At a Glance

A small landlocked country nestled between two giants, China to the north (Tibet) and India to the south, east and west, Nepal stretches 885 km from east to west while its width varies from 145 to 241 km from north to south. Its area covers 147,181 km². Kachan Kalan, its lowest point, sits at 70 meters above sea level while its highest point, Mount Everest, reaches 8,850 meters in altitude. This extreme variation in altitude and Nepal's latitude make it one of the world's most diverse countries. The Kingdom of Nepal became a democratic republic in 2008 following the election of a Constituent Assembly whose first decision was to abolish the monarchy. Nepal is a multicultural country deeply rooted in its traditions.

Geography

Nepal is the country with the most rugged terrain in the world. Occupying the extension of the Ganges Plain to the south, Nepal stretches from south to north towards the Greater Himalayas in a series of steps where mountain ranges, vast valleys and plateaus succeed one another, before finally clinging to the highest peaks on earth.

Population

Nepal now has approximately 28.5 million inhabitants (2009) very unevenly dispersed across the territory. Two major groups can be distinguished: Indo-Nepali and Tibeto-Nepali, to which are added indigenous tribal groups. These encompass numerous castes (Indo-Nepali) and ethnicities (Tibeto-Nepali) that express with great pride their linguistic, cultural and religious differences.

Culture

Given the great ethnic diversity of Nepal's population, can one speak of a "Nepali culture"? Certainly, certain features of Nepali society are widely shared. The Nepali language, for example, constitutes a "unifying" cultural element since it is spoken by the vast majority of the population. Religious fervor, as a daily practice regardless of beliefs, can also be a defining cultural trait of Nepali society.