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The Kingdom of Nepal, situated in the Himalaya, is the world's only Hindu kingdom. It is in South Asia, sharing borders with China (Tibet Autonomous Region) and India.
HistoryMain article: History of Nepal Nepal has a long history (http://www.dilliramanregmi.org/writings1.html) that has extended for millennia. The Kirati are one of the first Nepali groups known to historians, having migrated from the east in the 7th or 8th century BC. Lord Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal circa 500 BC and the Emperor Aśoka ruled over a vast empire including North India and southern Terai region of present day Nepal (though the hilly and mountainous regions were not a part of Aśoka's Empire) in the 1st century BC. By 200 AD, the Buddhist empire was displaced by resurgent Hindu fiefdoms such as the Licchavi dynasty. Around 900, the Thakuri dynasty succeeded the Licchavi era and was eventually superceded by the Malla dynasty that ruled until the 18th century. In 1768, the Gorkha king, Prithvi Narayan Shah, captured Kathmandu. In 1814, Nepal fought the Anglo-Nepalese War with the British East India Company that ended with the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, in which Nepal gave up Sikkim and the southern Terai and the British retreated. After Nepali Gurkhas aided the British in quashing the Indian Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, most of the Terai territories were returned to Nepal. The Shah dynasty was cut short in 1846 when Jung Bahadur Rana seized control of the country after assassinating several hundred princes and chieftans in Kathmandu's Kot Massacre. Ranas ruled as hereditary prime ministers until 1948 when the British colony of India achieved independence. India propped up King Tribhuvan as Nepal's new ruler in 1951 and sponsored the Nepali Congress Party. Tribhuvan's son, King Mahendra dissolved the democratic experiment and declared a "partyless" panchayat system would govern Nepal. His son, King Birendra inherited the throne in 1972 and continued the panchayat policy until 1989's "Jana Andolan" (People's Movement or Democracy Movement) forced the monarchy to accept constitutional reforms. In May 1991, Nepal's held its first election in nearly 50 years. The Nepali Congress Party and the Communist Party of Nepal received the most votes. No party has held power for more than two consecutive years since. Critics argue that the governmental reforms did not appreciably improve the political order because the new government was also characterised by extreme corruption bordering on kleptocracy. In February 1996, one of the Maoist parties started their bid to replace the parliamentary system with a socialist republic through a Maoist revolutionary strategy known as People's war. This has since grown to a civil war and resulted in the deaths of 10,000 people. According to official Nepal government accounts, on June 1, 2001, the Heir Apparent Crown Prince Dipendra went on a killing spree in the royal palace in a violent response to his parents' refusal to accept his choice for a wife. He apparently shot and killed his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, as well as his brother, sister, two uncles and three aunts, before turning the gun on himself. His suicide attempt was not immediately successful, however, and although in a comatose state, he was proclaimed the king (in accordance with Nepalese tradition) in his hospital bed. He died three days later. See Dipendra of Nepal. Following King Dipendra's death, his uncle (King Birendra's brother) King Gyanendra was proclaimed king on June 4. Shortly afterward, he declared martial law, and dissolved the government. Gyanendra deployed Nepal's military in the grinding civil war, the Nepalese People's War, with the Maoist insurgents. King Gyanendra took control once again on February 1, 2005. See Gyanendra of Nepal for more details. PoliticsMain article: Politics of Nepal The former king, King Birendra, recognized the popular desire for parliamentary democracy, and restored it after a referendum in 1990. King Birendra was widely respected by the people of Nepal. However, quarrels between various political parties and numerous social problems led to the Maoist rebellion which has been escalating since 1996 (see Nepal Insurgency). The fractured political landscape in Nepal was torn apart in June 2001 with the massacre of most of the royal family - including King Birendra - by Crown Prince Dipendra, who then turned the gun on himself. Prince Gyanendra, the brother of King Birendra, ascended to the throne. Since the ascension of King Gyanendra, the government has been attempting to exercise more control over the rebels and to accelerate development activities. However, after 2001 several prime ministers failed to achieve the country's aspirations like holding a general election to form a popular government, to come to terms with the Maoist activists and to bring peace in the country. Having intently observed the political and economic condition of the country going downhill and seeing no other opion to save the country from such a serious and tragic condition, King Gyanendra moved swiftly to dissolve the government and removed the prime minister to declare emergency on the 1st. of February 2005, (just as it was done in 2002). Different opinions are being voiced about this move, but some see this as the only way to save the country from corrupt politicians, warring interests and uncertainty. ZonesMain article: Zones of Nepal Nepal is divided into 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural): Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti Geography and ClimateMain article: Geography of Nepal  Nepal is landlocked between China and India; total land area 147,181 km² (56,827 mi²). The terrain is mountainous and hilly, although with physical diversity. Three broad physiographic areas run laterally — lowland Terai Region in the south; central lower mountains and hills constituting the Hill Region; the high Himalaya, with 8,850-metre (29,035-foot) high Mount Everest and other peaks forming Mountain Region in north. Of Nepal's total land area, only 20 percent is cultivatable. Deforestation is a severe problem. Sagarmatha (also known as Mt. Everest in English and Chomolongma in Tibetan), the highest mountain in the world, straddles the Nepal - China border. The vista and majesty of Sagarmatha and the Himalayan range, including eight of the world's top ten peaks, (the eight-thousanders (mountains over 8,000 metres), are major tourist attractions and are cited as wonders of the natural world. Nepal has five climatic zones based on altitude that range from subtropical in the south, to cool summers and severe winters in the north. There is annual rainfall with seasonal variations depending on the monsoon cycle, which provides 60 to 80 percent of the total annual rainfall: 2,500 mm (98.5 in) in eastern part of country; 1,420 mm (56 in) around Kathmandu; 1,000 mm (39 in) in western Nepal. In some areas of Nepal annual rainfall totals over 4,000 mm, sometimes even 6,000 mm p. a. Examples for the highest monthly rainfall at the peak of monsoon (generally July, in Mustang August).
