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau not only have ice and snow, but also various landscapes. There are not only ice-covered snow-capped mountains, but also wide valleys and basins; not only primitive forests, but also grasslands and pastures; not only major rivers and rivers, but also lakes and swamps; not only barren wastelands, but also "rice-and-fish-abundant" areas with warm weather and fragrant rice in the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Within a horizontal distance of less than 40 kilometers, the altitude can vary by more than 7,000 meters, and from the valley to the mountain top, you can see all the natural landscape changes from the poles to the equator, forming the so-called "flowers blooming at the foot of the mountain and snow falling on the mountain", "different weather in ten miles", and "four seasons in a day" peculiar scenes.