A Brief Description Nepal, the fabled land of Buddha, Hindu temples, and unrivaled mountain scenery, was controlled by a myriad of factions since the 4th century. The modern Nepalese state began in the late 18th century when King Prithvi Narayah Shah successfully unified most of the individual ethnic groups and small principalities into one entity. In search of additional lands, Nepal ventured into India, subsequently losing part of its own territory to British India, but retaining its independence. Nepal was at the time controlled by a monarch (for life and by hereditary right), but in 1951, the Nepalese monarch (under great pressure) ended that system of rule, and instituted a cabinet system of government. Only one year after the country's first election in 1959, King Kahendra dismissed the cabinet, dissolved parliament and banned political parties. Since 1990, turmoil and Nepal have traveled hand-in-hand, as a bloody insurgency, a royal family massacre and assorted governmental conflicts and squabbles have dominated the headlines. In early 2005 (once again) the king dissolved the government and assumed power. In this poor country the tourism industry was once a significant economic force, as backpackers, river rafters, mountain climbers and nature lovers trekked to Nepal in large numbers. For the most part, the on-going fighting between the Maoist insurgency and government forces has devastated much of its worldwide tourism base, and yet, it remains on the front-burner of many adventure travelers, and certainly in the mind's of all those that have previously ventured into Nepal. For additional info on Nepal's history, go here Nyatapola Temple, Bhaktapur, Nepal Travel the World through Poster Art! Facts and Figures Name Nepal (long form) Kingdom of Nepal Population 27,676,500 Population & Density (all countries) here Capital City Kathmandu (1.3 million) Languages Nepali (48%), Maithali (12%), English, and over 90 additional (mother tongue) languages. Flag here National Day July 7 Official Currency Nepalese Rupee (NPR) Currency Converter here Religions Hindu (80%), Buddhist (10%), others Geographic Coordinates Latitude/Longitude (Capital City) 27º 42' N, 85º 19' E Relative Location Nepal is in both the northern and eastern hemispheres. It's a landlocked country positioned on the Indian subcontinent of South Asia, and bordered by China (Tibet) and India. Land Statistics Coastline 1,550 miles (2,495 km) Land Areas (land) 52,819 sq miles (136,800 sq km) (water) 1,544sq miles (4,000 sq km) (TOTAL) 54,363 sq miles (140,800 sq km) Land Area (all countries) here Mt Everest, Nepal Travel the World through Poster Art! Landforms Mountains and rugged hills cover almost 75% of Nepal’s land area, and in general terms, there are three distinct horizontal regions: The Tarai Region (in the south) along the border with India, is a low stretch of land and Nepal's most significant agricultural region. The Hill Region (central) consists of mountains, hills, flatland and deep valleys, with elevations ranging from 600 to 3,000 meters. The Himalayan Region (north) contains 202 mountains rising to more than 6,000 meters, and 13 mountains rising to more than 8,000 meters high, including, of course, Mt Everest, the world’s highest mountain, and the enormous Annapurna massif. The snow-covered mountains are replete with cold water rivers; the four major ones (from west to east) are the Kail, Karnali, Narayani and Kosi. Highest Point Mt. Everest - 29,035 ft. (8,850 m) Lowest Point Kanchan Kalan, in the southeastern Tarai Region - 229 ft. (70 m) Land Divisions 14 zones, including: Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha and Seti.

Maps Nepal (large color) map here Nepal Outline Map here Nepal Map CIA version here Nepal Maps at UT here - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Asia Continent (printable) here Asia Outline Map here Asia (Southeast) Outline Map here Asia (Name the Country) Map Test here - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Indian Subcontinent Map here Middle East Landforms here Middle East Map here Middle East Outline Map here Middle East Rivers here Tsunami Map (December 2004) here - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - World Outline Maps (printable) here World Time Zone Map here Rafting on the Kosi River, Nepal Travel the World through Poster Art! Recommended Links Nepal (Complete) info on the (GDP) economy, imports and exports, natural resources, government, population, military, transportation, and more here! Nepal Embassy (Washington DC) here Nepal Photos at TrekEarth.com here Nepal Tourism here Annapurna here Mt. Everest (PBS) here Visit Nepal here Time and Weather Time Zone (UTC +5:45) Note that UTC is also known as GMT, or Greenwich Mean Time. Conversion details and additional info: here Climate Nepal's weather conditions and precipitation vary with elevation, ranging from tropical in the Tarai region of the south, to alpine and tundra in the central and northern mountain areas. Year round temperatures run from 32° F to 115° F in the Tarai Region; 0° F to 74° F in the Hill Region, and from -25° F to 60° F in the Himalayan region. Most of the precipitation falls during the monsoon season (June - September), while (March - May) is normally warm (hot in the south) and dry, and from (mid-October - February), conditions are usually dry and cold. Winters in Nepal are very cold and often windy in the mountains. Summer high temperatures do reach the high 60s and low 70s F, but wide variations are commonplace. A view of Annapurna, Nepal

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This page created by: Patrick Kennedy
Creation date: March 2007
Last update: 18 November 2009
URL: http://www.patricksworldcurrency.com/countries/nepal.html