History

For centuries the Kingdom of Nepal was divided into many principalities. Kirats ruled in the east, the Newars in the Kathmandu Valley, while Gurungs and Magars occupied in the mid-west. The Kirats ruled horn 300 BC and were followed by the Uchhavis whose descendants today are believed to be the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley. During this period, art thrived in Nepal and many of the beautiful woodcarvings and sculptures that are found in the country belong to this era. With the end of the Lichhavi dynasty, Malla icings came to power in 1200 AD and they also contributed tremendously to Nepal's art and culture. However, after almost 600 years of rule, the kings were not united among themselves and during the late 18th century, Prithvi Narayan Shah. King of Gorkha, conquered Kathmandu and united Nepal into one kingdom. During the mid-19th century Jung Bahadur Rana became Nepal's first prime minister to wield absolute power. The Ranas were overthrown in a democracy movement of the early 1950s. Tbday, Nepal enjoys a multiparty democratic system withaconstitutional Monarch.

Geography

The Kingdom of Nepal covers an area of 147,181 square kilometers, and stretches 145-241 kilometers north to south and 850 kilometers west to east. At latitudes 26 to 30 degrees north and longitudes 80 and 88 degrees east, Nepal is topographically divided Into three regions: the Himalaya to tire north, the hills consisting of the Mahabharat range and the Churia Hills, and the Terai to thesouth. Elevations are varied in the Kingdom. The highest point is Mu Everest (8,848 m) in the north and the lowest point (70 meterS above sea level) is located at Kechana Kalan of Jhapa District. Altitude increases as one travels south to north. To the north temperature are below -40 degrees Celsius and in the Tarai, temperatures rise to 40 degrees Celsius in the summer. During June, July and August, the Kingdom is influenced bymonsoon clouds.

The Himalaya: The Himalayan range makes up the northern bonier of the country and represents 16% of the total land area of Nepal. Peaks like Mr. Everest (8,848 m), Kanchenjunga (8,598 m). and Dhaulagiri (8,137 m) are found here and sparse vegetation is found upto4,500 m. Some of Nepal's most beautiful animal and plant life are also found here. Although rare, the snow leopard and danphe bird are much talked about sights among visitors. The people in this region produce and sell cheese besides working as porters and guides. Many also trade with Tibet Autonomous Region of China and travel across the border tosell theirgoods.

The Hills: This region covers 65% of

the total land area of the country. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal is located here. Elevations range from 500 to 3,000 m above sea level. During summer the temperature reaches an average of 32 degrees Celsius. Winters are cold, temperature reaching 1 degree Celsius sometimes. Areas in the eastern hills receive more rainfall because of monsoon clouds which come from the south-east. The rivers in the west which do not receive much rainfall are dependent upon the melted snow that flow down the Himalaya. Wild animals to be found here are the spotted leopard, barking deer, and Himalayan black bear. The hilly region is also popular fordifferent kinds of birds. Over four hundred species of birds are found here. The people in this region have gained from the growth in the tourism industry. The people here work as trekking guide and porters and also sell garments and carpets to add to their income.

Terai: The Terai covers 17%ofthe total land area of Nepal It provides excellent farming land and average elevation of flatlands is 100 to 300 m above sea-level Sub-tropical forest areas, marshes, and wildlife which include the Royal Bengal tiger, one-horned rhino and the gharial crocodile are found here. After the eradication of malaria in the 1960s, many people migrated to the Terai in search of farming land. Today, about 48% of the country's population occupies this region. Flat farmlands and region's flexible topography have given rise to manyindustries.The main industrial towns are Biratnagar, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Birjung and Janakpur. The People

People, Culture and Languages: In Nepal, ethnical cultural groups are diverse and many of them have their own languages and customs. However, they can be geographically categorized according to their habitats. The Sherpas who are of the Tibeto-Burman stock mainly occupy the higher hills of eastern and centri Nepal. The Solu Khumbu region,

them. Historically, they are well known for establishing the three artistically beautiful cities of Patan, BhaktapurandKathmandu.

The inhabitants of the hill flanks surrounding Kathmandu Valley are mostly Tamangs, who make up one of the largest Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups in the Kingdom. In the Tibetan language, Tiunang means "horse soldier" which gives us an idea about their past occupation. Today, they farm and work as semi-skilled and unskilled labourers. Tamangs practice Tibetan Lamaism or the Bon religion and speak their own language.

The Magars live in the western and central hills of Nepal. They had their own kingdoms until the I Sth century and were closely associated with the Hindu Indo-Aryans in the west. Much of their cultural practices have been influenced by Chhetris, and today it is difficult to make any difference in the housing, dressing and farming practices of the two.

