At a Glance
| Location: | Southern Asia, between India and China |
| Area: | 147,181 sq km |
| Capital: | Kathmandu |
| Government Type: | Federal Democratic Republic |
| Population: | 26,494,504 (2011) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | 60.94 |
| Literacy: | 65.9% (male: 62.7%, female: 34.9%) |
| Religion: | Hindu 81.3%, Buddhist 9.0%, Muslim 4.4%, Kirat 3.1%, Christianity 1.4% and other (2011 census) |
| Official Language: | Nepali |
| Currency: | Rupee (NPR) |
| HDI ranking: | 145th (out of 177 countries ranked, 2014) |
Highlights
Nepal is a landlocked Asian country Located between India and China and with 26.5 million of population (*Census 2011) and 147181 square kilometers of area, Nepal occupies 0.3 and 0.03 percentage of land area of Asia and the world respectively.
"The Himalayan mountain range stretches through Nepal and the country is home to eight of the world's ten highest peaks, including Mount Everest (8,848m)– the top of the world– is both the identity and glory of this Himalayan country."
With an area of 147,181 square kilometers (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world’s 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. The average width (North to South) is 193 kilometers whereas the average length is 885 (East to West) kilometers. Kathmandu is the capital of the nation and a treasure house of ancient art and culture.
The country has great variety of topography which is reflected in the diversity of weather and climate simultaneously. Specially, the country experiences tropical, mesothermal, micro-thermal, taiga and tundra types of climate.
Geometrically the country has roughly a rectangular outline located between Latitude 26°22′ and 30°27;’ and longitude between 80°4′ and 88° 12′, with average east-west axis is 885 km and north-south 193 km. The total area of the country is 147181 sq km (83% of the hill and 17% of the flat terrain of Terai). The altitude ranges from a minimum of 70 meters to a maximum of 8848 meters whereas the climate varies with its topography.
Geometrically the country has roughly a rectangular outline located between Latitude 26°22′ and 30°27;’ and longitude between 80°4′ and 88° 12′, with average east-west axis is 885 km and north-south 193 km. The total area of the country is 147181 sq km (83% of the hill and 17% of the flat terrain of Terai). The altitude ranges from a minimum of 70 meters to a maximum of 8848 meters whereas the climate varies with its topography.
"Nepal was a closed country until 1951. Modern Nepal was unified in the late 18th century. Ruled by Shah Dynasty for almost 240 years as a kingdom, the country turned to a Federal Republic of Nepal in 2063/64 BS. Nepal's monarchy was abolished in May 2008 and the country, formerly the world's only Hindu kingdom, is now a secular democratic republic. The present constitution of Nepal has provisioned to elect President from the Parliament who is the chief of the country."
Nepal is a multiethnic, multilingual, multi-religious and multicultural country. The last census 2011 revealed that there are 123 languages being spoken in Nepal whereas 125Caste and ethnic group residing in a uniquely harmonized Nepalese society. Nepali stands as the official language of the country. There were recorded ten different religions, viz., Hindu, Bouddha, Islam, Kirat, Christian, Prakriti, Bon, Jain, Bahai and Sikha respectively by their dominance in the last census 2011. Also known as the light of Asia, Lord Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini of Nepal some 2500 years ago. As a distinct symbol of the country, Nepal has a flag with unique triangular shape in contrast to rectangular shape of almost all countries in the world.
Hinduism and Buddhism are the predominant religions in Nepal. While still representing only a small fraction of the population, Nepal's Christian, in existence since the early 1950s, is reportedly one of the fastest growing in the world.
"The Garland of white snow-capped Himalaya in the North, calm blue Indian Ocean in the South, Burmese and Sulaiman arcs in the east and west respectively, flourishing the culture since the dawn of Civilisation through the elixir of Ganga-Brahmaputra-Indus water and encompassing six sovereign states (Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan , Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives) from the countries of South Asia. Geologically major part lies on the edge of Indian plate and a minor part of the northern region of the Euro-Asian plate."
Nepal is rich in natural resources such as forest, water and bio-diversity. Forest covers approximately 39.6% land of the total area. The numbers of all-season rivers touches hundreds in number though have not yet been fully exploited in generating electricity and irrigation.
Tourism is the largest industry and one of the key sources of foreign exchange in Nepal. Nepal is a unique destination for mountaineering, trekking, rafting and jungle safari. It possesses eight out of 10 highest mountains in the world. There are 10 world heritages and unbeatable combination of natural beauty and cultural riches. In 2015, it welcomed around 539 thousand tourists and earned about 544 million US dollar as an income from tourism.
The Mechi river makes the eastern border between Darjeeling district of West Bengal of India and Nepal while the Mahakali river (Sarda) is the western border between Garhwal of India and Nepal the southern border lies on the northern edge of Indo-Gangetic plain i.e about 20 to 40 km south from the edge of the hill range.
The Mechi river makes the eastern border between Darjeeling district of West Bengal of India and Nepal while the Mahakali river (Sarda) is the western border between Garhwal of India and Nepal the southern border lies on the northern edge of Indo-Gangetic plain i.e about 20 to 40 km south from the edge of the hill range.
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