Country =Nepal
Continent = Asia
Hemisphere= Northern hemisphere
Located= between India and China
Population=26200000
Prime Minister= Dr.Baburam Bhattrai
President= Rambaran Yadab
Development Region=5(purba anchal bikash chetra.madhyam anchal bikash chetra,pashim anchal bikash chetra,madhya pashim anchal bikash chetra ,sudur pashim anchal bikash chetra )
District=75
Main political parties=Mawobai,Congres ,Yemale, Madhe janaadhikar forum,Sadvawana , Rapraprpa Nepal,Janasakhti Parti )
Main City of Nepal
Kathmandu
Pokhara
Biratnagar
Nepaljung
Bharatpur
Damak
Itehari
Hetauda
Bhairava
Bhutwal
Dhankuta
Birtamod
Dipayel
Ilam
telephone=Nepal telecom
The Hill Region (Pahad) abuts the mountains and varies from 800 to 4,000 metres (2,625 to 13,123 ft) in altitude with progression from subtropical climates below 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) to alpine climates above 3,600 metres (11,811 ft). The Mahabharat Range reaching 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,921 to 9,843 ft) is the southern limit of this region, with subtropical river valleys and "hills" alternating to the north of this range. Population density is high in valleys but notably less above 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) and very low above 2,500 metres (8,202 ft) where snow occasionally falls in winter.
The Mountain Region (Parbat), situated in the Great Himalayan Range, makes up the northern part of Nepal. It contains the highest elevations in the world including 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) height Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) on the border with China. Seven other of the world's eight thousand metre peaks are in Nepal or on its border with China: Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kanchenjunga, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu.
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 is popular for mountaineering, containing some of the highest and most challenging mountains in the world, including Mount Everest. Technically, the south-east ridge on the Nepali side of the mountain is easier to climb; so, most climbers prefer to trek to Everest through Nepal.
Neotectonics
The collision between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian continent, which started in Paleogene time and continues today, produced the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau, a spectacular modern example of the effects of plate tectonics. Nepal lies completely within this collision zone, occupying the central sector of the Himalayan arc, nearly one third of the 2,400 km (1,500 mi)-long Himalayas.[32][33][34][35][36][37]
The Indian plate continues to move north relative to Asia at the rate of approximately 50 mm (2.0 in) per year.[38] Given the great magnitudes of the blocks of the Earth's crust involved, this is remarkably fast, about twice the speed at which human fingernails grow. As the strong Indian continental crust subducts beneath the relatively weak Tibetan crust, it pushes up the Himalayan mountains. This collision zone has accommodated huge amounts of crustal shortening as the rock sequences slide one over another. As such Nepal is prone to frequent earthquakes, a major earthquake happening within every 100 years.[39]
Erosion of the Himalayas is a very important source of sediment, which flows via several great rivers (the Indus to the Indian Ocean, and the Ganges and Brahmaputra river system) to the Bay of Bengal.[40]
Environment
Manang Valley.
Subdivisions of Nepal
The dramatic differences in elevation found in Nepal result in a variety of biomes, from tropical savannas along the Indian border, to subtropical broadleaf and coniferous forests in the Hill Region, to temperate broadleaf and coniferous forests on the slopes of the Himalaya, to montane grasslands and shrublands and rock and ice at the highest elevations.
At the lowest elevations is the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion. These form a mosaic with the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests, which occur from 500 to 1,000 metres (1,600 to 3,300 ft) and include the Inner Terai Valleys. Himalayan subtropical pine forests occur between 1,000 and 2,000 metres (3,300 and 6,600 ft).
Above these elevations, the biogeography of Nepal is generally divided from east to west by the Gandaki River. Ecoregions to the east tend to receive more precipitation and to be more species-rich. Those to the west are drier with fewer species.
From 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,900 to 9,800 ft), are temperate broadleaf forests: the eastern and western Himalayan broadleaf forests. From 3,000 to 4,000 metres (9,800 to 13,000 ft) are the eastern and western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests. To 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) are the eastern and western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows.
Subdivisions
Main articles: Regions of Nepal, Zones of Nepal, and Districts of Nepal
Nepal is divided into 14 zones and 75 districts, grouped into five development regions. Each district is headed by a permanent chief district officer responsible for maintaining law and order and coordinating the work of field agencies of the various government ministries. The five regions and 14 zones are:
Eastern Region (Purwanchal)
Koshi
Mechi
Sagarmatha
Central Region (Madhyamanchal)
Bagmati
Janakpur
Narayani
Western Region (Pashchimanchal)
Dhawalagiri
Gandaki
Lumbini
Mid-Western Region (Madhya Pashchimanchal)
Bheri
Karnali
Rapti
Far-Western Region (Sudur Pashchimanchal)
Mahakali
Seti
Government and politics
Main article: Politics of Nepal
Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepalese government
Nepal has seen rapid political changes during the last two decades. Up until 1990, Nepal was a monarchy under executive control of the King. Faced with a communist movement against absolute monarchy, King Birendra, in 1990, agreed to a large-scale political reform by creating a parliamentary monarchy with the King as the head of state and a Prime Minister as the head of the government.
Nepal's legislature was bicameral, consisting of a House of Representatives called the Pratinidhi Sabha and a National Council called the Rastriya Sabha. The House of Representatives consisted of 205 members directly elected by the people. The National Council had 60 members: ten nominated by the king, 35 elected by the House of Representatives, and the remaining 15 elected by an electoral college made up of chairs of villages and towns. The legislature had a five-year term but was dissolvable by the king before its term could end. All Nepali citizens 18 years and older became eligible to vote.
The executive comprised the King and the Council of Ministers (the cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party securing the maximum seats in an election was appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet was appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Governments in Nepal tended to be highly unstable, falling either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch, on the recommendation of the prime minister, according to the constitution; no government has survived for more than two years since 1991.
The movement in April 2006 brought about a change in the nation's governance: an interim constitution was promulgated, with the King giving up power, and an interim House of Representatives was formed with Maoist members after the new government held peace talks with the Maoist rebels. The number of parliamentary seats was also increased to 330. In April 2007, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) joined the interim government of Nepal.
In December 2007, the interim parliament passed a bill making Nepal a federal republic, with a president as head of state. Elections for the constitutional assembly were held on 10 April 2008; the Maoist party led the results but did not achieve a simple majority of seats.[41] The new parliament adopted the 2007 bill at its first meeting by an overwhelming majority, and King Gyanendra was given 15 days to leave the Royal Palace in central Kathmandu. He left on 11 June.[42]
On 26 June, the prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who had served as Acting Head of State since January 2007, announced that he would resign on the election of the country's first president by the Constituent Assembly. The first round of voting, on 19 July, saw Parmanand Jha win election as Nepali vice-president, but neither of the contenders for president received the required 298 votes and a second round was held two days later. Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress party defeated Maoist-backed Ram Raja Prasad Singh with 308 of the 590 votes cast.[43] Koirala submitted his resignation to the new president after Yadav's swearing-in ceremony on 23 July.
Prachanda speaking at a rally in Pokhara.
On 15 August 2008, Maoist leader Prachanda (Pushpa Kamal Dahal) was elected Prime Minister of Nepal, the first since the country's transition from a monarchy to a republic. On 4 May 2009, Dahal resigned over on-going conflicts with regard to the sacking of the Army chief. Since Dahal's resignation, the country has been in a serious political deadlock with one of the big issues being the proposed integration of the former Maoist combatants, also known as the People's Liberation Army, into the national security forces.[44] After Dahal, Jhala Nath Khanal of CPN (UML) was elected the Prime Minister. Khanal was forced to step down as he could not succeed in carrying forward the Peace Process and the constitution writing. On August 2011, Maoist Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai became third Prime Minister after the election of constituent assembly.[45] On 24 May 2012, Nepals's Deputy PM Krishna Sitaula resigned.[46]
On May 27, 2012, the country's Constituent Assembly failed to meet the deadline for writing a new constitution for the country. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai announced that new elections will be held on November 22. "We have no other option but to go back to the people and elect a new assembly to write the constitution," he said in a nationally televised speech. One of the main obstacles has been disagreement over whether the states which will be created will be based on ethnicity.[47]
Nepal has also been noted for its recent speed of development, such as being one of the few countries in Asia to abolish the death penalty[48] and the first country in Asia to rule in favor of same-sex marriage. The decision was based on a seven-person government committee study, and enacted through Supreme Court's ruling November 2008. The ruling granted full rights for LGBT individuals, including the right to marry. [49]
Military and foreign affairs
Main articles: Nepalese Armed Forces and Foreign relations of Nepal
A member of the Nepalese Quick Reactionary Force (QRF)
Nepal's military consists of the Nepalese Army, which includes the Nepalese Army Air Service (the air force unit under it.) Nepalese Police Force is the civilian police and the Armed Police Force Nepal[50] is the paramilitary force. Service is voluntary and the minimum age for enlistment is 18 years. Nepal spends $99.2 million (2004) on its military—1.5% of its GDP. Much of the equipment and arms are imported from India. Consequently, the US provided M16s M4s and other Colt weapons to combat communist (Maoist) insurgents. As of now, the standard-issue battle rifle of the Nepalese army is the Colt M16.[51]
Nepal has close ties with both of its neighbours, India and China. In accordance with a long-standing treaty, Indian and Nepalese citizens may travel to each others' countries without a passport or visa. Nepalese citizens may work in India without legal restriction. However, since the Government of Nepal has been dominated by Socialists and India's by more right-wing parties, India has been remilitarizing the "porous" Indo-Nepali border, in order to stifle the flow of Islamist groups.[52] Nepal established relations with the People's Republic of China on August 1, 1955, and relations since have been based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Nepal has aided China in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and China has provided economic assistance for Nepali infrastructure. Both countries have cooperated to host the 2008 Summer Olympics summit of Mt. Everest.[53] Nepal has assisted in curbing anti-China protests from the Tibetan diaspora.[54]
Economy
Main article: Economy of Nepal
Terraced farming on the foothills of the Himalayas.
