General Things to Know about Nepal
Better known across the world as the “Land of Everest” and the “Birthplace of Gautama Buddha”, Nepal is a Southeast Asian country located between China and India. With China to the north and India to the east, west, and south, it is a landlocked country. What’s more, with a total area of 147,180 sq km (56,826 sq miles), it is small in size. However, Nepal is endowed with natural beauty, rich biodiversity, distinctive cultures, and brave history. Thus, it has so much to offer to the world and the world needs to know about Nepal. We have provided general info about Nepal below.
A Brief History of Nepal
The mentioning of Nepal in various ancient scriptures like Aatharva Parishista (Appendix of Aatharva Veda), Kautilya’s Arthashastra, Mahabharata, and Pashupati Purana confirms the existence of Nepal since the Vedic Period (1500 BC – 500 BC).
Until the second half of the 18th century, Nepal was divided into several kingdoms. King Prithvi Narayan Shah united those several kingdoms into one country, which is modern-day Nepal. The Sino-Nepalese War and the Anglo-Nepalese War did result in some territorial losses, though.
Geography
Geographically speaking, Nepal has three distinct regions: Himal (Mountain Region), Pahad (Hilly Region), and, Terai (Plain Land). The hilly region covers 68% of Nepal’s total area, making up the majority of the country. Terai and Himal make up 17% and 15%, respectively, of Nepal’s total land area. Since the majority of people believe Nepal to be entirely mountainous, it is important that people know this info about Nepal.
Himal is the area with snow-capped mountains and has frequent snowfalls. In the most simple term, it is the portion of the Great Himalayan Range that lies in Nepal. This part of Nepal holds approximately one-third of the Himalayas. It comprises the country’s northern region. Most people know about the Himalayas of Nepal. The very famous Mount Everest is in the Solukhumbu district of the Himal region. Besides Everest, other seven of Nepal’s eight thousand-meter peaks—Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and Annapurna—are all located in the Himal region.
Pahad is the central geographic belt that covers an altitude range of 800 to 4,000 meters. It contains lush hills, valleys, river basins, and generally sloppy landforms. Below 1,200 meters, the climate is subtropical, while above that, it is alpine. As opposed to Terai, which is extremely hot, and the Himal, which is exceedingly cold, the majority of the country’s population resides here. Kathmandu, the nation’s capital, is located here.
The entire southernmost belt of Nepal bordering India is Terai. It is a portion of the Indo-Gangetic Plain’s northern rim. The Terai region’s plain and fertile ground is ideal for farming. As a result, this region supplies the majority of the nation’s food grains.
Climate
In general, Nepal experiences five types of climatic seasons. The seasons are summer (June to August), monsoon (July to August), autumn (September to late November), winter (late November to February), and spring (March to May). Summer and monsoons occur almost simultaneously here. This is important info to know about Nepal for those who are planning to visit here.
Biodiversity
Nepal has a wide variety of flora and wildlife due to its varied geography. An interesting thing to know about Nepal is that it is sometimes referred to as the “Amazon of Asia”. This little nation is home to 4.0% of mammal species, 8.9% of bird species, 1.0% of reptile species, 2.5% of amphibian species, 1.9% of fish species, and 3.7% of butterfly species. It has 2.0% of flowering plants, 3.0% pteridophytes, and 6.0% bryophytes when it comes to vegetation. In addition, 107 IUCN-designated threatened species call Nepal home. Some of those species are Bengal tigers, Red Pandas, Asiatic elephants, Himalayan musk deer, Gharial crocodiles, Bengal floricans, and white-rumped vultures.
Culture and Religion
Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural, and multi-religious country that is home to 125 different ethnic groups. Nearly all ethnic groups have unique cultures and traditions that they express through their music, dance, crafts, languages, festivals, cuisines, and religion. There are 123 different languages spoken here, while Nepali is the official language of the country. In Nepal, where many different religions are practiced and people participate in one another’s festivals, religious tolerance is eloquently displayed. Given this, it may be surprising to know that Nepal was the world’s last Hindu monarchy. Since 2007, Nepal has been a secular state, and there are Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity, as well as many indigenous and folk religions practiced here.