EconomyMain article: Economy of Nepal Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with nearly half of its population living below the poverty line (with, as of 2001, a per capita income of just over US$240). Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 41% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently and accounted for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in the past three years. Most industrial activity is focussed around the Kathmandu valley and the Terai cities such as Biratnagar and Birgunj. Agricultural production is growing by about 5% on average as compared with annual population growth of 2.3%. Since May 1991, the government has been moving forward with economic reforms, particularly those that encourage trade and foreign investment, e.g., by reducing business licenses and registration requirements in order to simplify investment procedures. The government has also been cutting expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing state industries, and laying off civil servants. More recently, however, political instability - five different governments over the past few years — has hampered Kathmandu's ability to forge consensus to implement key economic reforms. Nepal has considerable scope for accelerating economic growth by exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. The international community's role of funding more than 60% of Nepal's development budget and more than 28% of total budgetary expenditures will likely continue as a major ingredient of growth. Demographics and CultureMain article: Demographics of Nepal Nepal is a multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-ethnic society. The data below are derived from the 2002 Nepal Population Report. [1] (http://www.mope.gov.np/population/chapter5.php) LanguagesNepal's diverse linguistic heritage evolved from three major language groups: Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman, and indigenous. According to the 2001 national census, 92 different living languages are spoken in Nepal (a 93rd category was "unidentified"). The major languages of Nepal (percent spoken as mother tongue) are Nepali (49%), Maithili (12%), Bhojpuri (8%), Tharu (6%), Tamang (5%), Newari/Nepal Bhasa (4%), Magar (3%), Awadhi (2%), Bantawa (2%), Limbu (1%), and Bajjika (1%). The remaining 81 languages are each spoken as mother tongue by less than one percent of the population. Nepali, written in Devanagari script, is the official, national language and serves as lingua franca among Nepalis of different ethnolinguistic groups. In the southern Terai Region (5 to 10 mile wide stretch of flat plains in the south which is a northern continuation of Gangetic plains of India), Hindi is also spoken. ReligionsNepal, constitutionally a Hindu kingdom with long-standing legal provisions prohibiting discrimination against other religions and proselytization, is the only official Hindu country in the world. The 2001 census identified 80.6% of the population as Hindu and Buddhism was practiced by about 11% of the population (although many people labelled Hindu or Buddhist often practice a syncretic blend of Hinduism, Buddhism and/or animist traditions). About 4.2% of the population is Muslim and 3.6% of the population follows the indigenous Kirant religion. Christianity is practiced by less than 0.5% of the population. EthnicityNepal’s 2001 census enumerated 103 distinct caste/ethnic groups including an "unidentified group". The caste system of Nepal is rooted in the Hindu religion while the ethnic system is rooted in mutually exclusive origin myths, historical mutual seclusion and the occasional state intervention. The major caste/ethnic groups identified by the 2001 census