A Rs.500 banknote of The Republic of Nepal. For economic reasons, the watermark on the right still contains a picture of King Gyanendra, obscured by printing a rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal.[55]
Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP) for 2008 was estimated at over $12 billion (adjusted to Nominal GDP), making it the 115th-largest economy in the world. Agriculture accounts for about 40% of Nepal's GDP, services comprise 41% and industry 22%. Agriculture employs 76% of the workforce, services 18% and manufacturing/craft-based industry 6%. Agricultural produce – mostly grown in the Terai region bordering India – includes tea, rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, and water buffalo meat. Industry mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce, including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain.
Its workforce of about 10 million suffers from a severe shortage of skilled labour. About 25% of the population live below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day.[56] This is a significant improvement from the 41.2% in 1995-96. The spectacular landscape and diverse, exotic cultures of Nepal represent considerable potential for tourism, but growth in this hospitality industry has been stifled by recent political events. In 2009, the number of international tourists visiting Nepal was 509,956. The rate of unemployment and underemployment approaches half of the working-age population. Thus many Nepali citizens move to India in search of work; the Gulf countries and Malaysia being new sources of work. Nepal receives $50 million a year through the Gurkha soldiers who serve in the Indian and British armies and are highly esteemed for their skill and bravery. The total remittance value is worth around $1 billion, including money sent from the Persian Gulf and Malaysia, who combined employ around 700,000 Nepali citizens.
A long-standing economic agreement underpins a close relationship with India. The country receives foreign aid from India, Japan, the UK, the US, the EU, China, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries. Poverty is acute; per-capita income is around $1,000.[57] The distribution of wealth among the Nepalis is consistent with that in many developed and developing countries: the highest 10% of households control 39.1% of the national wealth and the lowest 10% control only 2.6%.
The government's budget is about $1.153 billion, with expenditure of $1.789 billion (FY05/06). The Nepalese rupee has been tied to the Indian Rupee at an exchange rate of 1.6 for many years. Since the loosening of exchange rate controls in the early 1990s, the black market for foreign exchange has all but disappeared. The inflation rate has dropped to 2.9% after a period of higher inflation during the 1990s.
Nepal's exports of mainly carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods and grain total $822 million. Import commodities of mainly gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products and fertilizer total US$2 bn. EU (46.13%), the US (17.4%), and Germany (7.1%) are its main export partners. Recently, the European Union has become the largest buyer of Nepali ready made garments (RMG). Exports to the EU accounted for "46.13 percent of the country’s total garment exports".[58] Nepal's import partners include India (47.5%), the United Arab Emirates (11.2%), China (10.7%), Saudi Arabia (4.9%), and Singapore (4%).[59]
The country celebrated Nepal Tourism Year 2011 after an official launch by the nation's President, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, at the Dasarath stadium in the capital amidst a grand celebration on 14 January 2011.
Infrastructure
Transport
Nepal remains isolated from the world's major land, air and sea transport routes although, within the country, aviation is in a better state, with 48 airports, ten of them with paved runways; flights are frequent and support a sizable traffic. The hilly and mountainous terrain in the northern two-thirds of the country has made the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. In 2003 there were just over 8,500 km (5,282 mi) of paved roads and one 59-km railway line in the south. There is a single reliable road route from India to the Kathmandu Valley.
The only practical seaport of entry for goods bound for Kathmandu is Calcutta in India. Internally, the poor state of development of the road system (22 of 75 administrative districts lack road links) makes volume distribution unrealistic. Besides having landlocked, rugged geography, few tangible natural resources and poor infrastructure, the long-running civil war is also a factor in stunting the economic growth.[60]
Telecommunication
While the first telephones lines were introduced in Kathmandu in 1913, it was not until 1955 that telephone lines were distributed to the public. Likewise, both the telegram service and high frequency radio system (AM) were introduced in 1950. The first public telephone exchange was set up in Kathmandu (300 lines CB) in 1962, whereas the first automatic exchange was established in 1965 (1000 lines in Kathmandu). By 1995, Nepal had installed optical fiber network as well; whereas the GSM services were launched in 1999.[61]
Despite more than 50 years of history, according to the Nepal Telecommunication Authority MIS July 2009 report, the total telephone subscribers including PSTN and mobile are 6,069,659 which give the penetration rate of 22.07%. If we see the data service parts then the numbers of subscribers to access data services are 176,024 and the numbers represent from major urban areas and district headquarters.[62]
Mobile telephony is in a reasonable state in most parts of the country with increased accessibility and affordability; there were around 175,000 Internet connections in 2005. After the imposition of the "state of emergency", intermittent losses of service-signals were reported, but uninterrupted Internet connections have resumed after Nepal's second major people's revolution to overthrow the King's absolute power.[59]
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Nepal
Population density map of Nepal
Nepal's population has grown from 9 million people in 1950 to 26.6 million in 2011.[63] Nepal's population increased from 23,151,423 in 2001 to 26,620,809, with a subsequent family size decline from 5.44 to 4.7[7] Although the population growth recorded was only 1.4 percent for the latest census period, some 1,917,903 absentee population was noted, over a million more than 762 thousand in 2001, most being male workers. This correlated with the drop in sex ratio from 94.41 as compared to 99.80 for 2001.[7]
The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations from India, Tibet, and North Burma and the Chinese province of Yunnan via Assam. Even though Indo-Nepalese migrants were latecomers to Nepal relative to the migrants from the north, they have come to dominate the country not only numerically, but also socially, politically, and economically.[64]
Among the earliest inhabitants were the Kirat of east mid-region, Newar of the Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharu in the southern Terai region. The ancestors of the Brahmin and Chetri caste groups came from India's present Kumaon, Garhwal and Kashmir regions, while other ethnic groups trace their origins to North Burma and Yunnan and Tibet, e.g. the Gurung and Magar in the west, Rai and Limbu in the east (from Yunnan and north Burma via Assam), and Sherpa and Bhutia in the north (from Tibet).
In the Terai, a part of the Ganges Basin with 20% of the land, much of the population is physically and culturally similar to the Indo-Aryans of northern India. Indo-Aryan and East-Asian-looking mixed people live in the hill region. Indo-Aryan ancestry has been a source of prestige in Nepal for centuries, and the ruling families have been of Indo-Aryan and Hindu background.[65] The mountainous highlands are sparsely populated. Kathmandu Valley, in the middle hill region, constitutes a small fraction of the nation's area but is the most densely populated, with almost 20% of the population.
Nepal is a multilingual society.
These data are largely derived from Nepal's 2001 census results published in the Nepal Population Report 2002.
According to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Nepal hosted a population of refugees and asylum seekers in 2007 numbering approximately 130,000. Of this population, approximately 109,200 persons were from Bhutan and 20,500 from People's Republic of China.[66][67] The government of Nepal restricted ethnic Nepalese expelled from Bhutan to seven camps in the Jhapa and Morang districts, and refugees were not permitted to work in most professions.[66] At present, the United States is working towards resettling more than 60,000 of these refugees in the US.[26]
Population Structure
Data Size
Population 26,620,000 (2011)
Growth Rate 1.6%
Population below 14 Years old 39%
Population of age 15 to 64 57.3%
Population above 65 3.7%
The median age (Average) 20.07
The median age (Male) 19.91
The median age (Females) 20.24
Ratio (Male:Female) 1, 000:1,060
Life expectancy (Average)( Reference: [2]) 66.16 Years
Life expectancy (Male) 64.94
Life expectancy (Female) 67.44
Literacy Rate (Average) 68.2% ( According to the UNDP report 2011)
Literacy Rate (Male) NA
Literacy Rate (Female) NA
A mountain village in Nepal
Despite the migration of a significant section of the population to the southern plains or terai in recent years, the majority of the population still lives in the central highlands. The northern mountains are sparsely populated.
