Asia · Southern Asia
Nepal lies in South Asia, in the Himalayas, between India and China (Tibet), and is a landlocked country. The country is home to eight of the world's ten highest peaks, including Mount Everest, which rises to the highest point on Earth along the shared border between Nepal and China. Nepal was a kingdom until 2008, when a long political transition led to its transformation into a federal republic. The official language is Nepali, and the population is predominantly Hindu, with a significant Buddhist minority, and the practices of the two religions are often closely intertwined in daily life and festivals.
Kathmandu Valley, with seven separate monument zones, including the old towns of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur, along with the Swayambhunath and Boudhanath stupas, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979, representing one of the densest concentrations of Nepali architectural and religious tradition. Lumbini, the traditional birthplace of the Buddha, is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most significant Buddhist pilgrimage destinations in the world. The Everest region (Khumbu), home to Sagarmatha National Park, which protects the mountain and its surrounding peaks, is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, where the traditional life of Sherpa communities can also be experienced. The old town of Bhaktapur, with well-preserved medieval squares and wood- and terracotta-adorned buildings, is one of the finest examples of traditional Nepali urban architecture.
The Nepali stretch of the Himalayas is one of the most significant destinations in the world for mountaineering and trekking, with the hiking routes of the Annapurna and Everest regions, including the Everest Base Camp trek, drawing tens of thousands of visitors each year. Chitwan National Park, in the country's southern lowlands, is one of the subcontinent's most significant subtropical wildlife reserves, home to one-horned rhinoceroses, Bengal tigers, and numerous other species, observable on jeep or elephant-back safaris, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984. The Pokhara Valley, at the foot of the Annapurna range, with its lakes and panoramic views, is a main starting point and rest stop for trekking tours. Local cuisine is built around rice and lentils, with dal bhat, a lentil soup served with rice and side dishes, forming the foundation of everyday Nepali meals, along with momo, steamed filled dumplings, popularized through Tibetan influence.
The cultural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley is illustrated by seven groups of monuments and buildings which display the full range of historic and artistic achievements for which the Kathmandu Valley is world famous. The seven include the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Bauddhanath and the Hindu temples of Pashupati and Changu Narayan.
Sagarmatha is an exceptional area with dramatic mountains, glaciers and deep valleys, dominated by Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world (8,848 m). Several rare species, such as the snow leopard and the lesser panda, are found in the park. The presence of the Sherpas, with their unique culture, adds further interest to this site.
At the foot of the Himalayas, Chitwan is one of the few remaining undisturbed vestiges of the 'Terai' region, which formerly extended over the foothills of India and Nepal. It has a particularly rich flora and fauna. One of the last populations of single-horned Asiatic rhinoceros lives in the park, which is also one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger.
Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative pillars there. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature.
Data: UNESCO WHC · CC BY-SA 4.0
Most countries differ from Coordinated Universal Time by whole hours, but not all of them. India is five and a half hours ahead, Nepal 5 hours 45 minutes, and you’ll find half-hour or quarter-hour time zones in several other places too, including Iran, Canada and Australia. We looked into how they came about, and where to keep an eye on them before a trip.
The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu.
The area of Nepal is 147,181 km².
The population of Nepal is 29,651,054.
The currency of Nepal is Nepalese rupee (NPR).
The official language of Nepal: Nepali.
Nepal: Left-hand traffic.
Yes, Nepal is a member of the United Nations.