Lhasa, sometimes spelled Lasa, is the traditional capital of Tibet and the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.In the Tibetan language, Lhasa means the Holy Land or the Buddha Land.
Located at the bottom of a small basin surrounded by mountains, Lhasa has an elevation of 3,650 meters (11,975 feet). [The average height of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies is 2,500 m (8,200 ft), although there is a peak in Jasper that almost reaches the elevation of Lhasa, although no one lives there.] The high elevation causes many travellers problems for a few days; many having high altititude sicknes (I happen to be one of them).
Because of its elevation and remoteness, Lhasa has little accessibility. This improve somewhat in July, 2006 when a rail line was finally built through the Himalayas to connect it to the rest of China. The 48-hour journey from Beijing to Lhasa, crosses over mountain passes, alpine deserts and the vast plains of the Qinghai plateau.
Lhasa is home to the Tibetan, Han, and Hui peoples, as well as many other ethnic groups, but the Tibetan ethnic group makes up 87 percent of the total population. It has a downtown of 544 square km and a population of 400,000; 140,000 of its people live in the downtown area.
Lhasa has a history of more than 1,300 years
http://www.tibetinfor.com/tibetzt/lasa/index.htm
