Ü is a geographic division and a historical region in Tibet

Tibet

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

. Together with Tsang

Ü-Tsang

Ü-Tsang , or Tsang-Ü, is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the other two being Amdo and Kham. Geographically Ü-Tsang covered the central and western portions of the Tibetan cultural area, including the Tsang-po watershed, the western districts surrounding and extending past Mount...

 (Tib. གཙང་, gtsang), it forms Central Tibet Ü-Tsang

Ü-Tsang

Ü-Tsang , or Tsang-Ü, is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the other two being Amdo and Kham. Geographically Ü-Tsang covered the central and western portions of the Tibetan cultural area, including the Tsang-po watershed, the western districts surrounding and extending past Mount...

 (Tib. དབུས་གཙང་, Wyl. dbus gtsang), which is one of the three Tibetan regions or cholka (cholka-sum). The other two cholka are Kham

Kham

Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...

 (Tib. ཁམས་, Wyl. khams) (Dotod) and Amdo

Amdo

Amdo is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river . While culturally and ethnically a Tibetan area, Amdo has been administered by a...

 (Tib. ཨ༌མདོ;Wyl. a mdo) (Domed). According to a Tibetan saying, "the best religion comes from Ü-Tsang, the best men from Kham, and the best horses from Amdo".

Constituent districts

Taken together, Ü and Tsang are considered to be the center of Tibetan civilization, from historical, cultural, political and economic perspectives. They are centered around the valley of the Tsangbo River that flows eastward at about 3,600 meters above sea level. Of this territory, Ü constitutes the eastern portion, up to Sokla Kyao in the east where it borders to Kham. It includes the Kyichu valley system, where Lhasa

Lhasa

Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...

 is situated, and the Yarlung and Chonggye valleys to the south of the Tsangpo.
During the period of Mongol rule at the end of the 13th century, Ü and Tsang were divided in thirteen myriarchies (trikor). The exact list of myriarchies varies somewhat from source to source. According to The Song of the Spring Queen, the chronicle of Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (the Fifth Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...

), those of Ü were Gyama, Drikung, Tsalpa, Thangpochewa, Phagmodru, and Yazang. Some lists have Taglung

Taglung

-See also:*List of towns and villages in Tibet...

 instead of Thangpochewa.

Historical status

In Ü the traditional centers of power in Tibet, such as Yarlung

Yarlung

Yarlung can refer to:*Yarlung Kingdom, see also: Tibetan empire*Yarlung Dynasty, see also: List of emperors of Tibet*Yarlung Valley, formed by the Yarlung River and refers especially to the district where it joins with the Chongye River, and broadens out into a large plain about 2 km wide, before...

, Lhasa

Lhasa

Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...

 and Nêdong

Nêdong County

Nêdong County, is a county of the Shannan Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region....

, are found. In the 15th century the reformed Buddhist Gelugpa sect gained great influence in Ü, while Tsang to the west tended to adher to the rivalling Karmapa

Karmapa

The Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa , itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism....

 sect. The Gelugpa-Karmapa rivalry overlapped with a political rivalry between leaders of Ü and Tsang. This turbulent era remained until 1642, when the Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...

 and his allies inaugurated the theocratic dharma

Dharma

Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...

state in Tibet.