Lhasa Guide gives useful information on things to do and what to see in this city. Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of P.R.C. is an important center for Tibetan politics, economy, culture, and religion. It is situated in the northern flanks of the Himalayas and approximately 3,600 meters from the banks of the Lhasa River, covering a total area of 441 square kilometers, with an average altitude of 3648 meters and yearly temperature of 8.5. It has 7 adjunctive counties and a population of 120,000. The city provides visitors with an entre to a splendid history of more than 1,300 years through its ancient palaces, temples and monasteries. The best feature about Lhasa however, is the fact that the sun shines 3021 hours a year. For this, the city has also been nicknamed the "Sunshine City". The annual precipitation is 500mm, with the rainy months being July, August, and September. The rain usually falls at night, conveniently washing the heat and dust during the day. Transportation to and from Lhasa is now very convenient and easily accessible. There are domestic flights to Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou, etc, and international flights to Kathmandu, Nepal.