Nepal Fact

GEOGRAPHY

Geography

Nepal has tremendous geographic diversity. It is made up of three extremely contrasted areas. It rises from less than 100 metres (328 ft) elevation in the tropical Terai—the northern rim of the Gangetic Plain, beyond the perpetual snow line to some 90 peaks over 7,000 metres (22,966 ft.) including Earth’s highest 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) Mount Everest or Sagarmatha.

Ecologically, the land mass is divided into three geographical zones from East to West namely Terai Region, Hill Region and Mountain Region. In the other direction it is divided into three major river systems, from east to west: Koshi, Gandaki/Narayani and Karnali (including the Mahakali / Sarda along the western border), all tributaries of the Ganges. All three parallel each other, from east to west, as continuous ecological belts, occasionally bisected by the country’s river systems. These ecological regions were divided by the government into development sectors within the framework of regional development planning.

Terai Region
Southern Nepal has much of the character of the great plains of India, from which it outspreads with the elevation ranges from 60 meters to 610 meters above the sea level. Known as the Terai, this region includes both cultivable land and dense jungle, the latter being for the most part a game preserve inhabited by the wild elephant, tiger, and other typically South Asian fauna. Besides being a hunting ground, the forests are worked for their valuable timber. In complete topographic contrast to the Mountain and Hill regions, the Terai Region is a lowland tropical and subtropical belt of flat, alluvial land stretching along the Nepal-India border, and paralleling the Hill Region. The Terai contains about one-third of Nepal’s population and makes up about one-fourth of the total area. It covers 23 percent of the total area of the country out of which 40 percent is under cultivation. It is also known as “grain basket” or “store house” of Nepal. The Terai includes several valleys (dun), such as the Surkhet and Dang valleys in western Nepal, and the Rapti Valley (Chitwan) in central Nepal. Highly populated and industrial cities such as Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bhairahawa and Lumbini (the birth place of Lord Buddha) are situated in this region. This is culturally close to Northern India with the people speaking Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Tharu, and Maithili along with Nepali.

The word terai, a term presumed to be derived from Persian, means “damp,” and it appropriately describes the region’s humid and hot climate. The region was formed and is fed by three major rivers: the Kosi, the Narayani (India’s Gandak River), and the Karnali. A region that in the past contained malaria-infested, thick forests, commonly known as char kose jhari (dense forests approximately twelve kilometers wide), the Terai was used as a defensive frontier by Nepalese rulers during the period of the British Raj (1858-1947) in India. In 1991 the Terai served as the country’s granary and land resettlement frontline; it became the most coveted internal destination for land-hungry hill crofters. In terms of both farm and forest lands, the Terai was becoming Nepal’s richest economic region. Overall, Terai residents enjoyed a greater availability of agricultural land than did other Nepalese because of the area’s generally flat terrain, which is drained and nourished by several rivers. Additionally, it has the largest commercially exploitable forests. In the early 1990s, however, the forests were being increasingly destroyed because of growing demands for timber and agricultural land.

Hilly Region
Situated south of the Mountain Region, the Hill Region (called Pahar in Nepali) mostly lies between the altitudes of 610 meters to 4,877 meters from the sea level. The second and by far the largest part of Nepal are formed by the two major ranges of hills, commonly known as the Mahabharat Lekh and Siwalik Range (or Churia Range) and Himalayan mountain ranges, extending from east to west. Their altitude increases toward the north, culminating on the Tibetan border in Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali), and standing amid other noble peaks. This region accounts the largest share (42 percent) of the total land area of the country with several stunning mountains, high peaks, hills, lakes, basins and valley such as Kathmandu (with the foothills town of Bhaktapur and Patan), Pokhara, Dang and Surkhet. Three principal rivers originate from glaciers and snow-fed lakes, break southward through deep Himalayan gorges, and enter, respectively, the Karnali, Gandaki and Kosi basins. Flowing toward India, they become tributaries (as are all Nepal’s rivers) of the Ganges system.

