In pictures: Modern Tibet

With a population of slightly less than three million, spread over 1.2 million sq-km (0.5 million sq-mile), much of the Tibet Autonomous Region is wide open space.

China has established 38 reserves to protect the region’s natural environment, which includes mountains, lakes and forests.

But global warming is changing the landscape. Temperatures in Tibet are rising at more than twice the worldwide average, melting glaciers that feed some of Asia’s major rivers.