Martin Jackson, age 9, of Hibbing, Minn., for his question:
WHERE IS THE ROOF OF THE WORLD?
Roof of the World is a title that has been given to Tibet, a remote land in the south central part of Asia. Its snow covered mountains and windswept plateaus are the highest in the world.
The world's highest mountain, also its most famous mountain, is located in Tibet. The peak is Mount Everest, which towers to 29,028 feet. It is located in a range of high mountains which make up a wall on Tibet's southern boundary.
Tibet's Roof the World title becomes more appropriate when you realize that the valley floors in the country are higher than the mountains of most countries in the world.
Today Tibet is part of China. However, for many years Tibet was independent. Its mountain ranges isolated it from other regions.
Today many people consider the Tibetans hermit people. A great many of the citizens still follow a primitive way of life.
Parts of Tibet have never been explored. But then a large part of the country is a dreary waste of gravel, rock and sand. Although there are hundreds of lakes, most of them have barren shores. Many also have large salt contents. Tibet has an average elevation of 16,000 feet above sea level.
On the south is the snowy Himalaya range. On the north and northwest, the peaks of the Kunlun range rise almost as high as the Ta Hsueh Mountains on the eastern border which tower over 25,250 feet.
No wonder that the country has been called the Roof of the World.
During the AD 600s, Tibet became a powerful kingdom. Buddhism and handwriting were introduced from India. Then in the late 1200s, the Mongols invaded. The Dalai Lama became the ruler and civil authority in the 1600s.
Much of Tibet has less than 10 inches of rain each year. The Himalayas on the south shut out moisture bearing winds from India.
But sudden blizzards and snowstorms are common in the country. Violent winds actually sweep Tibet at all seasons.
January temperatures in the country average 24 degrees Fahrenheit. In July each year the temperatures average 58 degrees Fahrenheit.
Strange to say, no one knows just how many people live in Tibet today. Estimates vary, but many experts say that about 2 million is close to the correct population figure.
Barley is the chief crop in Tibet and barley flour is the main food. Milk also forms a large part of the diet. The wealthy people drink yak milk while the poor drink goat milk.