A country of central Asia, nominally an autonomous region within Communist China. It first came under Chinese control during the Manchu dynasty in 1720 and was generally closed to foreigners until late in the nineteenth century. Tibetans are an ancient race of Mongolian type and their ruler is the Dalai Lama. Buddhism was introduced in the seventh century A.D. and most Tibetans are Buddhists. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988).