Nepal General Information

A landlocked country in South Asia, Nepal stands bordered by China in the north and India in the south, east and west. The country, which was initially a monarchy, is now a Federal Democratic Republic, through an Interim Parliamentary bill passed by on 28th December 2007. A multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi-religious country, Nepal boasts of a varied landscape, ranging from Terai plains in the south to mountainous Himalayas in the north.

The official language is Nepali. Apart from that, English and a number of other languages are also spoken. Nepali is constitutionally recognized as the official language. Hindus (80 per cent) and Buddhist (10 percent) are the two predominant religious groups, followed by Muslims, Jains and Christians.

Nepal is among the least developed countries in the world, with almost one-quarter of its population living below the poverty line but interestingly, the only country in world whose national flag is not quadrilateral in shape. Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, is located in Nepal and tourism is key in earning foreign income. Eight of the highest peaks of the world are situated in Nepal. Mount Everest (8,848 meters), the highest peak in the world, forms the highest point in Nepal. Nepal has some most beautiful trekking routes on the Earth, It is rich in scenic splendor and cultural treasures with a strong historic tradition having population of more than 29 million people of different religion and Culture.

 

FACTS ABOUT NEPAL
Area	47,181 Sq. KM.
Population	29,959,364
Latitude	26 12' North to 30 27' North.
Longitude	80 4' East to 88 12' East.
Capital	Kathmandu
People	40 Ethnic Group with 70 Spoken Languages.
Currency	Rupees ( U.S.$ 1 = Rs. 73.90).
Political System	Federal Democratic Republic
Topography	From the world's deepest gorge "Kaligandaki" to highest point on earth the "Mt. Everest".
Vegetation	Nepal possesses some of the most outstanding bio-diversity in the world, ranging from sub-tropical rain forests to alpine deserts.
Weather	Climate ranges from tropical in the low lands to arctic in highest altitudes.
Seasons	Winter (Dec. - Feb.), Summer (March - May), Monsoon (June-Aug.), Autumn (Sep. - Nov.)
Time	Nepal, time is 5 hours 45 minutes ahead from GMT.
Language	Nepali
Religion	Hindu (Main)
Monsoon	Mostly rains at nights, making the following days crispy clean and fresh. Most of the northern belt of the Trans-Himalayan Zone is rain-shadowed and ideal for trekking

 

A Living Cultural Heritage:
Nepal's Heritage is alive and dynamic. Shamanism, Pan-animism & Witch-craft are still practiced in remote regions. Temples, shrines, monuments and monasteries are extremely active with devotees burning butter-lamps, singing hymns, chiming temple bells and playing drums. The only country that has living goddess "Kumari.

Home to Endangered Species Like :
Royal Bengal Tiger, One horned rhino, Snow - Leopard, Red Panda, Brown Bear, Assamese Macaque, Gangetic Dolphin, Wolf, Wild Elephant, Giant Horn - Bill, Swamp Deer, Wild Yak, Tibetan Antelope, Black Buck, Four Horned antelope, Musk Deer, Pigmy Hog, Haspid Hare, Pangolin, Gharial, Indian Bustart, Saras Crane, Impean Pheasant, Python etc.

Flora and Founa:
840 different species of wet-land, migratory and residential bird, 8% of the world's population of birds

World Heriatge Sites:
Ten of which seven World Heritage Sites are situated within 20 kms. Of radius, in the Kathmandu Valley.