Nepal, draped along the spine of the Himalayas, is bordered by China to thenorth and India to the south, east and west. For a relatively small country,the Nepali landscape is uncommonly diverse, ranging from the humid terrain inthe south to the lofty Himalayas in the north. It is notable that within a verysmall width the elevation of Nepal increases from the plain terrain to thetallest Himalayas leading to a great vegetation. Nepal boasts eight of theworld's ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest on the border withTibet. Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city. The other main citiesinclude Biratnagar, Birgunj, Janakpur, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, Mahendranagar etc.The origin of the name Nepal is uncertain, but the most popular understanding isthat it derived from Ne (holy) and pal (cave).
Nepal is a land of sublime scenery and some of the best hiking trails onearth. Nepal is rich in scenic splendor. Nepal is commonly divided into threephysiographic areas: the Mountain, Hill, and Terai Regions. These ecologicalbelts run east-west and are bisected by Nepal's major river systems.
The Terai Plains bordering India are part of the northern rim of theIndo-Gangetic plains. They were formed and are fed by three major rivers: theKosi, the Narayani (India's Gandak River), and the Karnali. This region has ahot, humid climate.
The Hill Region (Pahar in Nepali) abuts the mountains and varies from 1,000to 4,000 m in altitude. Two low mountain ranges, the Mahabharat Lekh andShiwalik Range (also called the Churia Range) dominate the region. The hillybelt includes the Kathmandu Valley, the country's most fertile and urbanisedarea. Despite its geographical isolation and limited economic potential, theregion always has been the political and cultural centre of Nepal. Unlike thevalleys, elevations above 2,500 m are sparsely populated.
The Mountain Region contains the highest region in the world. The world'shighest mountain, Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) at 8,850 m is located onthe border with Tibet. Eight of the world's ten highest mountains are locatedin Nepal. Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest peak, is also located on itseastern border with Sikkim. Deforestation is a major problem in all regions,with resulting erosion and degradation of ecosystems.
After a long and rich history, during which the region splintered andcoalesced under a variety of absolute rulers, Nepal became a constitutionalmonarchy in 1990. However, the monarchy retained many important and ill-definedpowers. This arrangement was marked by increasing instability, both in theparliament and, since 1996, in large swathes of the country that have beenfought over by Maoist insurgents. The Maoists, alienated from mainstreampolitical parties, went underground and started a guerilla war against bothmonarchy and mainstream political parties. They have sought to overthrow feudalinstitutions, including the monarchy, and establish a republic. This has led tothe ongoing Nepalese Civil War in which more than 13,000 people have died. Onthe pretext of quashing the insurgents, who now control about 70% of thecountry, the king closed down the parliament and sacked the elected primeminister in 2002 and started ruling through prime ministers appointed by him.He then unilaterally declared a "state of emergency" early in 2005,and assumed all executive powers. Following the Loktantra Andolan, the kingagreed to relinquish the sovereign power back to the people and reinstated thedissolved House of Representatives on April 24, 2006. Using its newly acquiredsovereign authority, in May 19, 2006, the newly resumed House ofRepresentatives unanimously passed a motion to curtail the power of the kingand declared Nepal a secular state. An eventual and total rewrite of therealm's constitution is expected to happen in the near future.
Nepali culture is influenced by the cultures of Tibet, which borders to thenorth, and India, which borders to the south. There are similarities inclothing, language and food. A typical Nepali meal is dal-bhat, boiled lentilsserved with rice and vegetables, and some spicy relish. This is consumed twicedaily, once in the morning and again after sunset. Between these main meals,snacks such as chiura (beaten rice) and tea are consumed. Meat, eggs, and fishare also eaten, particularly in the mountainous regions, where the diet tendsto be richer in protein. Millet-based alcoholic drinks are popular, includingchhaang and the distilled rakshi.
Folklore is an integral part of Nepali society. Traditional stories arerooted in the reality of day-to-day life—tales of love, affection, battles, anddemons and ghosts; they reflect and explain local lifestyles, cultures andbelief systems. Many Nepali folktales are enacted in dance and music. The Newarpeople are well known for masked dance that tell stories of the gods andheroes. Music is percussion-based, sometimes with flutes or shawm accompanyingthe intense, nasal vocal lines. Musical styles are a variety of pop, religiousand folk music, among other styles. Musical genres from Tibet and India havehad a strong influence on traditional Nepali music. Women, even of the musiciancastes, are less likely than men to play music, except in specific situationssuch as traditional all-female wedding parties.
Telecommunication in Nepal is growing up steadily. Nepal has just recentlybegun to privatize telecommunications within the country. Cell phones andpagers have been made available from Mid-1999. VOIP (Voice Over IP) license isnot yet provided. AT&T has linked up to allow card calls and access numberis 0-800-77001. Nepal's Country Code is 977, and Kathmandu's city code is 1.Normal and Mobile phone numbers are 7 and 10 digits respectively. So, callingNepal is bit costly though phone cards are available on net. In most services,Nepal calling rates starts from 15 cents per minute. Several prepaid callingcard and phone card companies are available to call both to and from Nepal.
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