Despite its geographical isolation and limited economic potential, the region always has been the political and cultural center of Nepal, with decision-making power centralized in Kathmandu, the nation’s capital. Because of immigration from Tibet and India, the hill ranges historically have been the most heavily populated area. Despite heavy out-migration, the Hill Region comprised the largest share of the total population in 1991. Although the higher elevations (above 2,500 meters) in the region were sparsely populated because of physiographic and climatic difficulties, the lower hills and valleys were densely settled. The hill landscape was both a natural and cultural mosaic, shaped by geological forces and human activity. The hills, sculpted by human hands into a massive complex of terraces, were extensively cultivated.

The Hill Region was a food-deficit area in the early 1990s, although agriculture was the predominant economic activity supplemented by livestock raising, hunting, and seasonal migrating of laborers. The vast majority of the households living in the hills was land-hungry and owned largely pakho (hilly) land. The poor economic situation caused by lack of sufficient land was aggravated by the relatively short growing season, a phenomenon directly attributable to the climatic impact of the region’s higher altitude. As a result, a hill farmer’s ability to grow multiple crops was limited. The families were forced to adapt to the marginality, as well as the seasonality, of their environment, cultivating their land whenever they could and growing whatever would survive. During the slack season, when the weather did not permit cropping, hill dwellers generally became seasonal migrants, who engage in wage labor wherever they could find it to supplement their inadequate farm output. Dependence on nonagricultural activities was even more necessary in the mountain ecological belt.

Mountain Region
The Mountain Region (called Parbat in Nepali) lies on the northern part of the country covering mountainous area. It is situated at 4,877 meters to 8848 meters above sea level. There are more than 250 peaks in this region with more than 6000 meters in height (8 mountains among the highest 10 mountains in the world with Mt. Everest). In this region the snow line lies above 5000 meters and there is no human settlement above this line. This region covers 35% area of the country but only 2% of the land is suitable for cultivation. The region is characterized by inclement climatic and rugged topographic conditions, and human habitation and economic activities are extremely limited and arduous. Indeed, whatever farming activity exists is mostly confined to the low-lying valleys and the river basins, such as the upper Kali Gandaki Valley. Since this region is mostly steep, rugged and cold, it is the most sparsely populated region of the country. The Mountain Region constitutes the central portion of the Himalayan range originating in the Pamirs, a high altitude region of Central Asia. Its natural landscape includes Mount Everest and the other seven of the world’s ten highest peaks, which are the legendary habitat of the mythical creature, the Yeti, or abominable snowman. Triangulated in 1850, Mt. Everest was officially given the status of the world’s highest peak in 1859. The summit (8,848 m/29,035 ft.) was reached for the first time on 29 May 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander, and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa guide.

Alpine, often semi-arid valleys including Humla, Jumla, Dolpo, Mustang, Manang and Khumbu—cut between Himalayan sub ranges or lie north of them. Some of these valleys historically were more accessible from Tibet than Nepal and are populated by people with Tibetan affinities called Bhotiya or Bhutia including the famous Sherpas in Kumbu valley near Mount Everest.

In the early 1990s, pastoralism and trading were common economic activities among mountain dwellers. Because of their heavy dependence on herding and trading, transhumance was widely practiced. While the herders moved their goths (temporary animal shelters) in accordance with the seasonal climatic rhythms, traders also migrated seasonally between highlands and lowlands, buying and selling goods and commodities in order to generate much needed income and to secure food supplies.

WEATHER FACTS

Weather Facts

Here climate varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south. Nepal has a great deal of variation in climate. Nepal experiences four seasons of climate spring, summer, autumn and winter. The climate is varied ranging from the sub-tropical Terai to the cool dry temperature and alpine climates in the northern Himalayan ranges.

In the Terai, the hottest part of the country, summer temperatures may rise as high as 40OC. the climate is hot and humid. Rainfall is wide spread during the south-west monsoon period from June to August with the eastern part receiving the maximum rainfall. The period from October to May is generally dry in most parts of the country. Annual precipitation varies from around 300 mm in the northern and western areas to over 250 mm in the eastern regions. Kathmandu valley receives around 1300 mm of annual rainfall with a heavy concentration from June to August. Its latitude is about the same as that of Florida, and a tropical and subtropical climate exists in the Terai Region.

