Located in Southwest China, the Qinghai-Tibet plateau covers the entire Tibet Autonomous R
egion and Qinghai Province, in additiion to parts of Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu and Xinjiang.
It is about 2.6 million sq km in area and most of it lies at an altitude of more than 4,00
0 m above sea level. Hailed as the "roof of thte world", the "third pole" and the "water t
ower of Asia", the plateau is a natural habitat for rare animals and a gene pool of platea
u life. It is a key eco-safety barrier in China and Asia, and a focus of China's drive to
promote ecological progress.