Kathmandu, with a population of over 2.6 million (metropolitan area: 5 million), is the largest city in the country.
Languages
Main article: Languages of Nepal
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 (70%), Maithili (5%), Bhojpuri (3%), Tharu (4%), Tamang (3%), Newari/Nepal Bhasa (3.6%), Magar (2.4%), Rai (2.8%), Awadhi (2.5%), Limbu (1.5%), and Bajjika (1%).
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. Regional dialects Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Maithili and rarely Hindi are spoken in the southern Terai Region. Many Nepalis in government and business speak English as well. 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.
Religion
Main article: Religion in Nepal
Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Nepal religiosity
religion percent
Hinduism
80.6%
Buddhism
10.7%
Islam
4.2%
Mundhum
3.6%
Christianity
0.5%
Other
0.4%
The overwhelming majority of the Nepalese population follows Hinduism. Shiva is regarded as the guardian deity of the country.[68] Nepal is home to the famous Lord Shiva temple, the Pashupatinath Temple, where Hindus from all over the world come for pilgrimage. According to mythology, Sita Devi of the epic Ramayana, was born in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka Raja.
Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site and UNESCO World Heritage Site site in the Kapilavastu district. Traditionally it is held to be the birthplace in about 563 B.C. of Siddhartha Gautama, a Kshatriya caste prince of the Sakya clan, who, as the Buddha Gautama, gave birth to the Buddhist tradition.
The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone, in which only monasteries can be built. All three main branches of Buddhism exist in Nepal and the Newa people have their own branch of the faith. Buddhism is also the dominant religion of the thinly populated northern areas, which are mostly inhabited by Tibetan-related peoples, such as the Sherpa.
The Buddha, born as a Hindu, is also said to be a descendant of Vedic Sage Angirasa in many Buddhist texts.[69] The Buddha's family surname is associated with Gautama Maharishi.[70] Differences between Hindus and Buddhists have been minimal in Nepal due to the cultural and historical intermingling of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. Morever traditionally Buddhism and Hinduism were never two distinct religions in the western sense of the word. In Nepal, the faiths share common temples and worship common deities. Among other natives of Nepal, those more influenced by Hinduism were the Magar, Sunwar, Limbu and Rai and the Gurkhas.[17] Hindu influence is less prominent among the Gurung, Bhutia, and Thakali groups who employ Buddhist monks for their religious ceremonies.[17][59] Most of the festivals in Nepal are Hindu.[71] The Machendrajatra festival, dedicated to Hindu Shaiva Siddha, is celebrated by many Buddhists in Nepal as a main festival.[72] As it is believed that Ne Muni established Nepal,[73] some important priests in Nepal are called "Tirthaguru Nemuni". Islam is a minority religion in Nepal, with 4.2 % of the population being Muslim according to a 2006 Nepalese census.[74] Mundhum, Christianity and Jainism are other minority faiths.[75]
Education
Main article: Education in Nepal
About two thirds of female adults and one third of male adults are illiterate.[76] Net primary enrollment rate was 74% in 2005.[76] It is currently at about 90%.[77] In 2009 the World Bank has decided to contribute a further $130 million towards meeting Nepal's Education for All goals.[77] Nepal has several universities.
Largest cities
The 13 largest cities in 2001 (*2011) by population) [78]
Kathmandu (1,006,656)*
Biratnagar (Pop.: 166,674)
Lalitpur (Pop.: 162,991)
Pokhara (Pop.: 156,312)
Birganj (Pop.: 112,238)
Dharan (Pop.: 95,332)
Bharatpur (Pop.: 89,323)
Bhim Datta (Pop.:80,839)
Janakpur (Pop.: 74,192)
Butwal (Pop.: 75,384)
Bhaktapur(Pop.: 72.543)
Hetauda (Pop.:68,482)
Dhangadhi (Pop.: 67,447)
Culture
Main article: Culture of Nepal
Narayanhiti Palace Museum
Devotees of the Festival Chhath Parva in Janakpur, Nepal.
Traditional Nepalese cuisine
A typical Nepalese meal is Dal bhat. Dal is a spicy lentil soup, served over bhat (boiled rice), served with tarkari (curried vegetables) together with achar (pickles) or chutni (spicy condiment made from fresh ingredients). It consists of non-vegetarian as well as vegetarian items served with non-alcoholic beverages. Mustard oil is the cooking medium and a host of spices, such as cumin, coriander, black peppers, sesame seeds, turmeric, garlic, ginger, methi (fenugreek), bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, chillies, mustard seeds, etc., are used in the cooking. The cuisine served on festivals is generally the best.
Main article: Music of Nepal
Folklore is an integral part of Nepalese society. Traditional stories are rooted in the reality of day-to-day life, tales of love, affection and battles as well as demons and ghosts and thus reflect local lifestyles, cultures and beliefs. Many Nepalese folktales are enacted through the medium of dance and music.
The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months. Saturday is the official weekly holiday. Main annual holidays include the National Day, celebrated on the birthday of the king (28 December), Prithvi Jayanti (11 January), Martyr's Day (18 February), and a mix of Hindu and Buddhist festivals such as dashain in autumn, and tihar in late autumn. During tihar, the Newar community also celebrates its New Year as per their local calendar Nepal Sambat.
Most houses in rural lowland of Nepal are made up of a tight bamboo framework and walls of a mud and cow-dung mix. These dwellings remain cool in summer and retain warmth in winter. Houses in the hills are usually made of unbaked bricks with thatch or tile roofing. At high elevations construction changes to stone masonry and slate may be used on roofs.
Nepal's flag is the only national flag in the world that is not rectangular in shape.[79] According to its official description, the red in the flag stands for victory in war or courage, and is also color of the rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal. Red also stands for aggression. The flag's blue border signifies peace. The curved moon on the flag is a symbol of the peaceful and calm nature of Nepalese, while the sun represents the aggressiveness of Nepalese warriors.
See also
Geography portal
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Outline of Nepal
Index of Nepal-related articles
Footnotes
^ According to Interim Constitution Nepali is only the official language (article 5, point 2). Other languages spoken as the mother tongue in Nepal are the national languages (article 5, point 1). According to article 5, point 3, all languages are accepted as official languages at the regional level. Today's more than 90% people speak Nepali as a 1st language. Nepal_Interim_Constitution2007
^ Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (2009) (PDF). World Population Prospects, Table A.1. 2008 revision. United Nations. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
^ "Nepal Census 2011". Central Bureau of Statistics (Nepal). Retrieved 6 March 2012.
^ a b c d "Nepal". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
^ "Human Development Report 2011. Human development index trends: Table G". The United Nations. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
^ "Nepal". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 3rd ed. 2001.
^ a b c http://census.gov.np/images/pdf/Population%20Census%20Prelliminary%20Report%202011.pdf
^ "The World Factbook : Rank order population". CIA.
^ Shaha (1992), p. 1.
^ "CIA Factbook, Nepal, "People" section". Cia.gov. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ a b c W.B., P. 34 Land of the Gurkhas
^ a b "The Ancient Period". Infoclub.com.np. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ Balfour, P. 195 Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, :
^ Dangol, Amrit (6 May 2007). "Alone In Kathmandu". Alone In Kathmandu. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ Prasad, P. 4 The life and times of Maharaja Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal
^ Khatri, P. 16 The Postage Stamps of Nepal
^ a b c "A Country Study: Nepal". Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
^ a b P. 17 Looking to the Future: Indo-Nepal Relations in Perspective By Lok Raj Baral
^ Terai News
^ Li, Rongxi (translator). 1995. The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions, pp. 219–220. Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. Berkeley, California. ISBN 1-886439-02-8
^ Watters, Thomas. 1904-5. On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India (A.D. 629–645), pp. 83–85. Reprint: Mushiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Delhi. 1973.
^ Giuseppe, Father (1799). "Account of the Kingdom of Nepal". Asiatick Researches. London: Vernor and Hood. Retrieved 2 June 2012. Page 308.
^ "The Enclosing of Nepal". Countrystudies.us. Source: U.S. Library of Congress.
^ Tucci, Giuseppe. (1952). Journey to Mustang, 1952. Trans. by Diana Fussell. 1st Italian edition, 1953; 1st English edition, 1977. 2nd edition revised, 2003, p. 22. Bibliotheca Himalayica. ISBN 99933-0-378-X (South Asia); ISBN 974-524-024-9 (Outside of South Asia).
