The Federal Democratic Republic, is located in South Asia. It is between China and India, roughly trapezoidal shape, BOO kilometers (497mi) long and 200 kilometers (124 mi) wide, with an area of 147,181 km2 (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 27 million. It has exotic floras and fauna as well as interesting human settlements and cultures with 36 different ethnic groups. It is doubtless to say it is diversity in unity.
The weather and climate varies from hot summers to severe winters. Nepal has varieties of lands as it has weather and people. The land starts from 70m from sea level from Kanchan Kalan in Terai and passes though hilly region to the world's highest point Mount Everest at 8,850 m.
Nepal is known for its natural beauty and it has its own cultures. It has more than 70 ethnic groups and more than 60 different languages are spoken in different parts of Nepal. Nepali is the national language of Nepal. People practice several religion. Till now Hinduism and Buddhism have the largest population.
Nepal falls in the temperate zone north of the Tropic of Cancer.Nepal’s ecological zones run east to west about 800 km along its Himalayan axis, 150 to 250 km north to south, and is vertically intersected by the river systems. The country can be divided into three main geographical regions: Himalayan region, mid hill region and Terai region. The highest point in the country is Mt. Everest (8,848 m) while the lowest point is in the Terai plains of Kechana Kalan in Jhapa (60 m).
The Terai region, with width of ranging 26km to 32 km and altitude ranging from 60m to 305 m, occupies about 17 percent of total land area of the country. Kechana Kalan, the lowest point of the country with an altitude of 60 m, lies in Jhapa district of the eastern Terai.The southern lowland Terai continues to the Bhabar belt covered with the Char Kose Jhadi forests known for rich wildlife. Further north, the Siwalik zone (700 – 1,500 m) and the Mahabharat range (1,500m - 2,700m) give way to the Duns (valleys), such as Trijuga, Sindhuli, Chitwan, Dang and Surkhet. The Midlands (600 – 3,500 m), north of the Mahabharat range is where the two beautiful valleys of Kathmandu and Pokhara lie covered in terraced rice fields, and surrounded by forested watersheds.
The Himalayas (above 3,000 m) comprises mountains, alpine pastures and temperate forests limited by the tree-line (4,000 m) and snow line (5,500 m). Eight of the 14 eight-thousanders of the world lie in Nepal: Sagarmatha or Mount Everest (8,848 m), Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), Lhotse (8,516 m), Makalu (8,463 m), Cho Oyu (8,201m), Dhaulagiri (8,167 m), Manaslu (8,163 m) and Annapurna (8,091 m). The inner Himalayan valley (above 3,600 m) such as Mustang and Dolpa are cold deserts sharing topographical characteristics with the Tibetan plateau.Nepal holds the so called “waters towers of South Asia” with its 6,000 rivers which are snow-fed or dependent on rain. The perennial rivers include Mahakali, Karnali, Narayani and Koshi rivers originating in the Himalayas. Medium-sized rivers like Babai, West Rapti, Bagmati, Kamla, Kankai and Mechi originate in the Midlands and Mahabharat range. A large number of seasonal streams, mostly originating in Siwaliks, flow across the Terai.
People in Nepal commonly welcome you Namaste as a traditional salute (means I salute the divine in you) which is wisely used in the most part of country. About 23 million Nepalese are made of 69 different cultural and linguistic group also known as ethnic groups living in different, regions of the country. Mostly each ethnic group has their own unique costumes, speak their own languages or dialects, and follow their own religious practices. They live under different diverse geographic and environmental orientations, from the low plains near the Indian border, northward through the middle hills of Mahabharat range and valleys, and up to the high plain valleys of the Himalayan zone.
However, the globalization motives and innovations effect to the Nepalese society which made many changes day by day in addition of several infrastructural developments new roads building, modern public education, democracy since 1990 and Federal Democratic Republic since in on 23 May 2008, and even rapid innovation of information technology, Internet access are making massive changes brought among new generation. More and more Nepalese, especially young folks speak Nepali and fluent English language, dresses western style clothes most of the time and generally relate to the outside world.
In Nepal generally two major groups of people can be found in high Himalayan region Tibitan origin (Tibeto-Burman or Bhot Burmes) and in low land to mid hill Indo-Aryan (Bharopeli) origin groups. Himalayan region settlements of Tibetan-speaking groups Sherpa, Tibetan origin Gurung of Manang, Mustang and Dolpo region and Thakali of Mustang’s high plain are found in sub alpine to trans Himalayan areas. Outside Nepal, the best known are the Sherpa people who has gained world renown and interest because of their mountaineering skills. In fact, the word “Sherpa,” meaning mountain guide in English, comes from the group’s proud Sherpa name.
