Known as the Magical Himalayan Country, Nepal is a landlocked country located in South Asia between Indian and China. Its shape is roughly rectangular about 650 km long and about 200 km wide and comprises a total of 147181 sq. km of land. It is bound by China to the North and India to the East, West and South. Geographic coordinates is 28 N latitude 84 E longitude.
Nepal is rich in heritage & culture. The country is divided into three broad physiographic regions, The High Mountains of the main Himalayan range which included Highest peak of the world called Mt. Everest, Middle Hilly Ranges and Lowland- the Tarai, which is narrow flat belt of alluvial land the extends along with southern border with India.
Nepal is considered as the 2nd highest country in terms and water resources in the world and the principal rivers are the Koshi, Karnali, Narayani, Gandaki etc. The major cities are Kathmandu (Capital of Nepal), Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Jhapa, Biratnagar, Bhairawaha Saptari, Janakpur, Birgunj, Narayangadh, Pokhara, Butwal, Nepalganj, Tulsipur , Kailali, Mahendranagar etc.
Land use for Agricultural cultivated 17% Forested 39% Pastures 15% and other 29%
Climate: Kathmandu & The Hilly regions: Summer-15-30oc, winter 0-16oc, Terai & the Low land – Summer 21-42 oc, winter 9-30oc.
Rainfall (Kathmandu) – Oct-May 300mm June-Sept 1100mm. The population of Nepal is approximately 2,75,00000.
It is divided into two broad ethnic groups. a) Indo- Nepalese and b) Tibeto-Nepalese. It’s a secular State. Includes major religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Muslim and Christianity.
Language: Official language is Nepali although over 20 distinct languages are also spoken. English & Hindi are also widely spoken and understood.
Time: 15 minutes ahead of Indian Standard Time, 5 hour 45 minutes ahead of GMT.
