Introduction

Nepal is a land of rare scenic splendor unrivaled in the Himalayas. Bordering the Tibetan Plateau, her territory stretches 800 km east to west, and some of the highest peaks in the world, including Mt. Everest, mark northernmost limits. The land cascades sharply downwards in a short 200-km span through rugged mountains, coniferous, temperate and tropical forests, terraces of paddy, millet and corn to the low-lying foothills, which form the southern borders, where they join with the plains of India. It is a land of cultural diversity, being the religious crossroads of Hinduism and Buddhism, and is the birthplace of Lord Buddha and Goddess Sita. Nepal is located in southern Asia and is couched between the two large countries, India and China. This small Hindu kingdom is a strategically important country and is surrounded by the Indian mainland on the east touching the Indian borders, south and western sides respectively lying between the latitudes 26°N and 30°N and longitudes 80°E and 88°E.

Physical Features

Nepal has four physiographic belts: the Terai plain, the sylvan Churia foothills & Inner Terai zone to the north, the mid mountain region, and the Great Himalayan Range. The Terai plain is low in elevation, flat, and fertile, being a northern extension of the Gangetic Plain. In the south, it is agricultural, , it is marshy and forested where it joins the Hilly region. The sparsely populated Churia Hills and the Inner Terai region rise to the rugged Mahabharata Mountain Range, which has elevations of 600-910 m; the intermountain basins are covered with forests. The mid-mountain region, between the Mahabharata Range and the Great Himalayas has ranging between 2,400 and 4,300 m that enclose the Kathmandu and the Pokhara valleys, two flat basins drained by the Baghmati and Seti rivers, respectively. The densely populated Kathmandu valley is the political and cultural pot of the nation. The Great Himalayan Range, from 4,300 to 8,800 m in elevation, contains several of the world's highest peaks like Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga I, Makalu I, Dhaulagiri I, Manaslu I, and Annapurna I-all above 8,040 m. The Kosi, Narayani (Gandak), and Karnali rivers run southward through transverse valleys of the Himalayan chain. They are Nepal's major rivers and have large reserves of hydroelectric power.

Climate, Flora & Fauna

The climate of Nepal ranges from subtropical monsoon conditions in the Terai region to alpine conditions in the Great Himalayas. Annual rainfall ranges from 70 and 75 inches in the eastern Terai and between around 35 inches in western Nepal. Flooding is a serious problem in the low-lying areas of the Terai plain during the monsoon season. The winter season extends from November to March, when temperatures vary from 19°C in the southern Terai region to 13°C. During the summer season, which lasts through April and June, the mercury varies from 21°C to 28°C, in average.
There are over 6,500 species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers in Nepal. The height of floral splendor is during the months of March and April when rhododendrons, the national flower, burst into color. In Nepal forest cover about one-sixth of the country and provide valuable timber, firewood, and medicinal herbs. At the lowest elevations are tropical, humid, deciduous forests that harbor tigers, leopards, deer, monkeys, and a few Indian rhinoceroses. Above 1,200 m, the forests are evergreen and deciduous (oak, maple, magnolia). Between 3,050 and 3,650 m are coniferous forests; above that are sub-alpine and alpine meadows of rhododendron and juniper, h. One can find around 800 different species of bird life in Nepal.

History

In 1769, the Gurkhas led by Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the Nepal Valley from the Malla dynasty. He moved the capital to Kathmandu, providing the foundation for modern Nepal. From 1775 to 1951, Nepali politics were characterized by conflict between the royal family and several noble families. Often the Shah rulers were relegated to honorary positions, while the political power was concentrated within a dominant noble family.
With support from the Indian government, royal Nepali sovereignty was restored and revolutionary forces gained a position in the administration in the early 1950s. A constitution was approved in 1959, and parliamentary elections were held. In 1962, a new constitution was promulgated giving the crown greater authority. Though the country was then nominally a constitutional monarchy, the king for many years exercised autocratic control over the country's multi-tiered system of panchayats, or councils, which extended from the village to the national level. In 1972, King Mahendra was succeeded by his son Birendra. In 1990 a series of demonstrations and protests over the king's autocratic rule forced him to lift the ban on political parties and to accept a new cabinet composed largely of opposition political figures. That year a new constitution was also approved that provided for a multiparty democracy and a bicameral parliament.

