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Nepal Travel and Trekking Guide
BACKGROUND INFO
Full Name
Nepal
Capital City
Kathmandu
Area
140,800 sq km
Population
26,469,600
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +5.75
Daylight Saving Start
not in use
Daylight Saving End
not in use
Weights Measures System
Metric
Geography
Nepal sits uneasily on the shoulder of the southern Himalaya, wedged between China to the north and India to the south. In length and breadth it's just another small country, but in height it's a world-beater. From the low-lying plains of the Terai, the landscape soars to the peaks of the Himalaya, including cloud-hugging Mt Everest. In fact, Nepal boasts eight of the world's 14 tallest mountains. As well as being the tallest mountains in the world, the Himalaya are also some of the youngest - they first rose about 50 million years ago and they're still growing. Between the Terai and the Himalaya are the landslide-scarred gorges and lush green valleys of the Chure Hills and Mahabharat Range. The heavily cultivated land between the Mahabharat Range and the Indian border supports the bulk of the country's population - the only towns of any size in the hills are Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur and Pokhara. Beyond the Himalaya are the high-altitude deserts of the Tibetan Plateau, one of the least populated areas on earth.
Languages
• Nepali (official)
More than a hundred languages are registered as mother tongues in Nepal.
• ()
People
The population of Nepal is made up of dozens of different tribal groups such as the Newars, who dominate the area around Kathmandu. Other important tribes include the Thakalis, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Chepangs, Tibetans, Bhotias (Bhutanese), Rais, Limbus, Jirels, Sherpas, Bahuns, Chhetris and the Tharus and Mithila of the Terai.
Religion
90% Hindu, 5% Buddhist, 3% Muslim, 2% other
Government Type
Democratic Republic
Government Leaders
Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva
King (head of state)
Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Prime Minister (head of government)
Country Dialing Code
977
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