^ a b "Timeline: Nepal". BBC News. Retrieved 29 September 2005.
^ a b Bhaumik, Subir (7 November 2007). "Bhutan refugees are 'intimidated'". BBC News. Retrieved 25 April 2008.
^ Nepal votes to abolish monarchy – CNN[dead link]
^ a b "Nepal votes to abolish monarchy". BBC News. 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
^ The Carter Center. "Activities by Country: Nepal". Retrieved 17 July 2008.
^ "Kantipuronline.com". Kantipuronline.com. Retrieved 2010-12-22.[dead link]
^ "Nepal abolishes its monarchy". Al Jazeera. 28 May 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2008.[dead link]
^ Beek van der Peter, Xavier Robert, Jean-Louis Mugnier, Matthias Bernet, Pascale Huyghe and Erika Labrin, "Late Miocene- Recent Exhumation of the Central Himalaya and Recycling in the Foreland Basin Assessed by Apatite Fission-Track Thermochronology of Siwalik Sediments, Nepal", Basic research, 18, 413–434, 2006.
^ Berger Antoine, Francois Jouanne, Riadm Hassani and Jean Louis Mugnier, "Modelling the Spatial Distribution of Present day Deformation in Nepal: how cylindrical is the Main Himalayan Thrust in Nepal?", Geophys.J.Int., 156, 94–114, 2004.
^ Bilham Roger and Michael Jackson,"Constraints on Himalayan Deformation inferred from Vertical Velocity Fields in Nepal and Tibet," Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 99, 897–912, 10 July 1994.
^ Chamlagain Deepak and Daigoro Hayashi, "Neotectonic Fault Analysis by 2D Finite Element Modeling for Studying the Himalayan Fold and Thrust belt in Nepal", University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 1–16, 14 July 2006.
^ F. Jouanne et al., "Current Shortening Across the Himalayas of Nepal", Geophys.J.Int., 154, 1–14, 2004.
^ Pandey M.R, R.P. Tandukar, J.P. Avouac, J. Vergne and Th. Heritier, "Seismotectonics of the Nepal Himalaya from a Local Seismic Network", Journal of Asian Earth Sciences,17, 703–712,1999.
^ Bilham et al., 1998; Pandey et al., 1995.
^ Newar, Naresh. (Jan 2004). 70 years after. Nepali Times. Issue #178 (09 Jan 2004 - 15 Jan 2004) [1]. Retrieved: 10 Dec, 2011.
^ Summerfield & Hulton, 1994; Hay, 1998.
^ "Nepal's election The Maoists triumph". Economist.com. 17 April 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ Nepal's Lawmakers Abolish the Country's Monarchy[dead link]
^ Presidentofnepal.com
^ Kaphle, Anup (7 July 2010). "Long stalemate after Maoist victory disrupts life in Nepal". The Washington Post.
^ "Baburam Bhattarai elected prime minister of Nepal". BBC News. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
^ "Political crisis looms in Nepal as deputy PM quits". Retrieved 24 May 2012.[dead link]
^ "Nepal PM calls new elections after constitution failure". CBC News. May 28, 2012.
^ "Death Penalty Statistics 2006". Amnestyusa.org. Retrieved 29 July 2009.[dead link]
^ "Progress in new Republic of Nepal". Starobserver.com.au. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ "Official Website of Armed Police Force Nepal". Apf.gov.np. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ "AU.af.mil" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-12-22.
^ Thottam, Jyoti (2010-03-02). "Nepal: Caught Between China and India". TIME. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
^ Zheng, Xianglin (2008-08-15). "China-Nepal relations are an example of friendly coexistence between countries of different size". Nepal News. Retrieved 2010-12-26.[dead link]
^ Haviland, Charles (17 April 2008). "Nepal Arrests Tibetan Protesters". BBC News. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ "Nepal king's head spared on new banknotes". Retrieved 7 October 2007.
^ , Nepal's poverty rate down to 25 pc, but income distribution remains grossly uneven. Retrieved on 20 October 2011
^ "CIA World Factbook – Nepal". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
^ "EU as Nepal's largest exporter". ktm2day. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
^ a b c "Nepal". CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
^ "Nepal: Economy". Nepal: Economy. p. 3. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
^ "Mile Stones of Nepal Telecom". Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ "Status of Telecommunication and ICT Infrastructure in Nepal". Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Nepal – population". Library of Congress Country Studies.
^ "Nepal – Caste and Ethnicity". Library of Congress Country Studies.
^ "Nepal". Encyclopædia Britannica.
^ a b "World Refugee Survey 2008". U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. 19 June 2008.[dead link]
^ "Nepal: Tibetans Warned of Deportation to China". IRIN Asia. 1 April 2008.
^ Anthologia anthropologica. The native races of Asia and Europe; by James George Frazer, Sir; Robert Angus Downie
^ The Life of Buddha as Legend and History, by Edward Joseph Thomas
^ P. 95 A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms By James Legge
^ "Festivals of Nepal". Nepalhomepage.com. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ P. 885 Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 10 By James Hastings
^ Wright, P. 107, History of Nepal: With an Introductory Sketch of the Country and People of Nepal
^ NEPAL IN FIGURES 2006 – Government of Nepal[dead link]
^ "Welcome". Nepaljain.com. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
^ a b "Human Development Report 2010 – Nepal". Hdrstats.undp.org. Retrieved 25 Jan 2011.
^ a b "News & Broadcast – World Bank Supports School Sector Reforms in Nepal". Web.worldbank.org. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
^ "Nepal: Zonen, Städte & urbane Gemeinden - Einwohnerzahlen & Karten". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
^ Nepali flag in the CIA World Factbook
References
Shaha, Rishikesh (1992). Ancient and Medieval Nepal. New Delhi: Manohar Publications. ISBN 81-85425-69-8.
Tiwari, Sudarshan Raj (2002). The Brick and the Bull: An account of Handigaun, the Ancient Capital of Nepal. Himal Books. ISBN 99933-43-52-8.
"Nepal". Nepal. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
"India Nepal Open Border". Nepal Democracy. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
"Football at the heart of the Himalaya". FIFA. Archived from the original on 9 September 2005. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
"Nepal: Information Portal". Explore Nepal. Retrieved 1 September 2007.
Haven, Cynthia (24 August 2010). "The Best Memoir You Never Heard Of: "Shadow Over Shangri-La"". San Francisco Chronicle.
"Nepal: A state under siege". The South Asian: Featured Articles. Archived from the original on 31 December 2004. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
"Nepal: Basic Fact Sheet". Nepal homepage. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
Sharma, Sushil (29 August 2005). "Jailed ex-PM in Nepal court plea". BBC News. Retrieved 29 September 2005.
"Nepal's new emblem". Citizen Journalism Nepal. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
Gotz Hagmuller (2003). Patan Museum: The Transformation of a Royal Palace in Nepal. London: Serindia. ISBN 978-0-906026-58-8.
Kunda Dixit (2006). A people war: Images of the Nepal conflict 1996–2006. Kathmandu: nepa-laya.
Barbara Crossette (1995). So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas. New York: Vintage. ISBN 0-679-74363-4.
Bista, Dor Bahadur (1967). People of Nepal. Dept. of Publicity, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of Nepal. ISBN 99933-0-418-2.
Michael Hutt, ed., Himalayan 'people's war' : Nepal's Maoist rebellion, London: C. Hurst, 2004
Peter Matthiessen (1993). The Snow Leopard. Penguin. ISBN 0-00-272025-6.
Joe Simpson (1997). Storms of Silence. Mountaineers Books. ISBN 0-89886-512-3.
Samrat Upadhyay (2001). Arresting God in Kathmandu. Mariner Books. ISBN 0-618-04371-3.
Joseph R. Pietri (2001). The King of Nepal. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana Creative Arts. ISBN 0-615-11928-X.
Maurice Herzog (1951). Annapurna. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-55821-549-2.
Dervla Murphy (1968). The Waiting Land: A Spell in Nepal. Transatlantic Arts. ISBN 0-7195-1745-1.
Rishikesh Shaha (2001). Modern Nepal: A Political History. Manohar Publishers and Distributors. ISBN 81-7304-403-1.
Jane Wilson-Howarth (2007). A Glimpse of Eternal Snows: a family’s journey of love and loss in Nepal. Pier 9, Australia. p. 432. ISBN 978-1-921259-26-5.
