Nepal is one of the
most fascinating Countries in the world with its natural beauty, rich
cultural heritage, towering Pagodas, spectacular Himalayan Ranges with
world's highest Peaks and much more. It is a country of Ethnic and
topographical diversities, rich Flora and Fauna adorned with exceptional
Architecture unmatched by any other country of the world. The World's
highest Mountains lure you for unlimited possibilities of Trekking,
Mountaineering and exploring the vast Flora and Fauna. Its friendly
people attract you with their ever- smiling face and hospitality, their
different cultural richness is unique to the world.
Nepal, officially
the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in
South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by
the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the
Republic of India. Nepal is a country of highly diverse and rich
geography, culture, and religions. The mountainous north has eight of
the world's ten highest mountains, including the highest, Sagarmatha,
known in English as Mount Everest. It contains over 240 peaks more than
20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level.
Geography
Nepal is of roughly
trapezoidal shape, 800 kilometres (497 mi) long and 200 kilometres (124
mi) wide, with an area of 147,181 sq.km .(56,827 sq mi). Nepal is
commonly divided into three physiographic areas: the Mountain, Hill, and
Terai Regions. These ecological belts run east-west and are vertically
intersected by Nepal's major, north to south flowing river systems.The
southern lowland plains or Terai bordering India are part of the
northern rim of the Indo-Gangetic plains. They were formed and are fed
by three major Himalayan rivers: the Kosi, the Narayani, and the Karnali
as well as smaller rivers rising below the permanent snowline. This
region has a subtropical to tropical climate. The outermost range of
foothills called Shiwalik or Churia Range cresting at 700 to 1,000
metres (2,297 to 3,281 ft) marks the limit of the Gangetic Plain,
however broad, low valleys called Inner Tarai (Bhitri Tarai Uptyaka) lie
north of these foothills in several places.
Climate
Nepal has five
climatic zones, broadly corresponding to the altitudes. The tropical and
subtropical zones lie below 1,200 metres (3,937 ft), the temperate zone
1,200 to 2,400 metres (3,937 to 7,874 ft), the cold zone 2,400 to 3,600
metres (7,874 to 11,811 ft), the subarctic zone 3,600 to 4,400 metres
(11,811 to 14,436 ft), and the Arctic zone above 4,400 metres (14,436
ft).Nepal experiences five seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and
spring. The Himalaya blocks cold winds from Central Asia in the winter
and forms the northern limit of the monsoon wind patterns. In a land
once thickly forested, deforestation is a major
problem in all regions, with resulting erosion and degradation of
ecosystems.
Nepal has four major
seasons, namely,(1) Winter: December-February, (2) Spring: March-May,
(3) Summer: June-August and (4) Autumn: September-November. Nepal can be
visited all the year round.
Languages
Nepal's diverse
linguistic heritage evolved from four major language groups: Indo-Aryan,
Tibeto-Burman, Mongolian and various indigenous language isolates. The
major languages of Nepal (percent spoken as mother tongue) are Nepali
(48.61%), Maithili (12.30%), Bhojpuri (7.53%), Tharu (5.86%), Tamang
(5.19%), Newari/Nepal Bhasa (3.63%), Magar (3.39%), Awadhi (2.47%), Rai
(2.79%), Limbu (1.47%), and Bajjika (1.05%), Other (5.71%).
Derived from
Sanskrit, Nepali has roots in Sanskrit and is written in Devanagari
script. Nepali is the official national language and serves as lingua
franca among Nepalis of different ethnolinguistic groups. Dialects of
Tibetan are spoken in and north of the higher Himalaya where standard
literary Tibetan is widely understood by those with religious education.
Local dialects in the Terai and hills are mostly unwritten with efforts
underway to develop systems for writing many in Devanagari or the Roman
alphabet.
Some Facts About Nepal
Area: 147,181 sq km
Geography: Situated between China in the North an India in the South, East & West.
Location: Latitude- 26 12' to 30 27' North Longitude- 80 4' to 88 12' East
Time Zone: 5 hours and 45 minutes ahead of GMT. ( +5.45)
Capital: Kathmandu
Population: 28,901,790 (July 2007 est.)
People: more than 103 ethnic groups and 93 spoken languages.
National Language: Nepali
Political System: Federal Democratic Republic State.
Currency: Nepalese Rupee
Geography: Situated between China in the North an India in the South, East & West.
Location: Latitude- 26 12' to 30 27' North Longitude- 80 4' to 88 12' East
Time Zone: 5 hours and 45 minutes ahead of GMT. ( +5.45)
Capital: Kathmandu
Population: 28,901,790 (July 2007 est.)
People: more than 103 ethnic groups and 93 spoken languages.
National Language: Nepali
Political System: Federal Democratic Republic State.
Currency: Nepalese Rupee
