BASIC
INFORMATION
Full
Country Name: NEPAL
Capital
Kathmandu
Largest city Kathmandu
Official language
Nepali
Government
Transitional government
King Gyanendra
Bir Bikram Shah Dev
Area 147,181 sq.km
km²
Population
- July 2005 est. 27,133,000
Currency Rupee
(NPR)
Time
zone (UTC+5:45)
Internet
TLD .np
Calling
code +977
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GEOGRAPHY
& BACKGROUND
More
than 80% of its people follow Hinduism.
The CIA World Factbook recognizes Nepal
as "the only official Hindu state in
the world." [[1]] For a small country,
the Nepali landscape is uncommonly diverse,
ranging from the humid Terai in the south
to the lofty Himalayas in the north. It
is notable that within a very small width
the elevation of Nepal increases from the
plain terrain to the tallest Himalayas leading
to great vegetation. Nepal boasts eight
of the world's ten highest mountains, including
Mount Everest on the border with China.
Kathmandu is the capital and largest city.
The other main cities include Biratnagar,Bhairahawa,
Birgunj, Janakpur, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, Mahendranagaretc.
The origin of the name Nepal is uncertain,
but the most popular understanding is that
it derived from Ne (holy) and pal (cave).
After
a long and rich history, during which the
region splintered and coalesced under a
variety of absolute rulers, Nepal became
a constitutional monarchy in 1990. However,
the monarchy retained many important and
ill-defined powers. This arrangement was
marked by increasing instability, both in
the parliament and, since 1996, in large
swathes of the country that have been fought
over by Maoist insurgents. The Maoists,
alienated from mainstream political parties,
went underground and started a guerilla
war against both monarchy and mainstream
political parties. They have sought to overthrow
feudal institutions, including the monarchy,
and establish a republic. This has led to
the ongoing Nepalese Civil War in which
more than 13,000 people have died. On the
pretext of quashing the insurgents, who
now control about 60% of the country, the
king closed down the parliament and sacked
the elected prime minister in 2002 and started
ruling through prime ministers appointed
by him. He then unilaterally declared a
"state of emergency" early in
2005, and assumed all executive powers.
Following the Loktantra Andolan, the king
agreed to relinquish the sovereign power
back to the people and reinstated the dissolved
House of Representatives on April 24, 2006.
Using its newly acquired sovereign authority,
in May 19, 2006, the newly resumed House
of Representatives unanimously passed a
motion to curtail the power of the king
and declared Nepal a Secular state. A complete
rewrite of the realm's constitution is expected
to happen in the near future.
Nepal
is of roughly rectangular shape, 650 km
wide and 200 km broad, with an area of 147,181
km². Nepal is commonly divided into
three physiographic areas: the Mountain,
Hill, and Terai Regions. These ecological
belts run east-west and are bisected by
Nepal's major river systems.
The
Terai Plains bordering India are part of
the northern rim of the Indo-Gangetic plains.
They were formed and are fed by three major
rivers: the Kosi, the Narayani (India's
Gandak River), and the Karnali. This region
has a hot, humid climate.
The
Hill Region (Pahar in Nepali) abuts the
mountains and varies from 1,000 to 4,000
m in altitude. Two low mountain ranges,
the Mahabharat Lekh and Shiwalik Range (also
called the Churia Range) dominate the region.
The hilly belt includes the Kathmandu Valley,
the country's most fertile and urbanised
area. Despite its geographical isolation
and limited economic potential, the region
always has been the political and cultural
centre of Nepal. Unlike the valleys, elevations
above 2,500 m are sparsely populated.
The
Mountain Region contains the highest region
in the world. The world's highest mountain,
Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) at
8,850 m is located on the border with Tibet.
Eight of the world's ten highest mountains
are located in Nepal. Kanchenjunga, the
world's third highest peak, is also located
on its eastern border with Sikkim. Deforestation
is a major problem in all regions, with
resulting erosion and degradation of ecosystems.
Nepal
has five climatic zones, broadly corresponding
to altitude. The tropical and subtropical
zones lie below 1,200 m, the temperate zone
1,200 to 2,400 m, the cold zone 2,400 to
3,600 m, the subarctic zone 3,600 to 4,400
m, and the arctic zone above 4,400 m. Nepal
experiences five seasons: summer, monsoon,
autumn, winter and spring. The Himalaya
blocks cold winds from Central Asia in winter,
and forms the northern limit of the monsoon
wind patterns.
Although
Nepal shares no boundary with Bangladesh,
the two countries are separated by a narrow
strip of land about 21 km wide, called the
Chicken's Neck. Efforts are underway to
make this area a free-trade zone.
For
more information please visit
http://www.fco.gov.uk/
or
visit
http://www.tripadvisor.com
