Nepal at a glance:
A small country sandwiched between two giants:
China (Tibet) to the north and India to the south, east and west. Nepal stretches 885 km from east to west and 145 to 241 km wide from north to south. It has a surface area of 147,181 km², including 3,380 km2 of water. Its lowest point, Kachan Kalan, is 70 metres above sea level and its highest point, Mount Everest, is 8,850 metres above sea level. These extreme differences in altitude and latitude make Nepal one of the most diverse countries in the world.
The Kingdom of Nepal became a democratic republic in 2008 following the election of a Constituent Assembly, which had initially decided to abolish the monarchy. Nepal is a multicultural nation deeply rooted in tradition.
A highly diverse nature:
Nepal, with its very different climatic conditions, offers a wide variety of natural environments despite its limited surface area. There are tropical jungles, immense agricultural basins, deciduous trees, bamboo forests, rhododendrons, coniferous forests, grasslands, alpine deserts and eternal snows that cover the highest mountains on earth.
As for the wildlife, one-horned rhinos (more info on WWF -ICI-), Asian elephants and Bengal tigers (more info on NationalGeo -ICI-) inhabit the jungle, while the highlands are home to snow leopards, various species of goat, Himalayan bears and who knows… maybe even a yeti!
Nepal: a small, poor but welcoming country!
Protected from the great invasions that shaped its history, Nepal remained locked in the Middle Ages until the early 1950s, and was forbidden to foreigners for a century by an all-powerful prime minister.
Technology and means of communication were obsolete. King Tribhuvan, although limited to a minor role, then fled to India, where he obtained the support of India to overthrow the dictatorship of Prime Minister Rana and establish democracy. This democracy began in earnest in 1990 under the reign of King Birendra. A democracy that has since proved to be very timid!
Nepal’s economic development is unpredictable, thanks to its historical isolation, relatively poor resources, impressive geography (maps HERE) and a landlocked country sandwiched between two emerging economic powers. Most of Nepal’s reforms have not produced the expected results. Its debts are piling up. Its infrastructure is ailing. Political instability is chronic. The majority of the population lives below the poverty line.
Nevertheless, Nepal is considered one of the most welcoming countries by all visitors.
Rural society
Nepal is not very urbanised, although this is changing rapidly depending on the location and under pressure from China, which is investing heavily. The great valleys of Kathmandu and the narrow plains of the Terai are home to several towns that attract the Nepalese. However, most of the Nepalese population lives in small villages scattered across the lowlands, perched on hills, clinging to mountainsides or nestling in the hollows of the high Himalayan valleys. The higher the altitude, the more difficult the living conditions. Beyond the tree line, there is nothing but arid grassland and makeshift huts where shepherds find refuge in summer. Moving upwards, we enter an essentially mineral world dominated by rocks, glaciers and eternal snows.
A very diverse population
Nepal is a crossroads of civilisations and two great cultures: Indian Hindu culture and Tibetan Buddhism. However, despite being a predominantly Hindu country, Buddhism has strong roots here, particularly in the north of the country. More than 90 different languages and dialects are spoken by the 101 ethnic groups. Nepali, the official language of Nepal, is spoken by the majority of the population.
The south of Nepal is inhabited by people of Indo-European origin. A population group that has settled in the mountains in the north of the country is of Tibetan origin. These two main groups coexist in the central part of the country (hills or mountains), and there are also Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups. All these populations and ethnic groups, who have largely preserved their languages, beliefs, customs and ways of life, make Nepal a veritable cultural mosaic.