Ethnicity & Festival

The early settlement of Nepal was accomplished by large-scale emigrations of Mongoloid groups from Tibet and of Indo-Aryan peoples from northern India. Nepalese of Indo-Aryan ancestry constitutes the great majority of the total population. Tibeto-Nepalese peoples form a significant minority of the country's population. Nepali, a derivative of Sanskrit, is the official language; Newari, a language of the Tibeto-Burman family, and numerous other languages are spoken. About 90% of the population is Hindu, and the remaining Buddhist.
The population is located mainly in rural areas. The urban population is primarily concentrated in Kathmandu. Nepalese people are divided into two distinct groups: the Indo-Aryans and the Mongoloids. Kathmandu Valley is the spiritual and cultural meeting point of all these groups. Nepal is the only Hindu Kingdom in the world. It is also the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
Nepal's festive calendar is communized and exciting. Dashain, celebrated nationwide in October, is the most important of all Nepalese celebrations and features and also the biggest animal sacrifice of the year. It is the same festival of Durga Puja in India. Tihar is celebrated in the month of November, where animals are honored. Other festivals celebrated nationally include the colorful Holi in March, Chaitra Daisan (or Basanti Puja) in April, Maha Shivratri in March, Gai Jatra in August, and Krishna Jayanti in August/September. Buddhist celebrations include Mani Rimdu in November (in Solu Khumbu), Buddha Jayanti in May (in Kathmandu), and Losar or the Tibetan New Year in February (in Swayambhunath, Jawlakhel and highland communities). Other important festivals are New Year's Day (April 14), Mother's Day (April), Rath Jatra (May-June), Guru Poornima (August), Krishnashtami (August-September), Father's Day (August-September), Indra Jatra (September), Constitution Day (November 9), Bala Chaturdarshi (November-December), Birthday of His Majesty the King (December 28), Basanta Panchami (January-February), National Democracy Day (February 18), and Ghode Jatra (March-April).

Attire, Culture & Polity

Nepalese men wear daura, suruwai, topi patuka (waist coat) and a khukri, while the women wear chowbandi choli, gunew tied by patuka, hembari (shawl tied round the chest) majetro. The ornaments include chyapte sun, gadavari (ear rings), tilhari kantha, chura, dungri, mundri (nose ring), kallis (ankle ornaments), sirbandi charrani har and tikmala. The sindur (vermilion) and the potey (bottle green) are the signs of married women.
Most of the regular meals consist of a combination of lentil soup, rice and curried vegetables. Nepal has adapted to Western tastes, markedly evident in Kathmandu's smorgasbord of menus: Mexican tacos; Japanese sukiyaki; Thai chocolate; Chinese marshmallows; onion and minestrone soup; borscht, quiche and soy burgers, almond layer cakes, fruit cakes. Lassi (a refreshing mixture of curd and water adapted from India), the locally produced beer or cyhang, a Himalayan home brew made from barley, are the most famous beverages.
Nepal is a democratic constitutional monarchy. The constitution provides for a bicameral government consisting of a House of Representatives or the lower house with 205 elected members and a 60-member National Council or the upper house, a third of whose members retire every two years.. Due to lack of awareness, two-thirds majority in the lower house can only amend the constitution.

Economy

Nepal has an agrarian market economy. People are more dependant on agriculture rather than education and industrialization. Less than one-fifth of the total land area is arable, and agricultural productivity is very low.
Rice is the main food. Maize, wheat, potatoes, sugarcane, and millets are also widely grown. Nepal is a major producer of medicinal herbs, which grow on the Himalayan slopes. Cattle, buffalo, goats, and sheep are raised for meat, dairy products and wool. Forestry is an important industry and the backbone for Nepal.
The growing industrial sector accounts for much less than one-tenth of the GNP and employs less than 1 percent of the total workforce. The government has promoted the use of domestic raw materials in manufacturing, and leading manufactures include cotton garments, bricks, tiles, paper, construction materials, and processed foods. Traditional products such as baskets, edible oils, and cotton cloth are produced by cottage industries.
Tourism is becoming an increasingly important source of foreign exchange. Among the other areas the Kathmandu valley is equipped with the necessary amenities for foreign tourists.

As Nepal is a landlocked country India has dominated Nepal’s foreign trade and has granted only limited rights for transportation. Nepal's major exports include cotton garments, cereals, jute, timber, oilseeds, ghee, potatoes, medicinal herbs, and hides. Capital and consumer goods, mineral fuels, and chemicals dominate imports.