Owing its name to the nearby Nakchu River, the region is synonymous with the Changtang Plateau, which in Tibetan means 'northern plateau'. It covers a total area over 420,000 square kilometers (162,162 sq miles), approximately 1/3 of the entire Tibetan region, and has a population of 67,000. At an altitude of 4,500 meters (14,763 feet), the area is dry, cold (the average annual temperature is below zero) and oxygen starved.
Nakchu's beauty lies in its lakes, mountains and grasslands. Its western part is dotted with hundreds of lakes, among which the most reputed one is the heavenly Namtso. Valleys and mountains in the east provide a more hospitable climate than the west and as such, is the only arable area in northern Tibet. Still further north, bordering Nakchu Prefecture and Ngari Prefecture, is the Shuanghu Special Administration Zone , the home of numerous animal species. It is the origin of Bon , the indigenous religion of Tibet. Its history dates back some 2,000 years when the ancient Shengshong Kingdom settled here. Ancient Shengshong Culture Ruins , located in Nyima County, Nakchu Prefecture, is said to be where the Shengshong Kingdom established its capital. The legend has it that the first king of Shengshong created Bon, and even now, Bon still has many followers in the Nakchu region, quite different from other regions in Tibet.
The town of Nakchu, where the administrative office is seated, is the economic and cultural center of this region. With Qingzang (Qinghai-Tibet) Highway making its way through the town, it is accessible from Lhasa, Golmud and Lanzhou. Lodging and dining are no problem in the town since there are a range of hotels and restaurants to choose from. Every year in August, the annual Changtang Qiaqing Horse Racing Festival is held in the town of Nakchu, a must-see spectacle if visiting northern Tibet.