Glacial Lakes and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Nepal. - International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, March 2011
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Glacial Lakes and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Nepal. - International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, March 2011
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Continent = Asia
Hemisphere= Northern hemisphere
Located= between India and China
Population=26200000
Prime Minister= Dr.Baburam Bhattrai
President= Rambaran Yadab
Development Region=5(purba anchal bikash chetra.madhyam anchal bikash chetra,pashim anchal bikash chetra,madhya pashim anchal bikash chetra ,sudur pashim anchal bikash chetra )
District=75
Main political parties=Mawobai,Congres ,Yemale, Madhe janaadhikar forum,Sadvawana , Rapraprpa Nepal,Janasakhti Parti )
Main City of Nepal
Kathmandu
Pokhara
Biratnagar
Nepaljung
Bharatpur
Damak
Itehari
Hetauda
Bhairava
Bhutwal
Dhankuta
Birtamod
Dipayel
Ilam
telephone=Nepal telecom
The Hill Region (Pahad) abuts the mountains and varies from 800 to 4,000 metres (2,625 to 13,123 ft) in altitude with progression from subtropical climates below 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) to alpine climates above 3,600 metres (11,811 ft). The Mahabharat Range reaching 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,921 to 9,843 ft) is the southern limit of this region, with subtropical river valleys and "hills" alternating to the north of this range. Population density is high in valleys but notably less above 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) and very low above 2,500 metres (8,202 ft) where snow occasionally falls in winter.
The Mountain Region (Parbat), situated in the Great Himalayan Range, makes up the northern part of Nepal. It contains the highest elevations in the world including 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) height Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) on the border with China. Seven other of the world's eight thousand metre peaks are in Nepal or on its border with China: Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kanchenjunga, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu.
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 is popular for mountaineering, containing some of the highest and most challenging mountains in the world, including Mount Everest. Technically, the south-east ridge on the Nepali side of the mountain is easier to climb; so, most climbers prefer to trek to Everest through Nepal.
Neotectonics
The collision between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian continent, which started in Paleogene time and continues today, produced the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau, a spectacular modern example of the effects of plate tectonics. Nepal lies completely within this collision zone, occupying the central sector of the Himalayan arc, nearly one third of the 2,400 km (1,500 mi)-long Himalayas.[32][33][34][35][36][37]
The Indian plate continues to move north relative to Asia at the rate of approximately 50 mm (2.0 in) per year.[38] Given the great magnitudes of the blocks of the Earth's crust involved, this is remarkably fast, about twice the speed at which human fingernails grow. As the strong Indian continental crust subducts beneath the relatively weak Tibetan crust, it pushes up the Himalayan mountains. This collision zone has accommodated huge amounts of crustal shortening as the rock sequences slide one over another. As such Nepal is prone to frequent earthquakes, a major earthquake happening within every 100 years.[39]
Erosion of the Himalayas is a very important source of sediment, which flows via several great rivers (the Indus to the Indian Ocean, and the Ganges and Brahmaputra river system) to the Bay of Bengal.[40]
Environment
Manang Valley.
Subdivisions of Nepal
The dramatic differences in elevation found in Nepal result in a variety of biomes, from tropical savannas along the Indian border, to subtropical broadleaf and coniferous forests in the Hill Region, to temperate broadleaf and coniferous forests on the slopes of the Himalaya, to montane grasslands and shrublands and rock and ice at the highest elevations.
At the lowest elevations is the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion. These form a mosaic with the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests, which occur from 500 to 1,000 metres (1,600 to 3,300 ft) and include the Inner Terai Valleys. Himalayan subtropical pine forests occur between 1,000 and 2,000 metres (3,300 and 6,600 ft).
Above these elevations, the biogeography of Nepal is generally divided from east to west by the Gandaki River. Ecoregions to the east tend to receive more precipitation and to be more species-rich. Those to the west are drier with fewer species.
From 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,900 to 9,800 ft), are temperate broadleaf forests: the eastern and western Himalayan broadleaf forests. From 3,000 to 4,000 metres (9,800 to 13,000 ft) are the eastern and western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests. To 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) are the eastern and western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows.
Subdivisions
Main articles: Regions of Nepal, Zones of Nepal, and Districts of Nepal
Nepal is divided into 14 zones and 75 districts, grouped into five development regions. Each district is headed by a permanent chief district officer responsible for maintaining law and order and coordinating the work of field agencies of the various government ministries. The five regions and 14 zones are:
Eastern Region (Purwanchal)
Koshi
Mechi
Sagarmatha
Central Region (Madhyamanchal)
Bagmati
Janakpur
Narayani
Western Region (Pashchimanchal)
Dhawalagiri
Gandaki
Lumbini
Mid-Western Region (Madhya Pashchimanchal)
Bheri
Karnali
Rapti
Far-Western Region (Sudur Pashchimanchal)
Mahakali
Seti
Government and politics
Main article: Politics of Nepal
Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepalese government
Nepal has seen rapid political changes during the last two decades. Up until 1990, Nepal was a monarchy under executive control of the King. Faced with a communist movement against absolute monarchy, King Birendra, in 1990, agreed to a large-scale political reform by creating a parliamentary monarchy with the King as the head of state and a Prime Minister as the head of the government.
Nepal's legislature was bicameral, consisting of a House of Representatives called the Pratinidhi Sabha and a National Council called the Rastriya Sabha. The House of Representatives consisted of 205 members directly elected by the people. The National Council had 60 members: ten nominated by the king, 35 elected by the House of Representatives, and the remaining 15 elected by an electoral college made up of chairs of villages and towns. The legislature had a five-year term but was dissolvable by the king before its term could end. All Nepali citizens 18 years and older became eligible to vote.
The executive comprised the King and the Council of Ministers (the cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party securing the maximum seats in an election was appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet was appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Governments in Nepal tended to be highly unstable, falling either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch, on the recommendation of the prime minister, according to the constitution; no government has survived for more than two years since 1991.
The movement in April 2006 brought about a change in the nation's governance: an interim constitution was promulgated, with the King giving up power, and an interim House of Representatives was formed with Maoist members after the new government held peace talks with the Maoist rebels. The number of parliamentary seats was also increased to 330. In April 2007, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) joined the interim government of Nepal.
In December 2007, the interim parliament passed a bill making Nepal a federal republic, with a president as head of state. Elections for the constitutional assembly were held on 10 April 2008; the Maoist party led the results but did not achieve a simple majority of seats.[41] The new parliament adopted the 2007 bill at its first meeting by an overwhelming majority, and King Gyanendra was given 15 days to leave the Royal Palace in central Kathmandu. He left on 11 June.[42]
On 26 June, the prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who had served as Acting Head of State since January 2007, announced that he would resign on the election of the country's first president by the Constituent Assembly. The first round of voting, on 19 July, saw Parmanand Jha win election as Nepali vice-president, but neither of the contenders for president received the required 298 votes and a second round was held two days later. Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress party defeated Maoist-backed Ram Raja Prasad Singh with 308 of the 590 votes cast.[43] Koirala submitted his resignation to the new president after Yadav's swearing-in ceremony on 23 July.
Prachanda speaking at a rally in Pokhara.
On 15 August 2008, Maoist leader Prachanda (Pushpa Kamal Dahal) was elected Prime Minister of Nepal, the first since the country's transition from a monarchy to a republic. On 4 May 2009, Dahal resigned over on-going conflicts with regard to the sacking of the Army chief. Since Dahal's resignation, the country has been in a serious political deadlock with one of the big issues being the proposed integration of the former Maoist combatants, also known as the People's Liberation Army, into the national security forces.[44] After Dahal, Jhala Nath Khanal of CPN (UML) was elected the Prime Minister. Khanal was forced to step down as he could not succeed in carrying forward the Peace Process and the constitution writing. On August 2011, Maoist Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai became third Prime Minister after the election of constituent assembly.[45] On 24 May 2012, Nepals's Deputy PM Krishna Sitaula resigned.[46]
On May 27, 2012, the country's Constituent Assembly failed to meet the deadline for writing a new constitution for the country. Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai announced that new elections will be held on November 22. "We have no other option but to go back to the people and elect a new assembly to write the constitution," he said in a nationally televised speech. One of the main obstacles has been disagreement over whether the states which will be created will be based on ethnicity.[47]
Nepal has also been noted for its recent speed of development, such as being one of the few countries in Asia to abolish the death penalty[48] and the first country in Asia to rule in favor of same-sex marriage. The decision was based on a seven-person government committee study, and enacted through Supreme Court's ruling November 2008. The ruling granted full rights for LGBT individuals, including the right to marry. [49]
Military and foreign affairs
Main articles: Nepalese Armed Forces and Foreign relations of Nepal
A member of the Nepalese Quick Reactionary Force (QRF)
Nepal's military consists of the Nepalese Army, which includes the Nepalese Army Air Service (the air force unit under it.) Nepalese Police Force is the civilian police and the Armed Police Force Nepal[50] is the paramilitary force. Service is voluntary and the minimum age for enlistment is 18 years. Nepal spends $99.2 million (2004) on its military—1.5% of its GDP. Much of the equipment and arms are imported from India. Consequently, the US provided M16s M4s and other Colt weapons to combat communist (Maoist) insurgents. As of now, the standard-issue battle rifle of the Nepalese army is the Colt M16.[51]
Nepal has close ties with both of its neighbours, India and China. In accordance with a long-standing treaty, Indian and Nepalese citizens may travel to each others' countries without a passport or visa. Nepalese citizens may work in India without legal restriction. However, since the Government of Nepal has been dominated by Socialists and India's by more right-wing parties, India has been remilitarizing the "porous" Indo-Nepali border, in order to stifle the flow of Islamist groups.[52] Nepal established relations with the People's Republic of China on August 1, 1955, and relations since have been based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Nepal has aided China in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and China has provided economic assistance for Nepali infrastructure. Both countries have cooperated to host the 2008 Summer Olympics summit of Mt. Everest.[53] Nepal has assisted in curbing anti-China protests from the Tibetan diaspora.[54]
Economy
Main article: Economy of Nepal
Terraced farming on the foothills of the Himalayas.