Outside the Terai, however, the climate is completely different. The remarkable differences in climatic conditions are primarily related to the enormous range of altitude within such a short north-south distance. The presence of the east-west-trending Himalayan massifs to the north and the monsoonal alteration of wet and dry seasons also greatly contribute to local variations in climate.

Scholar Sharad Singh Negi identifies five climatic zones in Nepal based on altitude:
• the tropical and subtropical zone of below 1,200 meters in altitude;
• the cool, temperate zone of 1,200 to 2,400 meters in altitude;
• the cold zone of 2,400 to 3,600 meters in altitude;
• the subarctic climatic zone of 3,600 to 4,400 meters in altitude and
• the arctic zone above 4,400 meters in altitude.

In terms of natural vegetation regimes or distribution patterns, altitude again plays a significant role. Below 1,200 meters, the dominant form of vegetation consists of tropical and subtropical rain forests.

Altitude also affects annual rainfall or precipitation patterns. Up to about 3,000 meters, annual rainfall totals increase as the altitude increases; thereafter, annual totals diminish with increasing altitude and latitude. In addition to this latitudinal differentiation in rainfall, two other patterns can be discerned. First, given the northwestward movement of the moisture-laden summer monsoon (June to September), the amount of annual rainfall generally decreases from east to west. However, there are certain pockets with heavy annual rainfall totals, for example, the Pokhara Valley in central Nepal. Second, the horizontal extension of hill and mountain ranges creates a moist condition on south and eastfacing slopes whereas it produces a major rain shadow on the northern sides of the slopes. The aridity increases with altitude and latitude, especially on the northern slopes, and reaches its climax in the inner Himalayan region and on the Tibetan Plateau. Eastern Nepal receives approximately 2,500 millimeters of rain annually, the Kathmandu area about 1,420 millimeters, and western Nepal about 1,000 millimeters.

The towering Himalayas play a critical role, blocking the northwesterly advances of moist, tropical air from the Bay of Bengal, and ultimately leading to its conversion to rain in the summer. In the winter, this range prevents the outbursts of cold air from Inner Asia from reaching southern Nepal and northern India, thus ensuring warmer winters in these regions than otherwise would be the case.

In addition, there are seasonal variations in the amount of rainfall, depending on the monsoon cycle. Bishop divides the monsoon cycle into four seasons: premonsoon, summer monsoon, postmonsoon, and winter monsoon. The premonsoon season generally occurs during April and May; it is characterized by the highest temperatures, reaching 40° C during the day in the Terai Region and other lowlands. The hills and mountains, however, remain cool.

The summer monsoon, a strong flow of moist air from the southwest, follows the pre-monsoon season. For the vast majority of southern Asians, including Nepalese, the term monsoon is synonymous with the summer rainy season, which makes or breaks the lives of hundreds of millions of farmers on the subcontinent. Even though the arrival of the summer monsoon can vary by as much as a month, in Nepal it generally arrives in early June, is preceded by violent lightning and thunderstorms, and lasts through September, when it begins to recede. The plains and lower Himalayas receive more than 70 percent of their annual precipitation during the summer monsoon. The amount of summer monsoon rain generally declines from southeast to northwest as the maritime wedge of air gradually becomes thinner and dryer. Although the success of farming is almost totally dependent on the timely arrival of the summer monsoon, it periodically causes such problems as landslides; subsequent losses of human lives, farmlands, and other properties (not to mention great difficulty in the movement of goods and people); and heavy flooding in the plains. Conversely, when prolonged breaks in the summer monsoon occur, severe drought and famine often result.

The post monsoon season begins with a slow withdrawal of the monsoon. This retreat leads to an almost complete disappearance of moist air by mid-October, thus ushering in generally cool, clear, and dry weather, as well as the most relaxed and jovial period in Nepal. By this time, the harvest is completed and people are in a festive mood. The two biggest and most important Hindu festivals– Dashain and Tihar (Dipawali)–arrive during this period, about one month apart. The post monsoon season lasts until about December.

