Nepal Profile



Location
:
Between China and India.

Area: 147,181 sq km, stretching 800 km from east to west and from 90 to 230 km north to south.

Population: An estimated 29.5 million . Annual rate of growth of 2.5%.

Latitude & Longitude: 26’12’ and 30’27’ North & 80 degree 4′ and 88 degree 12′ East

Capital city: Kathmandu. Population of about 800,000 in the city itself. Believed to be approximately 1.5m in the fertile Kathmandu valley.

Peoples: Over 100 Ethnic Groups . Indigenous peoples include Gurung, Limbu, Newar, Rai, Sherpa, Tamang and Tharu with diverse smaller groups. Major caste groups are the Brahmans and Chhetris.

Language(s): Nepali 58% (official language), Newari 3%, mainly in Kathmandu. Tibeto- Burman languages (20%) mainly in the hill areas, and Indian languages (20%) mainly in the Terai areas bordering India. Nepal has over 70 Spoken Languages and dozens of dialects.

Religion(s): Officially 90% Hindu, 8% Buddhist and 2% Muslim – but these figures are thought misleading. Hinduism and Buddhism overlap considerably in Nepal. Other estimates also suggest that there are some 400,000 Christians in the country.
Topography: From the World’s Deepest gorge ‘Kali-Gandaki’ to the highest point on earth, Mt. Everest at 8848m.

Vegetation: Nepal possesses some of the most outstanding bio-diversity in the world, ranging from sub-tropical Rain-forests to Alpine Deserts.

Climate:Climate ranges from sub-tropical in the low lands to Arctic higher altitudes.

Seasons:
Winter (December – February)
Summer (March – May )
Monsoon (June – August)
Autumn (September – November)

National Bird & National Flower:
Impean Pheasant (Danfe) & Rhododendron Arboreum (Lali Gurans)

National Festivals:
Dashain, Tihar, Shivaratri, Nepali new year (Baishak first), Tej, Chad ete,

World Heriatge Sites:
In Nepal, their are two UNESCO world heritage site respectively cultural world heritage site and another is natural world heritage. UNESCO cultural world heritage site have eight site respectively Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Pashupatinath, Changunarayan and Lumbini. Seven Cultural World Heritage Sites are situated within 20 kms of radius, in the Kathmandu Valley accept Lumbini. Another UNESCO natural world heritage site including two site respectively Sagarmatha National Park ( Mt. Everest National Park ) and Chitwan National Park.

Flora and Founa:
840 different species of wet-land, migratory and residential bird, 8% of the world’s population of birds.

Home to Endangered Species Like:
Royal Bengal Tiger, One horned rhino, Snow – Leopard, Red Panda, Brown Bear, Assamese Macaque, Gangetic Dolphin, Wolf, Wild Elephant, Giant Horn – Bill, Swamp Deer, Wild Yak, Tibetan Antelope, Black Buck, Four Horned antelope, Musk Deer, Pigmy Hog, Haspid Hare, Pangolin, Gharial, Indian Bustart, Saras Crane, Impean Pheasant, Python etc.

A Living Cultural Heritage :
Nepal’s Heritage is alive and dynamic. Shamanism, Pan-animism & Witch-craft are still practiced in remote regions. Temples, shrines, monuments and monasteries are extremely active with devotees burning butter-lamps, singing hymns, chiming temple bells and playing drums. The only country that has living goddess “Kumari”

Currency: Nepali Rupee (NPR).

Political-System: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

Government: Constitutionally, Nepal is a parliamentary democracy with a largely ceremonial President as Head of State and a Prime Minister as Head of Government. The Prime Minister currently leads a coalition government. Elections for a 601 seat Constituent Assembly cum legislature were held on 10 April 2008.

Head of State: President Bidya Devi Bhandari

Prime Minister: K.P. Sharma Oli

Membership of international groupings/organisations: United Nations, South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), Council of Democracies and others.