A Rs.500 banknote of The Republic of Nepal. For economic reasons, the watermark on the right still contains a picture of King Gyanendra, obscured by printing a rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal.[55]
Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP) for 2008 was estimated at over $12 billion (adjusted to Nominal GDP), making it the 115th-largest economy in the world. Agriculture accounts for about 40% of Nepal's GDP, services comprise 41% and industry 22%. Agriculture employs 76% of the workforce, services 18% and manufacturing/craft-based industry 6%. Agricultural produce – mostly grown in the Terai region bordering India – includes tea, rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, and water buffalo meat. Industry mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce, including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain.
Its workforce of about 10 million suffers from a severe shortage of skilled labour. About 25% of the population live below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day.[56] This is a significant improvement from the 41.2% in 1995-96. The spectacular landscape and diverse, exotic cultures of Nepal represent considerable potential for tourism, but growth in this hospitality industry has been stifled by recent political events. In 2009, the number of international tourists visiting Nepal was 509,956. The rate of unemployment and underemployment approaches half of the working-age population. Thus many Nepali citizens move to India in search of work; the Gulf countries and Malaysia being new sources of work. Nepal receives $50 million a year through the Gurkha soldiers who serve in the Indian and British armies and are highly esteemed for their skill and bravery. The total remittance value is worth around $1 billion, including money sent from the Persian Gulf and Malaysia, who combined employ around 700,000 Nepali citizens.
A long-standing economic agreement underpins a close relationship with India. The country receives foreign aid from India, Japan, the UK, the US, the EU, China, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries. Poverty is acute; per-capita income is around $1,000.[57] The distribution of wealth among the Nepalis is consistent with that in many developed and developing countries: the highest 10% of households control 39.1% of the national wealth and the lowest 10% control only 2.6%.
The government's budget is about $1.153 billion, with expenditure of $1.789 billion (FY05/06). The Nepalese rupee has been tied to the Indian Rupee at an exchange rate of 1.6 for many years. Since the loosening of exchange rate controls in the early 1990s, the black market for foreign exchange has all but disappeared. The inflation rate has dropped to 2.9% after a period of higher inflation during the 1990s.
Nepal's exports of mainly carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods and grain total $822 million. Import commodities of mainly gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products and fertilizer total US$2 bn. EU (46.13%), the US (17.4%), and Germany (7.1%) are its main export partners. Recently, the European Union has become the largest buyer of Nepali ready made garments (RMG). Exports to the EU accounted for "46.13 percent of the country’s total garment exports".[58] Nepal's import partners include India (47.5%), the United Arab Emirates (11.2%), China (10.7%), Saudi Arabia (4.9%), and Singapore (4%).[59]
The country celebrated Nepal Tourism Year 2011 after an official launch by the nation's President, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, at the Dasarath stadium in the capital amidst a grand celebration on 14 January 2011.
Infrastructure
Transport
Nepal remains isolated from the world's major land, air and sea transport routes although, within the country, aviation is in a better state, with 48 airports, ten of them with paved runways; flights are frequent and support a sizable traffic. The hilly and mountainous terrain in the northern two-thirds of the country has made the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. In 2003 there were just over 8,500 km (5,282 mi) of paved roads and one 59-km railway line in the south. There is a single reliable road route from India to the Kathmandu Valley.
The only practical seaport of entry for goods bound for Kathmandu is Calcutta in India. Internally, the poor state of development of the road system (22 of 75 administrative districts lack road links) makes volume distribution unrealistic. Besides having landlocked, rugged geography, few tangible natural resources and poor infrastructure, the long-running civil war is also a factor in stunting the economic growth.[60]
Telecommunication
While the first telephones lines were introduced in Kathmandu in 1913, it was not until 1955 that telephone lines were distributed to the public. Likewise, both the telegram service and high frequency radio system (AM) were introduced in 1950. The first public telephone exchange was set up in Kathmandu (300 lines CB) in 1962, whereas the first automatic exchange was established in 1965 (1000 lines in Kathmandu). By 1995, Nepal had installed optical fiber network as well; whereas the GSM services were launched in 1999.[61]
Despite more than 50 years of history, according to the Nepal Telecommunication Authority MIS July 2009 report, the total telephone subscribers including PSTN and mobile are 6,069,659 which give the penetration rate of 22.07%. If we see the data service parts then the numbers of subscribers to access data services are 176,024 and the numbers represent from major urban areas and district headquarters.[62]
Mobile telephony is in a reasonable state in most parts of the country with increased accessibility and affordability; there were around 175,000 Internet connections in 2005. After the imposition of the "state of emergency", intermittent losses of service-signals were reported, but uninterrupted Internet connections have resumed after Nepal's second major people's revolution to overthrow the King's absolute power.[59]
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Nepal
Population density map of Nepal
Nepal's population has grown from 9 million people in 1950 to 26.6 million in 2011.[63] Nepal's population increased from 23,151,423 in 2001 to 26,620,809, with a subsequent family size decline from 5.44 to 4.7[7] Although the population growth recorded was only 1.4 percent for the latest census period, some 1,917,903 absentee population was noted, over a million more than 762 thousand in 2001, most being male workers. This correlated with the drop in sex ratio from 94.41 as compared to 99.80 for 2001.[7]
The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations from India, Tibet, and North Burma and the Chinese province of Yunnan via Assam. Even though Indo-Nepalese migrants were latecomers to Nepal relative to the migrants from the north, they have come to dominate the country not only numerically, but also socially, politically, and economically.[64]
Among the earliest inhabitants were the Kirat of east mid-region, Newar of the Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharu in the southern Terai region. The ancestors of the Brahmin and Chetri caste groups came from India's present Kumaon, Garhwal and Kashmir regions, while other ethnic groups trace their origins to North Burma and Yunnan and Tibet, e.g. the Gurung and Magar in the west, Rai and Limbu in the east (from Yunnan and north Burma via Assam), and Sherpa and Bhutia in the north (from Tibet).
In the Terai, a part of the Ganges Basin with 20% of the land, much of the population is physically and culturally similar to the Indo-Aryans of northern India. Indo-Aryan and East-Asian-looking mixed people live in the hill region. Indo-Aryan ancestry has been a source of prestige in Nepal for centuries, and the ruling families have been of Indo-Aryan and Hindu background.[65] The mountainous highlands are sparsely populated. Kathmandu Valley, in the middle hill region, constitutes a small fraction of the nation's area but is the most densely populated, with almost 20% of the population.
Nepal is a multilingual society.
These data are largely derived from Nepal's 2001 census results published in the Nepal Population Report 2002.
According to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Nepal hosted a population of refugees and asylum seekers in 2007 numbering approximately 130,000. Of this population, approximately 109,200 persons were from Bhutan and 20,500 from People's Republic of China.[66][67] The government of Nepal restricted ethnic Nepalese expelled from Bhutan to seven camps in the Jhapa and Morang districts, and refugees were not permitted to work in most professions.[66] At present, the United States is working towards resettling more than 60,000 of these refugees in the US.[26]
Population Structure
Data Size
Population 26,620,000 (2011)
Growth Rate 1.6%
Population below 14 Years old 39%
Population of age 15 to 64 57.3%
Population above 65 3.7%
The median age (Average) 20.07
The median age (Male) 19.91
The median age (Females) 20.24
Ratio (Male:Female) 1, 000:1,060
Life expectancy (Average)( Reference: [2]) 66.16 Years
Life expectancy (Male) 64.94
Life expectancy (Female) 67.44
Literacy Rate (Average) 68.2% ( According to the UNDP report 2011)
Literacy Rate (Male) NA
Literacy Rate (Female) NA
A mountain village in Nepal
Despite the migration of a significant section of the population to the southern plains or terai in recent years, the majority of the population still lives in the central highlands. The northern mountains are sparsely populated.
