Map of Nepal
New Map of Nepal
Nepal officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal,
is a landlocked country in South Asia with a population of 26.4 million. It is
a multiethnic nation with Nepali as the official language. Kathmandu is the
nation's capital and largest city. Modern Nepal is a secular parliamentary
republic.
Nepal is bordered by China to the north and India to the
south, east, and west. It is separated from Bangladesh by a narrow Indian
corridor and from Bhutan by the Indian state of Sikkim. Nepal is located in the
Himalayas and is home to eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including
Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Its southern Madhesh region is fertile
and humid. The country has an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi),
making it the world's 93rd largest country by area. It is also the 41st most
populous country.
Nepal has a diverse ancient cultural heritage. The name
Nepal is first recorded in texts from the Vedic Age, the era that founded
Hinduism, the country's predominant religion. Nepal was the world's last Hindu
monarchy. Siddharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born in Lumbini in
southern Nepal. The main minorities are Tibetan Buddhists, Muslims, Kiratans
and Christians. The Nepalese are also known as Gurkhas. They have been reputed
for their valour in World War I and World War II.
Established in the 18th century, the early modern Kingdom of
Nepal was led by the Shah dynasty, after Prithvi Narayan Shah unified many
principalities in the region. Nepal is one of the few Asian countries which was
never colonized. Following the Anglo-Nepalese War and the Treaty of Sugauli in
1816, Nepal became an ally of the British Empire. A multiparty democracy
evolved from 1951 to 1960, when King Mahendra enacted the panchayat system. In
1990, parliamentary government was restored by King Birendra. Nepal faced a
decade-long Communist Maoist insurgency and mass protests against the
authoritarian King Gyanendra in 2005, which led to the abolition of the
monarchy in 2008. Its 2nd constituent assembly promulgated a new constitution
in 2015. Today, the main political blocs in Nepal are communists, social
democrats and Hindu nationalists.
The Nepali government works in the framework of a
representative democracy with seven federal provinces. Nepal is a developing
nation, ranking 145th on the Human Development Index (HDI) in 2014. The country
struggles with the transition from a monarchy to a republic. It also suffers
from high levels of hunger and poverty. Despite these challenges, Nepal is
making steady progress, with the government declaring its commitment to elevate
the nation from least developed country status in 2022.
Nepal has friendship treaties with India and the United
Kingdom.[19] It is a founding member and hosts the permanent secretariat of
SAARC. It is also a member of the United Nations and BIMSTEC. Nepal is
strategically important due to its location between Asia's great powers, China
and India. It is also important for its hydropower potential.
Geography of Nepal
A map of Nepal.
A topographic map of Nepal.
Nepal map of Köppen climate classification.
Nepal is of roughly trapezoidal shape, 800 kilometres (497
mi) long and 200 kilometres (124 mi) wide, with an area of 147,181 km2 (56,827
sq mi). See List of territories by size for the comparative size of Nepal. It
lies between latitudes 26° and 31°N, and longitudes 80° and 89°E.
Nepal is commonly divided into three physiographic areas:
Mountain, Hill and Terai. These ecological belts run east-west and are
vertically intersected by Nepal's major, north to south flowing river systems.
The southern lowland plains or Terai bordering India are
part of the northern rim of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. They were formed and are
fed by three major Himalayan rivers: the Kosi, the Narayani, and the Karnali as
well as smaller rivers rising below the permanent snowline. This region has a
subtropical to tropical climate. The outermost range of foothills called
Sivalik Hills or Churia Range cresting at 700 to 1,000 metres (2,297 to 3,281
ft) marks the limit of the Gangetic Plain, however broad, low valleys called
Inner Tarai Valleys (Bhitri Tarai Uptyaka) lie north of these foothills in
several places.
The Hill Region (Pahad) abuts the mountains and varies from
800 to 4,000 metres (2,625 to 13,123 ft) in altitude with progression from
subtropical climates below 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) to alpine climates above
3,600 metres (11,811 ft). The Lower Himalayan Range reaching 1,500 to 3,000
metres (4,921 to 9,843 ft) is the southern limit of this region, with
subtropical river valleys and "hills" alternating to the north of
this range. Population density is high in valleys but notably less above 2,000
metres (6,562 ft) and very low above 2,500 metres (8,202 ft) where snow
occasionally falls in winter.
The Mountain Region (Himal), situated in the Great Himalayan
Range, makes up the northern part of Nepal. It contains the highest elevations
in the world including 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) height Mount Everest
(Sagarmāthā in Nepali) on the border with China. Seven other of the world's
"eight-thousanders" are in Nepal or on its border with China: Lhotse,
Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kangchenjunga, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu.
