 Tibetans
share their region with Menpa, Luopa, Han Chinese, Hui, Sherpa,
and a few Deng people. Tibetans are the main inhabitants on the
plateau. Tibetans are optimistic and happy people.
Traditionally, farmers settled in small villages
with barley as their main crop. The roaming nomads earned their
living by herding yaks and sheep. Most Tibetans in cities made a
living as craftsmen. However, nowadays more and more people are
migrating into businesses.
The Tibetan language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan
phylum. People in U, Tsang, Kham, and Chamdo speak different dialects.
Most
Tibetans are devout Buddhists while a few believe in the old Bon.
Islam and Catholicism also have a few followers in Lhasa and Yanjing
respectively. Since China's Family Planning program is not carried
out among Tibetan people, the Tibetan population keeps growing.
According to the census conducted in 2000, there are 2,616,300 people
in Tibet, with Tibetans totaling 2,411,100 or 92.2% of the current
regional population. The census also revealed that the Tibetan's
average lifespan has increased to 68 due to the improving standard
of living and access to medical services. Illiteracy has decreased
to 850,700.

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