Kathmandu, with a population of over 2.6 million (metropolitan area: 5 million), is the largest city in the country.
Languages
Main article: Languages of Nepal
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 (70%), Maithili (5%), Bhojpuri (3%), Tharu (4%), Tamang (3%), Newari/Nepal Bhasa (3.6%), Magar (2.4%), Rai (2.8%), Awadhi (2.5%), Limbu (1.5%), and Bajjika (1%).
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. Regional dialects Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Maithili and rarely Hindi are spoken in the southern Terai Region. Many Nepalis in government and business speak English as well. 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.
Religion
Main article: Religion in Nepal
Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Nepal religiosity
religion percent
Hinduism
80.6%
Buddhism
10.7%
Islam
4.2%
Mundhum
3.6%
Christianity
0.5%
Other
0.4%
The overwhelming majority of the Nepalese population follows Hinduism. Shiva is regarded as the guardian deity of the country.[68] Nepal is home to the famous Lord Shiva temple, the Pashupatinath Temple, where Hindus from all over the world come for pilgrimage. According to mythology, Sita Devi of the epic Ramayana, was born in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka Raja.
Lumbini is a Buddhist pilgrimage site and UNESCO World Heritage Site site in the Kapilavastu district. Traditionally it is held to be the birthplace in about 563 B.C. of Siddhartha Gautama, a Kshatriya caste prince of the Sakya clan, who, as the Buddha Gautama, gave birth to the Buddhist tradition.
The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone, in which only monasteries can be built. All three main branches of Buddhism exist in Nepal and the Newa people have their own branch of the faith. Buddhism is also the dominant religion of the thinly populated northern areas, which are mostly inhabited by Tibetan-related peoples, such as the Sherpa.
The Buddha, born as a Hindu, is also said to be a descendant of Vedic Sage Angirasa in many Buddhist texts.[69] The Buddha's family surname is associated with Gautama Maharishi.[70] Differences between Hindus and Buddhists have been minimal in Nepal due to the cultural and historical intermingling of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. Morever traditionally Buddhism and Hinduism were never two distinct religions in the western sense of the word. In Nepal, the faiths share common temples and worship common deities. Among other natives of Nepal, those more influenced by Hinduism were the Magar, Sunwar, Limbu and Rai and the Gurkhas.[17] Hindu influence is less prominent among the Gurung, Bhutia, and Thakali groups who employ Buddhist monks for their religious ceremonies.[17][59] Most of the festivals in Nepal are Hindu.[71] The Machendrajatra festival, dedicated to Hindu Shaiva Siddha, is celebrated by many Buddhists in Nepal as a main festival.[72] As it is believed that Ne Muni established Nepal,[73] some important priests in Nepal are called "Tirthaguru Nemuni". Islam is a minority religion in Nepal, with 4.2 % of the population being Muslim according to a 2006 Nepalese census.[74] Mundhum, Christianity and Jainism are other minority faiths.[75]
Education
Main article: Education in Nepal
About two thirds of female adults and one third of male adults are illiterate.[76] Net primary enrollment rate was 74% in 2005.[76] It is currently at about 90%.[77] In 2009 the World Bank has decided to contribute a further $130 million towards meeting Nepal's Education for All goals.[77] Nepal has several universities.
Largest cities
The 13 largest cities in 2001 (*2011) by population) [78]
Kathmandu (1,006,656)*
Biratnagar (Pop.: 166,674)
Lalitpur (Pop.: 162,991)
Pokhara (Pop.: 156,312)
Birganj (Pop.: 112,238)
Dharan (Pop.: 95,332)
Bharatpur (Pop.: 89,323)
Bhim Datta (Pop.:80,839)
Janakpur (Pop.: 74,192)
Butwal (Pop.: 75,384)
Bhaktapur(Pop.: 72.543)
Hetauda (Pop.:68,482)
Dhangadhi (Pop.: 67,447)
Culture
Main article: Culture of Nepal
Narayanhiti Palace Museum
Devotees of the Festival Chhath Parva in Janakpur, Nepal.
Traditional Nepalese cuisine
A typical Nepalese meal is Dal bhat. Dal is a spicy lentil soup, served over bhat (boiled rice), served with tarkari (curried vegetables) together with achar (pickles) or chutni (spicy condiment made from fresh ingredients). It consists of non-vegetarian as well as vegetarian items served with non-alcoholic beverages. Mustard oil is the cooking medium and a host of spices, such as cumin, coriander, black peppers, sesame seeds, turmeric, garlic, ginger, methi (fenugreek), bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, chillies, mustard seeds, etc., are used in the cooking. The cuisine served on festivals is generally the best.
Main article: Music of Nepal
Folklore is an integral part of Nepalese society. Traditional stories are rooted in the reality of day-to-day life, tales of love, affection and battles as well as demons and ghosts and thus reflect local lifestyles, cultures and beliefs. Many Nepalese folktales are enacted through the medium of dance and music.
The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months. Saturday is the official weekly holiday. Main annual holidays include the National Day, celebrated on the birthday of the king (28 December), Prithvi Jayanti (11 January), Martyr's Day (18 February), and a mix of Hindu and Buddhist festivals such as dashain in autumn, and tihar in late autumn. During tihar, the Newar community also celebrates its New Year as per their local calendar Nepal Sambat.
Most houses in rural lowland of Nepal are made up of a tight bamboo framework and walls of a mud and cow-dung mix. These dwellings remain cool in summer and retain warmth in winter. Houses in the hills are usually made of unbaked bricks with thatch or tile roofing. At high elevations construction changes to stone masonry and slate may be used on roofs.
Nepal's flag is the only national flag in the world that is not rectangular in shape.[79] According to its official description, the red in the flag stands for victory in war or courage, and is also color of the rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal. Red also stands for aggression. The flag's blue border signifies peace. The curved moon on the flag is a symbol of the peaceful and calm nature of Nepalese, while the sun represents the aggressiveness of Nepalese warriors.
See also
Geography portal
Asia portal
South Asia portal
Himalayas portal
SAARC portal
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Outline of Nepal
Index of Nepal-related articles
Footnotes
^ According to Interim Constitution Nepali is only the official language (article 5, point 2). Other languages spoken as the mother tongue in Nepal are the national languages (article 5, point 1). According to article 5, point 3, all languages are accepted as official languages at the regional level. Today's more than 90% people speak Nepali as a 1st language. Nepal_Interim_Constitution2007
^ Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (2009) (PDF). World Population Prospects, Table A.1. 2008 revision. United Nations. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
^ "Nepal Census 2011". Central Bureau of Statistics (Nepal). Retrieved 6 March 2012.
^ a b c d "Nepal". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
^ "Human Development Report 2011. Human development index trends: Table G". The United Nations. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
^ "Nepal". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 3rd ed. 2001.
^ a b c http://census.gov.np/images/pdf/Population%20Census%20Prelliminary%20Report%202011.pdf
^ "The World Factbook : Rank order population". CIA.
^ Shaha (1992), p. 1.
^ "CIA Factbook, Nepal, "People" section". Cia.gov. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ a b c W.B., P. 34 Land of the Gurkhas
^ a b "The Ancient Period". Infoclub.com.np. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ Balfour, P. 195 Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, :
^ Dangol, Amrit (6 May 2007). "Alone In Kathmandu". Alone In Kathmandu. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ Prasad, P. 4 The life and times of Maharaja Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal
^ Khatri, P. 16 The Postage Stamps of Nepal
^ a b c "A Country Study: Nepal". Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
^ a b P. 17 Looking to the Future: Indo-Nepal Relations in Perspective By Lok Raj Baral
^ Terai News
^ Li, Rongxi (translator). 1995. The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions, pp. 219–220. Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. Berkeley, California. ISBN 1-886439-02-8
^ Watters, Thomas. 1904-5. On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India (A.D. 629–645), pp. 83–85. Reprint: Mushiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Delhi. 1973.
^ Giuseppe, Father (1799). "Account of the Kingdom of Nepal". Asiatick Researches. London: Vernor and Hood. Retrieved 2 June 2012. Page 308.
^ "The Enclosing of Nepal". Countrystudies.us. Source: U.S. Library of Congress.
^ Tucci, Giuseppe. (1952). Journey to Mustang, 1952. Trans. by Diana Fussell. 1st Italian edition, 1953; 1st English edition, 1977. 2nd edition revised, 2003, p. 22. Bibliotheca Himalayica. ISBN 99933-0-378-X (South Asia); ISBN 974-524-024-9 (Outside of South Asia).
