China's newly established communist regime invaded Tibet in 1949-50 with 40,000 troops. Defeating the small Tibetan army, they forced a treaty stating China's sovereignty over Tibet but recognizing the Tibetan government's autonomy over internal affairs. As the Chinese consolidated their control, they repeatedly violated the treaty and open resistance to their rule grew, culminating in the National Uprising of 1959 and the flight of the 14th Dalai Lama to India.

China's invasion and subsequent human rights abuses were condemned by the UN general assembly in October 1959. Click here for a map of the various phases of the annexation.

Since the 1959 uprising, more than 1.2 million Tibetans (one-fifth of the country's population) have died as a result of brutal suppression; many more languish in prisons and labour camps, and more than 6000 monasteries and temples have been pillaged and destroyed. Recognising that Tibet's cultural cohesion rested largely on the pervasive influence of Buddhism, China set out to systematically eradicate religious practice, as well as initiating massive "re-education" programs designed to destroy traditional allegiance to the Dalai Lama. These schemes have met with varying degrees of success.

Today the biggest threats to Tibet are cultural dilution caused by the Chinese Government's re-population program and environmental degradation. Rampant deforestation, heavy industry and unsustainable agricultural practices are fast replacing millennia-old methods which once maintained balance in a very fragile ecosystem.