Lhoba refers to the Sino-Tibetan ethnicity people living in and around Pemako, a region in southeastern Tibet, including Mainling, Medog, and Zayu counties of Nyingchi and Lhunze County of Shannan, Tibet. The name is a Tibetan exonym meaning "southerners" and was formally adopted by the People's Republic of China in official ethnic classification. In China, the Lhoba are counted as one of the officially recognised 56 ethnic groups, a status granted by the State Council in August 1965.