are Chhetri (15.8%) Hill Brahmin (12.7%), Madheshi (33%), Magar (7.1%), Tamang (5.6%), Newar (5.5%), Muslim (4.3%), Kami (3.9%), Rai (3.9), Gurung (2.8%), and  Damai/Dholi (2.4%). The remaining 92 caste/ethnic groups (including the world-famous Sherpa, each constitute less than 2 percent of the population.) Urban Populationaverage Community District Pop. 1991(1 Pop. 2001 Growthrate proj. 2005 Kathmandu Kathmandu 414.264 671.846 4,7 807.300 Lalitpur Lalitpur 117.203 162.991 3,4 190.900 Pokhara Kaski 95.311 156.312 5,0 190.000 Biratnagar Morang 130.129 166.674 2,5 184.000 Birganj Parsa 68.764 112.484 4,9 136.200 Dharan Sunsari 68.173 95.332 3,6 109.800 Bharatpur Chitwan 54.730 89.323 4,9 108.200 Butwal Rupandehi 44.243 75.384 5,3 92.700 Mahendranagar Kanchanpur 62.432 80.839 2,7 89.900 Janakpur Dhanusha 55.021 74.192 3,1 83.800 Dhangadhi Kailali 45.094 67.447 4,1 79.200 Bhaktapur Bhaktapur 61.122 72.543 1,7 77.600 Hetauda Makwanpur 54.072 68.482 2,4 75.300 Triyuga Udaypur - 55.291 3,9 64.400 Nepalganj Banke 48.556 57.535 1,9 62.000 Siddharthanagar Rupandehi 35.456 52.569 2,9 58.900 Madhyapur-Thimi Bhaktapur - 47.751 4,0 55.900 Mechinagar Jhapa - 49.060 2,8 54.800 Gulariya Bardiya - 46.011 4,1 50.700 Tribhuvananagar Dangdeukhuri 29.152 43.126 4,0 50.500 Itahari Sunsari - 41.210 4,3 48.800 Lekhnath Kaski - 41.369 3,2 46.900 Tikapur Kailali - 38.722 4,1 45.500 Kirtipur Kathmandu - 40.845 2,7 45.400 Ratnanagar Chitwan - 37.791 4,1 44.500 Kamalamai Sindhuli - 32.828 5,3 40.400 Kalaiya Bara 17.265 32.260 5,6 40.100 Tulsipur Dangdeukhuri 20.752 33.876 4,0 39.600 Birendranagar Surkhet 22.888 31.381 3,1 35.500 Damak Jhapa 41.419 35.009 -1,7 35.000 Rajbiraj Saptari 23.847 30.353 2,3 33.200 Kapilbastu Kapilbastu 17.146 27.170 4,6 32.500 Byas Tanahu 20.175 28.245 3,4 32.300 Lahan Siraha 19.046 27.654 3,8 32.100 Putalibazar Syanja - 29.667 1,4 31.400 Prithivinarayan Gorkha - 25.738 2,2 28.100 Panauti Kabhrepalanchok - 25.563 2,4 28.100 Gaur Rautahat 23.258 25.383 2,2 27.700 Dipayal-Silgadhi Doti 12.259 22.061 5,8 27.600 Inaruwa Sunsari 18.562 23.200 2,2 25.300 Siraha Siraha - 23.988 1,0 25.000 Ramgram Nawalparasi - 22.630 1,8 24.300 Tansen Palpa 13.617 20.431 4,0 23.900 Jaleswor Mahottari 18.161 22.046 2,0 23.900 Baglung Baglung - 20.852 3,2 23.700 Bhimeswor Dolakha - 21.916 1,3 23.100 Khadbari Sankhuwasabha - 21.789 1,5 23.100 Dhankuta Dhankuta 17.155 20.668 1,9 22.300 Bidur Nuwakot 18.862 21.193 1,3 22.300 Waling Syanja - 20.414 2,0 22.100 Narayan Dailekh - 19.446 2,1 21.100 Malangwa Sarlahi 13.666 18.484 2,7 20.600 Bhadrapur Jhapa 15.123 18.145 1,8 19.500 Amaragadhi Dadeldhura - 18.390 1,1 19.200 Dasharathchand Baitadi - 18.345 0,2 18.500 Ilam Ilam 13.150 16.237 2,1 17.600 Banepa Kabhrepalanchok 12.622 15.822 2,3 17.300 Dhulikhel Kabhrepalanchok 9.664 11.521 1,6 12.300 Sum of urban Population 1.742.359 3.197.834 3,5 3.545.500 increase 91-01 for first 36 mun.1.742.359 2.528.218 (1 by 1991 only 36 municipalities were established Music
HolidaysNepal uses three calendars: the Western (Gregorian), the official solar Bikram Sambat, and the lunar calendar. Dates for many religious Nepalese holidays are set according to the lunar calendar (somewhat like Easter is for Christians), so there are no fixed dates for Nepalese holidays in either the Western or the official calendar. Generally, the two major holidays, Dashain and Tihar, fall in October and November. Miscellaneous topics
References
Further reading
ca:Nepal da:Nepal de:Nepal et:Nepal es:Nepal eo:Nepalo fa:نپال fr:Népal gd:Nepal he:נפאל hi:नेपाल id:Nepal it:Nepal ms:Nepal nds:Nepal nl:Nepal ja:ネパール lt:Nepalas no:Nepal pl:Nepal pt:Nepal ru:Непал sl:Nepal fi:Nepal sv:Nepal th:ประเทศเนปาล zh:尼泊尔
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