Polities Introduction
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Polities Introduction
Historically the Tibetan Plateau and the Greater Himalayan region were characterized by an astonishing array of political formations – empires, confederacies, kingdoms, principalities, noble houses, monastic parishes, agricultural estates, stateless areas, and much more – which currently are divided up between five modern nations (China, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bhutan). Our polities initiative is documenting historical and contemporary polities, as well as their internal administrative units. We have begun with major polities as well as a survey of Buddhist and Bön monasteries, due to the historical significance of monasteries as seats of political power.