Nepal
is situated in the central region of the Greater Himalaya
and it contains more of the worlds highest mountains
than any other country. These include Makalu, Lhotse,
Annapurna, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri and of course, Everest.
As in Bhutan and Sikkim, the brief but heavy monsoon
nourishes an abundance of exotic vegetation which
cloak the hills with bamboo and a multitude of other
plants, flowers and trees. Pleasant rural villages
are linked by paths through paddy-fields, forest and
yak-pasture, giving trekkers access to the foothills
and mountains beyond.
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Latitude
:
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26°
12' and 30° 27' North. |
|
Longitude
:
|
80°
4' and 88° 12' East. |
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Topography
:
|
The
world's deepest gorge 'Kali-Gandaki' to
highest point 'The Everest' 8, 848Mt. |
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Vegetation
:
|
Nepal
possesses some of the most outstanding bio-diversity
in the world, ranging from sub-tropical
Rain forests to Alpine deserts. |
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Seasons
:
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winter
(December-February), Summer (March-May),
Monsoon (June-Aug), Autumn (Sept-Nov) Monsoon
mostly rains at night, making the following
days crispy clean and fresh. Most of the
northern belt of the Trans-Himalayan zone
is rain-shadowed and ideal for trekking
|
|
Area
:
|
147,181
sq. km |
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Capital
:
|
Kathmandu |
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Population
:
|
25
million |
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Government
:
|
Democratic,
Multi-Party Constitutional Monarchy |
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Time
:
|
GMT+5
and 3 quarter hrs |
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Religion
:
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Mainly
Hindu with Buddhism in the mountains. |
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Power
:
|
220
volts, AC, in large lowland towns |
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Kingdom
of Nepal
The Kingdom of Nepal lies along the central section
of the Greater Himalaya, bordered by Tibet to the
north and India to the east, south and west. It encompasses
many of the world's highest mountains, including Mount
Everest (29,128 ft./8,878 metres) which lies on its
northern border. The terrain and climate define three
distinct regions. The southern lowlands (Terai Region)
of Nepal has a hot, tropical Indian climate. The central
hill areas have a cooler sub-tropical climate and
the northern region has an alpine climate. The latter
two areas are dissected by deep valleys, formed by
run-off from the monsoon and snow melt-water.
The
country can be divided into three main geographic
regions :
The
Himalayan Region : The altitude of this region
ranges between 4877 meters and 8848 meters with the
snow line running around 4848 meters. It includes
8 of the 14 summits in the world which exceed an altitude
of 8000 meters. (1) Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) 8848
m, (2) Kangchenjunga - 8586 m, (3) Lhotse - 8516m,
Makalu - 8463m, (5) ChoOyu- 8201 m, (6) Dhaulagiri
- 8167m, (7) Manaslu - 8163m, and Annapurna- 8091
m.
Mountain
Region : This region accounts for about 64 percent
to total land area. It is formed by the Mahabharat
range that soars up to 4877 meters. To its south lies
the lower Churia range whose altitude varies from
610 meters to 1524 meters.
Terai
Region : The low-land Terai region which has a
width of about 26 to 32 kilometers and a maximum altitude
of 305 meters, which occupies about 17% of total land
area of the country. Kechanakawal the lowest point
of the country with an altitude of 70 meters lies
in Jhapa District of the eastern Terai.