Abstract: Sixty-seven physical characteristics of the Lhoba people of Milin County, and of the Monba people of Cuona County, both of Tibet, were investigated in this study. These characteristics were used to calculate and then comparisons were made between these two groups and other Chinese minority groups. The results are as follows.
Some physical characteristics of the Lhoba, including hypsicephalic type, mesoprosopy, metriocephalic type (breadth-height index of head), mesatiskelic type, medium chest circumference and medium distance between iliac crests were observed to occur in high frequencies. Typical physical characteristics of the Monba peoples were brachycephaly, hypsicephalic type, mesoprosopy, mesorrhiny, broad shoulder breadth, medium chest circumference and medium distance between iliac crests. In terms of stature, typical Lhoba were of middle stature, whereas the Monba were of sub-middle stature. In both the Lhoba and Monba peoples, the percentage of mongoloid fold and eyefold of the upper eyelid are low. The height of alae nasi and the upper lip height were of medium size. Hair color was black and eye color was brown. Most people had yellow skin color. The percentage of triangular lobe shape was high in the Lhoba, whereas the percentage of round lobe shape was high in the Monba peoples. Nasal root height of the Lhoba and Monba were medium size in males and small in females. The results of this research indicate that the physical characteristics of the Lhoba and Monba people are similar, and their head and face characteristics are close to Zangzu of Gansu and Sichuan provinces. Although the Lhoba and Monba live in southern China, their body characteristics are similar to that of the North Asian type.

Key words: Somatoscopy; Anthropometry; Lhoba; Monba; Constitution