After the post monsoon, comes the winter monsoon, a strong northeasterly flow, which is marked by occasional, short rainfalls in the lowlands and plains and snowfalls in the high-altitude areas. The amount of precipitation resulting from the northeast land trade winds varies considerably but increases markedly with elevation. The secondary winter precipitation in the form of snowfalls in the Himalayas is important for generating a sufficient volume of spring and summer meltwaters, which are critical for irrigation in the lower hills and valleys where agriculture predominates. Winter precipitation is also are indispensable for the success of winter crops, such as wheat, barley, and numerous vegetables.

Nepal has four distinct seasons. Spring, from March to May is warm and dusty with rain showers. Summer, from June to August, is the monsoon season when the hills turn lush and green. Autumn, from September to November, is cool with clear skies, and is the most popular trekking season. In winter from December to February, it is cold at night and can be foggy in the early morning but afternoons are usually clear and pleasant, though there is occasional snow in the mountains.

Weather condition in Nepal vary from region to region. Summer and late spring temperatures range from more than 40 Degrees Celsius in the Terai to about 28 Degrees Celsius in the hilly region of the country. In winter, average maximum and minimum temperatures in the Terai range from a mild 23 Degrees Celsius to a brisk 7 Degrees Celsius while the central valleys experience a chilly 12 Degrees Celsius maximum temperature and a minimum temperature often falling below freezing point.

Much colder temperatures prevail at higher elevations. The Katmandu Valley situated at an altitude of 1310m, has a seasonable but equable climate with average summer and winter temperatures of 27 Degrees Celsius to 19 Degrees Celsius and 20 Degrees Celsius to 2 Degrees Celsius respectively. The annual rainfall in Katmandu generally exceeds 1300mm. The mean annual precipitation ranges from more than 6000mm along the southern slopes of the Annapurna range in central Nepal to less than the 250mm in the north central portion near the Tibetan plateau. Amounts varying between 1500 and 2500mm predominate over most of the country. On an average, about 80% of the precipitation is confined to the monsoon period (June-September).

Best Seasonality
Arrival figures to most destinations show that for the Nepalese tourists is preferred dry season from October to November. The weather is balmy, the air is clean, visibility is perfect and the countryside is lush and green following the monsoon. October is the time for festivals in Nepal. From February until April, the tail end of the dry season is the second-best period. December and January is not recommended for travelling in Nepal.
The rest of the year is fairly unpleasant for travelling: May and early June are generally too hot and dusty for comfort, and the monsoon from mid-June to September obscures the mountains in cloud and turns trails and roads to mud. Flying is often the only way to reach outlying areas at this time of year, and the western border crossings to India are often impassable.

CULTURE

Culture

Nepal is a melting pot of many races and tribes. Total population of Nepal has been continuously increasing over time. According to an estimation of Central Bureau of Statistics Nepal, total population is estimated to be 28.4 million in 2010 made up of an assortment of races and tribes, living in different regions, wearing different costumes and speaking different languages and dialects.It ranked 40th position with 0.41% of world population in 2010. There is regular census in Nepal in every ten years and the last census was conducted in 2001. According to that census, population of Nepal was 23.1 million. Out of total population the share of male and female was 49.96 and 50.04 percent respectively. Annual average growth rate during 1991 to 2001 was 2.25. Similarly, population density was 157 square kilometer. Majority of people live in rural areas. Geographically, 48.4 percent people live in Plain followed by 44.3 percent in Hill and only 7.3 percent people in Mountain. .The literacy rate and life expectancy at birth were 54.1 and 60.4 percent respectively.

Major Cities (pop. est.); Kathmandu 419,100, Biratnagar 130,100, Lalitpur 117,200, Pokhara 95,300, Bhaktapur 68,800 (1991). Land Use; forested 39%, pastures 15%, agricultural-cultivated 17%, other 29% (1992).

