Nepal
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Name: Kingdom of Nepal (Nepal Adhirajya) In 1765, Prithvi Narayan Shah a prince from Gurkha town set to unify Nepal and after three years in 1768 he succeeded in making nepal a kingdom. The word Nepal may have derived from NE meaning Holy and Pal meaning cave. In 1816 nepal became ally of Britain and Gurkha soldiers served British army. New democratic constitution in Nepal was introduced in 1962 and in 1991 King Birender gave up his powers and elections were held. Area: 147,181 sq km Location: It lies in Himalayas in South Asia. Border Countries: In North is China and India in South, East and West. It does not share any boundry with Bangladesh but the two countries are seperated by a narrow strip of land about 21 km wide called chicken's neck. Terrain: The Himalayas cover most of the Nepal. In the north, Nepal has very high mountains and this region is called mountain region. The world's highest mountain (Mount Everest) is here. Eight of the ten highest mountains are located in Nepal. Next is the Foothills region where lies many valleys. In the south lies humid and fertile Tarai Plains or Tarai region which have many jungles and swamps and are rich in wild life. Climate: Very cold in the North. Valley are cool and wet in summers and dry in winters. In Tarai it is hot and humid. Nepal has five seasons - summers, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. Capital: Kathmandu Currency: Nepalese Rupee (NPR) Language: Nepali and Hindi Ethnic Group: People in Nepal are of Indian or Tibetian origin, they include Sherpas and Gurkhas. Religion: Hinduism and Buddhism Population: 27,133,000 - July 2005 est. GDP (PPP): 2005 - total is $42.17 billion. Per capita - $1,675. Internet TLD: .np. Calling Code: + 977. Life Expectancy: 45 year Time Zone: 5 hours 45 minutes ahead GMT Adult Literacy: 19% Government: Constitutional Monarcy Constitution: November 9, 1990 Legislative and Executive Branch: Government is highly unstable in Nepal. On May 19 2006, Parliament assumed total legislative power and gave executive power to the government of Nepal previously known as His Magesty Government. King is the head of the State and Prime minister is the head of the government. Executive comprised the King and the council of ministers (the cabinet). Judiciary Branch: The Supreme Court - Sarbochha Adalat is the highest court. Its Chief Jutice was appointed by the Monarch on recomendation of Counstitutional Council. King: Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev Prime Minister: Girija Prasad Koirala Motto: Is in Sanskrit which means Motherland is even dearer than the heavens. National Anthem: Rashtriya Gaan - " May Glory Crown Our Illustrious Soverein" Flag: It is the only non rectangular flag and it is only National flag in the world with more than four sides. It was adopted on December 16 1962 by Constitutional government. The blue boarder denotes peace and colour is crimson which is Nepali's National colour. It has two royal symbols of Rana Dynasty which symbolises that Nepal will last as long as the sun and the moon. National Emblem: It consists of a white cow, a green pheasant, two Gurkha soldiers one with khukri & a bow and arrow and the other with a modern rifle, peaks of himalaya, Rhododendron, Sun, Moon both with faces showing hindu caste marks, two crossed Nepali flags and khukris, the footprint of Gorakhnath (the diety of Gurkhas) and the royal headdress.At the base of the design a red scroll carries the National Motto written in Sanskrit language. National calendar: The Nepali year begins in mid April and is divided in 12 months, they are Baisakhi, Jestha, Asadh, Shravan, Bhadra, Aswin, Kartik, Marga, Poush, Phalgun and Chaitra. Economy: Half of its population lives below the poverty line. 76% of the population is engaged in agriculture. Tourism alo adds to its income, otherwise its landlocked position, lack of natural rasources, tecnological backwardness and running civil war have prevented Nepals economic development. It gets aid from China, India, United States, Japan and European Union. Agriculture Products: Rice, corn, wheat, sugar cane, root crops, milk and water buffalo meat. Main Exports: Grains, jute, timber, oil, seeds, clarified butter, potatoes, herbs and hides. Famous Places: Mount Everest (8,848 m). Golden Gate or Sun Dhoka at western end of Bhaktpur Royal Palace. Buddhist monastry at foot hills. Elephant Safari at Royal Chitvan National park in the tarai region. Darbar Square Temples in Kathmandu are rich in historical structures. Famous Shiva Hindu tempel in Pashupatinath. Holidays: National day - birthday of king - december 28. Prithvi Jayanti - january 11. Independence Day - february 18. Also other Hindus and Buddhist festivals. |