Nepal is a small landlocked country. It has a total land area of 147,181 sq. kms and lies between 26°22' N latitude and 80°4' E to 88°12' E longitude. Approximately rectangular in shapes the land is spread on approximately 885 kms east-west and 145 kms at its narrowest to 241 kms at its broadest north south. Nepal is bordered by China from north and India from south, east and west.
Geographically the country is divided into three zones. The snow clad high Himalayas in the northern Belt, the mountainous region embracing Mahabharata range in the middle with long terraced slopes leading to fertile valleys and subtropical plain land in the down south.
Along with varied topographical feature, the high Himalayan region extends in the north from West to east at an altitude of 4000 meters to 8848 m. The world famous peaks Mt. Everest (8848m), Kangchenjunga (8586m), Dhaulagiri (8167m) Annapurna (8091m) and many other dominate the formidable range of eternal snow. The mountain region in the middle part of topography covers picturesque Mahabharat ranges with mean elevation of 1525m. Below this there lies Churia range consisting of newly formed sandy hill ranging from 610m to 1524m Number of fertile valleys with various sizes, green lust forest belts are added features of this region. The southern belt of the land called Terai, stretching from east to west occupies the width of 26 to 32 kms at a maximum elevation of about 305m.
Nepal, rich in water resources boasts of beautiful perennial snowed rivers, streams originating from formidable Himalayas, glaciers, lakes and mountain springs. Some major rivers are Karnali, Koshi, Gandaki, Mahakali, Seti, Rapti, Mechi and Bagmati
With varied topography and altitude-featured diversity in the weather and climate, Nepal, in general, has four seasons: spring (March-May), summer (June-August), autumn (September-November) and winter (December- February). The climate variation depends upon geographical location from sub-tropical to alpine types.
Climatically, the southern belt of Nepal, the Terai, experiences warm and humid climate. It is the hottest part of the country where summer temperature rises as high as 40°C. The middle mountain region has climate with mild and pleasant weather throughout the year. The temperature in this region during the summer ranges around 25 to 27°C. and subzero to 12°C. in the mountain and valleys. The northern Himalayan region has an alpine climate. The valley of Kathmandu – the capital city has very pleasant climate with average summer and winter temperatures of 19° to 27°C and 2 to 12°C.
Degree of rainfall also varies with the seasons. Nepal enjoys widespread rainfall during the monsoon period i.e., from June to August. The eastern parts of the country receive maximum rainfall. The winter is rather dry in most parts of the country. Annual rainfall varies around 300mm in the northern and the western areas to over 2500 mm in the eastern region.
Nepal is a country of rich socio-cultural diversity. Concentrating upon particular geographic pockets or regions, 23.2 million people of more than 60-caste or ethnic groups are peacefully living in the country. Diversity in terms of ethnicity, language, culture and religion and harmony as well as peaceful coexistence is the characteristic feature of Nepalese society. From the very early period the migrants from the east, the north and the south entered the land and settled there with the natives. They are the Nepalese people ethnically, all native Nepalese representing different group fall either in Indo-Aryan or Tibeto-Burman family. The Brahmins, Kshytriyas, Newars, Tamangs, Thakuris, Tharus, Dhimals, Yadavs, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas, Gurungs, Magars, Thakalis are some of the major sects of Nepalese Society.
Nepalese people by nature are religious followers and religious rituals are part of their daily life. According to the 1991 census figure, 86% of the total population are Hindus, 7.8% are Buddhists, 3.5% are Muslims and 2.2% are Jain, Christian and others.
Nepal is a multilingual Kingdom. Nepali is the lingua franca of the country and is written in Devnagari, Mithali, Tharu, Newari, Bhojpuri, Gurung, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Magar, Bhote and so on are other languages spoken in the country. English is spoken and understood by people in most urban centers.
Nepal is a country of rich cultural heritage. Unique culture inherited from the ancient days in deeply rooted in the way of life of the Nepalese people. Nepal has maintained one of the world's oldest and richest continuous cultures. Her culture finds exquisite expressions in a number of fields such as religion, art and music, social and socio-religious festivals, temples, pagodas, shrines, intricate wood carvings, bronze and stone sculptors of great beauty represent the heritage of world fame. Festivals are prominent features of Nepalese life
Source: Nepal District Profile 2006, NIDI.