The composition of Nepalese society is diversified with multilingual, multicultural and multiethnic country. The best known of the high mountain peoples are the Sherpas who inhabit the central and eastern regions of Nepal. The Sherpas have easy access to Bhot (Tibet) for trade and social intercourse and therefore Tibetan influence on their culture and civilization remains distinct. The midlands are inhabited by various Tibeto-Burman and Indo-Aryan speaking hill and valley people, for example the Brahmins, Chettris, and Newars. While the Brahmins and Chettris are widely distributed throughout the country, the Newars are mainly concentrated in the Katmandu Valley and other towns. People of different race and religion live there and practice their own culture tradition and customs, among those, 80.62 % Hindus followed by Buddhists 10.74 %, Islam 4.2%, Kirat 3.6%, Christians 0.45 % and 0.39 %others. 102 ethnic groups live harmoniously with more than 100 languages, Nepali is the national official language and about 49 percent people speak Nepali followed by Maithili 12.3, Bhojpuri 7.53, Tharu 5.86, Tamang 5.9, Newar 3.63 percent etc. 

HISTORY AND POLITICAL STRUCTURE

History And Political Structure

Nepal enjoys the distinction of having always been an independent country, it has never colonized. Nepal has its long ancient and medieval history various dynasties namely Gupta (4th Century), Lichhavis (5th Century), and Malla (13th Century ruled over the long period of history, the modern history dates back from the second half of the 18th century. Prithivi Narayan Shah, king of Gorkha State, resumed unification movement to consolidate a strong nation by merging various small states. Since that time Kathmandu has been the capital of the country and ruled by Shah Dynesty. Jung Bahadur Rana declared himself Prime minister of Nepal and started autocratic Rana Regime after the Kot Parba1846 (a massacre) leaving monarchy with only nominal power and Nepal was ruled by the Rana Families by isolating the country by the rest of the world for 104 years. Popular movement of 1950 overthrew the Rana regime and Nepal entered multiparty democratic system and first democratic election held in 1959 for parliament and a democratic government formed as per the constitution, however, it lasted for short period. In 1960 King Mahendra declared democracy a failure and dismissed the elected government and issued new autocratic constitution. King Mahendra imposed autocratic Panchayat System and banned on running political parties.

Another popular movement 1990 leaded by major political parties Nepali Congress and Bam Morcha multiparty democratic system and issued a new constitution ensuring the sovereignty of the people, constitutional monarchy and multi-party elections held in 1991 to elect a truly democratic government under a constitutional monarchy. Under this system Nepal faced political instability by the frequent change of government, at the mean time Maoist insurgency started which destroyed Nepal’s overall internal security system. After the Royal massacre Gyanendra Shah became the King and he started to rule country autocratically avoiding the political parties, which created unified revolution by the CPN Maoist and other leading parties in 2006. The success of popular movement of April 2006 brought the decade-long insurgency to an end. After election of the new constitutional assembly, the first meeting of the Constitutional Assembly historically declared Nepal as Federal Democratic Republic in May 28, 2008. The process of making new constitution under federal republic political system is going on and so Nepal is now in political transitional phase.

International Relation

Constitutionally Nepalese foreign policy is guided by “the principles of the United Nations Charter, nonalignment, Panchasheel (five principles of peaceful coexistence), international law and the value of world peace.” The fundamental objective of the foreign policy is to enhance the dignity of Nepal in the international arena by maintaining the sovereignty, integrity and independence of the country. Before 1951, Nepal’s foreign relation was limited with four countries; namely – India, United Kingdom, USA and France. After membership of the United Nations in 1955, extension of diplomatic relations with various countries of the world increased considerably, with the diplomatic relationship to 118 countries around the world up to 2010. Membership and active participation on regional and international forums and organizations such as SAARC, BIMSTEC, WTO, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and UN Agencies is making Nepalese foreign relation effective and broad.

