Nepal

Namaste ! Welcome to Nepal !

Nepal , a land-locked sovereign kingdom, is surrounded by China to the north and by India to the south, west and est. It covers an area of 151,005 square kilometers (54,362 square miles) and measures approximately 800 km (500 miles) in length and 250 km (150 miles) in width. It offers an astonishing topographical variation with an altitude ranging from 150 m (490ft) above sea level in the lowlands of the Terai region to the top of 8,848m (29021 ft) Mt Everest, the highest place on earth. Nepal has 8 of the 14 highest mountains of the world. It is divided into a number of disparate range by numerous rivers and deep valleys.

Officially, Nepal is a Hindu kingdom, but in practice Hinduism and Buddhism are mingled into a complex blend which is often impossible to separate. Small group of Muslims and Christians are also found among the population.

Although, Nepali is the national language of Nepal and is the linking language between all the country's ethnic groups, there are many other languages spoken. It is not difficult to get along with English in Nepal , however, since most of the people with whom the average visitor will have to deal, will speak some English.

Nepal is also the home of about 6500 species of trees, shrubs and wild flowers. The glory of the floral season can be witnessed in March and April when rhododendrons (the national flower of Nepal ) brust out into color. More than 800 species of birds are well known in Nepal. There are nine National Parks and four wildlife reserves that protect every significant ecological system in the country from the tropical plains of the Terai, to the fertile midland valleys, to the highest mountain in the world.