Shigatse connects with three countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim in the south, Ngari in the west, Nagqu in the north and Lhasa and Shannan in the east. It occupies an area of 176,000 square kilometers, the latitude being between 82'E and 92'20''E and longitude between 27'23''N and 31'49''N. It is 800 kilometers from east to west and 220 kilometers from north to south, with a border of 1,354 kilometers.

Under the jurisdiction of Shigatse Administrative Office are the city of Shigatse at the county level, 17 counties of Gyangze, Bainang, Kangma, Yadong, Rinbung, Namling, Xitongmoin, Larze, Sagya, Kamba, Dinggye, Tingri, Nyalam, Gyilung, Ngamring, Saga, Zongba, and Zham port, the largest State trade port in Tibet. In the district are 218 townships (including 12 towns), 1,752 villagers committees and 28 urban residents committees.

Included in a population of 609,228 in 1997 were 554,704, or 91.1 percent farmers and herdsmen. Tibetans formed 97 percent of the population, and the other 3 percent was composed of Han Chinese and other 15 ethnic groups, such as Hui, Monggol, Tu, Manchu, Miao and Zhuang. There were 1,875 Xia'erba people. The population in Shigatse forms one-fourth of the population in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and the density of population is 3.3 people per square kilometer. Most of the people live in the Yarlung Zangbo River area, and the western pastoral area is sparsely inhabited.

Shigatse is located mostly between the middle of the Himalayas and the middle of the Kangdese-Nyainqentanglha ranges. The southern and northern terrains are high, while the South Tibet Plateau and the Yarlung Zangbo River constitute the low-lying middle area. Formed basically of high mountains, wide valleys, lakes and basins, this land has a varied topography with an average elevation of more than 4,000 meters.

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