Employment
The rate of unemployment and underemployment approaches half of the working-age population. The unemployment rate was estimated at 42% in 2004 what means that 30,9% of population is leaving below poverty line. Thus many Nepali citizens move to India in search of work; the Gulf countries and Malaysia being new sources of work. Nepal receives US$50 million a year through the Gurkha soldiers who serve in the Indian and British armies and are highly esteemed for their skill and bravery. The total remittance value is worth around 1 billion USD, including money sent from Persian Gulf and Malaysia, who combined employ around 700,000 Nepali citizens. A long-standing economic agreement underpins a close relationship with India. The country receives foreign aid from India, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union, China, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries. Poverty is acute; per-capita income is less than US$ 300. The distribution of wealth among the Nepalis is consistent with that in many developed and developing countries: the highest 10% of households control 39.1% of the national wealth and the lowest 10% control only 2.6%. As estimated in 2006 the labour force was about 11.11 billion of economically active population of working age. 76 % of them were engaged in agricultural activities, 18 % in services and 6 % in industry (CIA-The world factbook, 2008).

Infrastructure Quality
Nepal remains isolated from the world’s major land, air and sea transport routes although, within the country, aviation is in a better state, with 47 airports, ten of them with paved runways (CIA-The world factbook, 2008). Flights are frequent and support a sizeable traffic. Hilly and mountainous terrain in the northern two-thirds of the country has made the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. There were 9.886 km of paved roads and one 59 km railway line in the south in 2007 (CIA-The world factbook, 2008). There is only one reliable road route from India to the Kathmandu Valley. The only practical seaport of entry for goods bound for Kathmandu is Kolkata in India. Internally, the poor state of development of the road system (22 of 75 administrative districts lack road links) makes volume distribution unrealistic. Not only its landlocked location and technological limitations but also the long-running civil war has prevented Nepal from fully developing its economy.

INTERNATIONAL RELATION

International Relation

Constitutionally Nepalese foreign policy is guided by “the principles of the United Nations Charter, nonalignment, Panchasheel (five principles of peaceful coexistence), international law and the value of world peace.” The fundamental objective of the foreign policy is to enhance the dignity of Nepal in the international arena by maintaining the sovereignty, integrity and independence of the country. Before 1951, Nepal’s foreign relation was limited with four countries; namely – India, United Kingdom, USA and France. After membership of the United Nations in 1955, extension of diplomatic relations with various countries of the world increased considerably, with the diplomatic relationship to 118 countries around the world up to 2010. Membership and active participation on regional and international forums and organizations such as SAARC, BIMSTEC, WTO, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and UN Agencies is making Nepalese foreign relation effective and broad.

EMPLOYMENT

Employment

The rate of unemployment and underemployment approaches half of the working-age population. The unemployment rate was estimated at 42% in 2004 what means that 30,9% of population is leaving below poverty line. Thus many Nepali citizens move to India in search of work; the Gulf countries and Malaysia being new sources of work. Nepal receives US$50 million a year through the Gurkha soldiers who serve in the Indian and British armies and are highly esteemed for their skill and bravery. The total remittance value is worth around 1 billion USD, including money sent from Persian Gulf and Malaysia, who combined employ around 700,000 Nepali citizens. A long-standing economic agreement underpins a close relationship with India. The country receives foreign aid from India, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union, China, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries. Poverty is acute; per-capita income is less than US$ 300. The distribution of wealth among the Nepalis is consistent with that in many developed and developing countries: the highest 10% of households control 39.1% of the national wealth and the lowest 10% control only 2.6%. As estimated in 2006 the labour force was about 11.11 billion of economically active population of working age. 76 % of them were engaged in agricultural activities, 18 % in services and 6 % in industry (CIA-The world factbook, 2008).

INFRASTRUCTURE QUALITY

Infrastructure Quality

Nepal remains isolated from the world’s major land, air and sea transport routes although, within the country, aviation is in a better state, with 47 airports, ten of them with paved runways (CIA-The world factbook, 2008). Flights are frequent and support a sizeable traffic. Hilly and mountainous terrain in the northern two-thirds of the country has made the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. There were 9.886 km of paved roads and one 59 km railway line in the south in 2007 (CIA-The world factbook, 2008). There is only one reliable road route from India to the Kathmandu Valley. The only practical seaport of entry for goods bound for Kathmandu is Kolkata in India. Internally, the poor state of development of the road system (22 of 75 administrative districts lack road links) makes volume distribution unrealistic. Not only its landlocked location and technological limitations but also the long-running civil war has prevented Nepal from fully developing its economy.