It was established in 1959, with Lhatse Town as the county seat.

[2][3] Lhatse County has a population of some 50,000 and is about 200 kilometers from Mount Everest (or Chomolungma).

[5][6] Lhatse County recorded the highest temperature of 28.9 °C (84.0 °F) in locations above 4,000 meters above sea level.

The county is a juncture of China National Highway 219 (G219) which goes to Kashgar and China National Highway 318 (G318) which ends at the border with Nepal.

To the west along the G318, a road splits off and runs to the Mount Everest base camp.