^ a b "Timeline: Nepal". BBC News. Retrieved 29 September 2005.
^ a b Bhaumik, Subir (7 November 2007). "Bhutan refugees are 'intimidated'". BBC News. Retrieved 25 April 2008.
^ Nepal votes to abolish monarchy – CNN[dead link]
^ a b "Nepal votes to abolish monarchy". BBC News. 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
^ The Carter Center. "Activities by Country: Nepal". Retrieved 17 July 2008.
^ "Kantipuronline.com". Kantipuronline.com. Retrieved 2010-12-22.[dead link]
^ "Nepal abolishes its monarchy". Al Jazeera. 28 May 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2008.[dead link]
^ Beek van der Peter, Xavier Robert, Jean-Louis Mugnier, Matthias Bernet, Pascale Huyghe and Erika Labrin, "Late Miocene- Recent Exhumation of the Central Himalaya and Recycling in the Foreland Basin Assessed by Apatite Fission-Track Thermochronology of Siwalik Sediments, Nepal", Basic research, 18, 413–434, 2006.
^ Berger Antoine, Francois Jouanne, Riadm Hassani and Jean Louis Mugnier, "Modelling the Spatial Distribution of Present day Deformation in Nepal: how cylindrical is the Main Himalayan Thrust in Nepal?", Geophys.J.Int., 156, 94–114, 2004.
^ Bilham Roger and Michael Jackson,"Constraints on Himalayan Deformation inferred from Vertical Velocity Fields in Nepal and Tibet," Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 99, 897–912, 10 July 1994.
^ Chamlagain Deepak and Daigoro Hayashi, "Neotectonic Fault Analysis by 2D Finite Element Modeling for Studying the Himalayan Fold and Thrust belt in Nepal", University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 1–16, 14 July 2006.
^ F. Jouanne et al., "Current Shortening Across the Himalayas of Nepal", Geophys.J.Int., 154, 1–14, 2004.
^ Pandey M.R, R.P. Tandukar, J.P. Avouac, J. Vergne and Th. Heritier, "Seismotectonics of the Nepal Himalaya from a Local Seismic Network", Journal of Asian Earth Sciences,17, 703–712,1999.
^ Bilham et al., 1998; Pandey et al., 1995.
^ Newar, Naresh. (Jan 2004). 70 years after. Nepali Times. Issue #178 (09 Jan 2004 - 15 Jan 2004) [1]. Retrieved: 10 Dec, 2011.
^ Summerfield & Hulton, 1994; Hay, 1998.
^ "Nepal's election The Maoists triumph". Economist.com. 17 April 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ Nepal's Lawmakers Abolish the Country's Monarchy[dead link]
^ Presidentofnepal.com
^ Kaphle, Anup (7 July 2010). "Long stalemate after Maoist victory disrupts life in Nepal". The Washington Post.
^ "Baburam Bhattarai elected prime minister of Nepal". BBC News. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
^ "Political crisis looms in Nepal as deputy PM quits". Retrieved 24 May 2012.[dead link]
^ "Nepal PM calls new elections after constitution failure". CBC News. May 28, 2012.
^ "Death Penalty Statistics 2006". Amnestyusa.org. Retrieved 29 July 2009.[dead link]
^ "Progress in new Republic of Nepal". Starobserver.com.au. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ "Official Website of Armed Police Force Nepal". Apf.gov.np. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ "AU.af.mil" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-12-22.
^ Thottam, Jyoti (2010-03-02). "Nepal: Caught Between China and India". TIME. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
^ Zheng, Xianglin (2008-08-15). "China-Nepal relations are an example of friendly coexistence between countries of different size". Nepal News. Retrieved 2010-12-26.[dead link]
^ Haviland, Charles (17 April 2008). "Nepal Arrests Tibetan Protesters". BBC News. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ "Nepal king's head spared on new banknotes". Retrieved 7 October 2007.
^ , Nepal's poverty rate down to 25 pc, but income distribution remains grossly uneven. Retrieved on 20 October 2011
^ "CIA World Factbook – Nepal". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
^ "EU as Nepal's largest exporter". ktm2day. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
^ a b c "Nepal". CIA World Factbook. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
^ "Nepal: Economy". Nepal: Economy. p. 3. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
^ "Mile Stones of Nepal Telecom". Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ "Status of Telecommunication and ICT Infrastructure in Nepal". Retrieved 7 September 2012.
^ Nepal – population". Library of Congress Country Studies.
^ "Nepal – Caste and Ethnicity". Library of Congress Country Studies.
^ "Nepal". Encyclopædia Britannica.
^ a b "World Refugee Survey 2008". U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. 19 June 2008.[dead link]
^ "Nepal: Tibetans Warned of Deportation to China". IRIN Asia. 1 April 2008.
^ Anthologia anthropologica. The native races of Asia and Europe; by James George Frazer, Sir; Robert Angus Downie
^ The Life of Buddha as Legend and History, by Edward Joseph Thomas
^ P. 95 A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms By James Legge
^ "Festivals of Nepal". Nepalhomepage.com. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
^ P. 885 Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Part 10 By James Hastings
^ Wright, P. 107, History of Nepal: With an Introductory Sketch of the Country and People of Nepal
^ NEPAL IN FIGURES 2006 – Government of Nepal[dead link]
^ "Welcome". Nepaljain.com. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
^ a b "Human Development Report 2010 – Nepal". Hdrstats.undp.org. Retrieved 25 Jan 2011.
^ a b "News & Broadcast – World Bank Supports School Sector Reforms in Nepal". Web.worldbank.org. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
^ "Nepal: Zonen, Städte & urbane Gemeinden - Einwohnerzahlen & Karten". Citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
^ Nepali flag in the CIA World Factbook
References
Shaha, Rishikesh (1992). Ancient and Medieval Nepal. New Delhi: Manohar Publications. ISBN 81-85425-69-8.
Tiwari, Sudarshan Raj (2002). The Brick and the Bull: An account of Handigaun, the Ancient Capital of Nepal. Himal Books. ISBN 99933-43-52-8.
"Nepal". Nepal. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
"India Nepal Open Border". Nepal Democracy. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
"Football at the heart of the Himalaya". FIFA. Archived from the original on 9 September 2005. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
"Nepal: Information Portal". Explore Nepal. Retrieved 1 September 2007.
Haven, Cynthia (24 August 2010). "The Best Memoir You Never Heard Of: "Shadow Over Shangri-La"". San Francisco Chronicle.
"Nepal: A state under siege". The South Asian: Featured Articles. Archived from the original on 31 December 2004. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
"Nepal: Basic Fact Sheet". Nepal homepage. Retrieved 23 September 2005.
Sharma, Sushil (29 August 2005). "Jailed ex-PM in Nepal court plea". BBC News. Retrieved 29 September 2005.
"Nepal's new emblem". Citizen Journalism Nepal. Retrieved 7 February 2007.
Gotz Hagmuller (2003). Patan Museum: The Transformation of a Royal Palace in Nepal. London: Serindia. ISBN 978-0-906026-58-8.
Kunda Dixit (2006). A people war: Images of the Nepal conflict 1996–2006. Kathmandu: nepa-laya.
Barbara Crossette (1995). So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas. New York: Vintage. ISBN 0-679-74363-4.
Bista, Dor Bahadur (1967). People of Nepal. Dept. of Publicity, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of Nepal. ISBN 99933-0-418-2.
Michael Hutt, ed., Himalayan 'people's war' : Nepal's Maoist rebellion, London: C. Hurst, 2004
Peter Matthiessen (1993). The Snow Leopard. Penguin. ISBN 0-00-272025-6.
Joe Simpson (1997). Storms of Silence. Mountaineers Books. ISBN 0-89886-512-3.
Samrat Upadhyay (2001). Arresting God in Kathmandu. Mariner Books. ISBN 0-618-04371-3.
Joseph R. Pietri (2001). The King of Nepal. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana Creative Arts. ISBN 0-615-11928-X.
Maurice Herzog (1951). Annapurna. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-55821-549-2.
Dervla Murphy (1968). The Waiting Land: A Spell in Nepal. Transatlantic Arts. ISBN 0-7195-1745-1.
Rishikesh Shaha (2001). Modern Nepal: A Political History. Manohar Publishers and Distributors. ISBN 81-7304-403-1.
Jane Wilson-Howarth (2007). A Glimpse of Eternal Snows: a family’s journey of love and loss in Nepal. Pier 9, Australia. p. 432. ISBN 978-1-921259-26-5.
Glacial Lakes and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Nepal. - International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, March 2011
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Glacial Lakes and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in Nepal. - International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, March 2011
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