Another ethnic group closely resembling the Magars in many aspects are the Gurungs. They also live in the western and central hills of the country although further to the east. Of Tibeto-Burman stock, the Gurungs have their own distinct language and practice shamanism.

The Khas are the Bahuns and Chhetris who formed their own kingdoms in the far-west. They are Hindus, and Nepali, which is the country's official language, was originally spoken by the Khas, 'fiadi-tionally, the Bahuns were priests and are better educated than most ethnic groups. In fact, many occupy important government and educational posts in the kingdom today. The Chhetris have traditionally been known as warriors. Those living in the higher hills in the far western region lead hard lives because of lack of rain and farming is practiced in the river valleys and on the hill flanks.

The Tharus are one of the original ethnic groups to inhabit the Terai. The Majhi, Danuwar, Rajbanshi,

can be seen all over the Terai flatlands and hills of Nepal. Even in the higlily urbanized Kathmandu Valley, large tracts of land outside the city areas are devoted to fanning. Rice is the staple diet in Nepal and around three million tons are produced annually. Other major crops are maize, wheat, millet and barley. Besides food grains, cash crops like sugarcane, oil seeds, tobacco, jute and tea are also cultivatedinlarge quantities.

Manufacturing: Manufacturing is still at the developmental stage and it represents less than 10% of the GDR Major industries are woolen carpets, garments, textiles, leather products, paper and cement. Other products made in Nepal are steel utensils, cigarettes, beverages and sugar. There are many modern large-scale factories but majority are cottage or small-scale operations. Most of Nepal's industry is based in the Kathmandu Valley and a string of small towns in the southern Terai plans.

Tkade: Commerce has been a major occupation in Nepal since early times. Being situated at the crossroads of the ancient trans-Hlmalayan trade route, trading is second nature to the Nepalese people. Foreign trade is characterized mainly by import of manufactured products and export of agricultural raw materials. Nepal imports manufactured goods and petroleum products. Woolen carpets are Nepal's largest export. Other important exports are garments, pulses, hides and skins, jute and medicinal herbs.

Tourism: Tourism is one of the largest industries in the Kingdom. This sector had been expanding rapidly since its inception in the 1950s thanks to Nepal's natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and the diversity of sightseeing and adventure opportunities available. At one time, tourism used to be the biggest foreign currency earner for the country.

Government

Nepal has a bicameral legislature. The lower house, the House of Representatives, consists of 206 mombers. Members to the lower house are elected every five years. The upper house, die National Assembly, is made up of 60 members who have a six-year tenure in office. One-third of the members retire every two years. Fifteen members are elected by the local government, 35 members by proportional representation, and 10 members axe nominated by the King.

Administrative Divisions: Nepal is divided into five development regions, 14 zones, and 75 districts. Each zone consists of four to eight districts. Sixteen districts lie in the Himalayan region, 39 in the hills and 20 in the Terai. The lowest local level administrative unit is the Village Development Committee (VDC). There are 3,996VDCs in the country.

where the world’s tallest peak Mt. Everest stands, is inhabited by Sherpas. Generally they are Buddhist but some follow the Bon, the preBuddhist religion of Tibet Autonomous Region of China, and other religions. The Sherpas are famed for their valor and mountaineering skills and are professionally involved in many mountain expeditions. Today, Sherpas have joined other occupations as well, like business, administration and politics.

A wide variety of ethnic groups occupy the mid-hills. The Kirats or Limbus and Rais inhabit the east. During the 7th century BC, they established a dynasty in the Kathmandu Valley and ruled it for 1,000 years. They are not originally Hindus or Buddhists but are ancestor worshippers. However, today, many embrace Hinduism. In the former days, they were warriors and skilled hunters. The Kirats speak Tibeto-Burman languages. Many people in Kathmandu valley celebrate both Hindu and Buddliist festivals. Their culture also reflects tantrism and animism. Newars are accomplished in commerce and most enterprises in the heart of the Valley are run by

Darai. Satar, and Dhimal also occupy the flat lands. The Thanis have their own unique religion and practice animism. Their culture is especially suited for the hot plains and they are actually immune to malaria. They have Mongoloid features and speak their own language. There is much migration going on in the country now and the cultural definition of the people by area is difficult. Urban population is increasing by 7% each year and most cultures have Intermingled.

Economy

Nepal is a developing country with an agricultural economy. In recent years, the country's efforts to expand into manufacturing industries and other technological sectors have achieved much progress. Fanning is the main economic activity followed by manufacturing, trade and tourism. The chief sources of foreign currency earnings are merchandise export, services, tourism and remittances.

Agriculture: Eight out of the ten Nepalese are engaged In fanning and it accounts for more than 40% of the GDP. Rolling fields and neat terraces