In the mid hill mostly settled Rai, Limbu, Tamang, Magar, Sunwar, Gurung and Chepang groups as well as other mongoloid groups live in this areas. The Brahmans, Chhetris, Newar and Thakuris and different occupational groups Kami, Damai Sarki, Gaine are spread generally over most parts of the country. In towns Newar, Marbadi, Punjabi, Brahaman, Kshetri and other mixed groups are also settled. The groups of Rai, Limbu, Gurung, Magar are popular as Gurkha solder in the world.
Landlocked, lacking substantial resources for economic development, and hampered by an inadequate transportation network, Nepal is one of the least developed nations in the world. The economy is heavily dependent on imports of basic materials and on foreign markets for its forest and agricultural products. Nepal imports essential commodities, such as fuel, construction materials, fertilizers, metals, and most consumer goods, and exports such products as rice, jute, timber, and textiles.
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| Nepal’s mineral resources are small, scattered, and barely developed. There are known deposits of coal (lignite), iron ore, magnesite, copper, cobalt, pyrite (used for making sulfuric acid), limestone, and mica. Nepal’s great river systems provide immense potential for hydroelectric development. If developed and utilized within the country and exported to India (the principal market for power generated in Nepal), it could become a mainstay of the country’s economy. |  |
| Agriculture—primarily the cultivation of rice, corn (maize), and wheat—engages most of Nepal’s population and accounts for well over half of the country’s export earnings. Yet agricultural productivity is very low. The low yields result from shortages of fertilizers and improved seed and from the use of inefficient techniques. Because only a tiny percentage of Nepal’s cultivated land area is under irrigation, output depends upon the vagaries of the weather. Potatoes, sugarcane, and millet are other major crops. Cattle, buffalo, goats, and sheep are the principal livestock raised. |  |
| About one-third of Nepal’s total area is forested; most of this area is state-owned. In spite of overcutting and poor management, timber represents one of the country’s most valuable resources and is a major source of potential revenue. Exports of forest products constitute an important source of Indian rupees. Almost all timber is exported to India. The sawmills of the Timber Corporation of Nepal, a government-owned lumber-processing concern, supply K?thm?ndu Valley with construction and furniture wood. |  |
| Industrial production represents a small but growing segment of economic activity. Most industries are small, localized operations based on the processing of agricultural products. The jute industry, centred in Bir?tnagar, is an important earner of foreign exchange. Sugar factories are located in Bir?tnagar, Birganj, and Bhairahaw?. There are a sawmill and a meat-processing plant in Hitaura and a number of rice and oil mills in the Tarai. Other industries include brick and tile manufacture; processing of construction materials, paper, and food grain; cigarette manufacture; cement production; and brewing of beer. In general, there are more industrial enterprises in the private than in the public sector, although most of these are cottage industries. The main areas of manufacturing concentration are Bir?tnagar, the Birganj–Hitaura corridor, and the K?thm?ndu Valley. |  |
| Tourism represents a small but expanding industry. Foreign tourism is primarily confined to the K?thm?ndu Valley, which is the only area equipped with the necessary hotels, food supplies, roads, and international transport services. There are, however, many areas outside the K?thm?ndu Valley with potential for the development of tourism; these include Pokhar?, the Mount Everest area, and the N?r?yani area (where big game exists). |  |
A large section of the population in Nepal cannot access political participation and representation to public affairs due to economic and social conditions, social stigma and lack of access to information, among other reasons. Nepal retains its centuries-old caste system. Dalits, the most discriminated people under this system, suffer from restriction on the use public amenities, deprivation of economic opportunities, and general neglect by the state and society.
In 1996, the Nepal's Maoist Communist party launched a violent campaign to replace the royal parliamentary system with a people's socialist republic. The ensuing ten years civil war had several origins, including overall poverty and the lack of economic development, long periods of landlessness and deprivation of lower castes and lower-status ethnic groups generating anger at the country's elites, as well as dissatisfaction against the government's targeting of Maoist activists. The conflict resulted in the death of over 12,000 people, the displacement of more than 100,000 people, and the devastation of public infrastructures.
The conflict officially ended in 2006, with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA). In 2007, the Interim Constitution of Nepal was adopted, replacing the 1990 Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal. It created an interim Legislature-Parliament, a transitional government reflecting the goals of the 2006 People's Movement - the mandate of which was for peace, change, stability, establishment of the competitive multiparty democratic system of governance, rule of law, promotion and protection of human rights, full press freedom and independence of judiciary based on democratic values and norms.
As part of the process of drafting Nepal's new constitution, regional consortiums of NGOs have held 'democracy dialogues,' including over 400,000 people, to help ensure that the constitution represents Nepal's diverse population, as well as to increase citizens' confidence in, and understanding of the process. New constitutional provisions include new economic, social and cultural rights; new voting systems; and affirmative action for marginalised groups. It is expected that women will be assured 33% representation in the new Parliament. The new constitution has not been finalised, largely due to disagreements on whether to determine Nepal state boundaries on the basis of ethnicity.
