Vast reams of material have been written on Nepal over the years, in particular over the past fifty years with the successful summit of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The past twenty has slowly seen Nepal become a well recognised holiday destination.
Although, it's still hard not to eulogize about what is a very special country, the world has moved on and Nepal is not the Shangri-La it was 30 years ago. It still however very much retains its own extremely unique and distinct character.The vast majority of people who visit the Kingdom take away with them truly fond memories, not only of the incredible scenery but also of the warmth, grit and undeniable friendliness of the Nepali people.
Nepal has within its borders eight of the ten highest mountains in the world, and stands alone for its topography. Altitude varies from the lowland Terai region in southern Nepal at 52 meters above sea level to the highest point on earth, Mt. Everest 8848 meters within the distance of 200 kilometers. Temperatures range from the mid 40s (Celsius) on the plains to over -30 Celsius in the Nepal's high Himalaya.
Geography and climate, as one might expect, has a major influence on the collection of flora & fauna people and life styles to be found here. From Hindu farmers in the south to Buddhist lamas on the boarders of Tibet.Tigers to Snow leopards, Parakeets to Golden eagles and tropical jungle forest to high windswept plains, Nepal is diversity itself. Add to this Nepal's abundance of ancient temples customs and architecture and a journey here still remains a magical one.
Global Position :
Latitude : 26° 12' and 30° 27' North.
Longitude : 80° 4' and 88° 12' East.
Area : The Kingdom covers an area of 147,181 sq. km.
Location : Southern Asia, between Tibet (the autonomous region of China) and India
Capital : Kathmandu
Population : 24 million (census 2001)
Major Religions : Hinduism (80%) Buddhism (12%), others (8%)
Official Language : Nepali
Ethnic Groups : Around 60
Topography : From the Worlds deepest gorge 'Kali-Gandaki' to the highest point on earth 'Mt Everest' 8, 848 m. within a distance of 200 km.
Flora & Fauna : Nepal possesses some of the most outstanding bio-diversity in the world, ranging from sub-tropical Rain-forests to Arid deserts.
Climatic Zones : ranges from tropical in the low lands to arctic at higher altitudes.
Climate : varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Geographic Landscapes : The country has three major divisions.
Southernmost Region : The low-land Terai occupies about 17 percent of the total land area of the country.
Middle Region : This region accounts for about 64 percent of total land area. It is formed by the lower Churia range and the Mahabharat range which reaches an altitude of 4877 meters.
Alpine region : The altitude of this region ranges between 4877m. - 8848m. It includes 8 of the 10 highest mountains in the world.
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