Nepal (;;;;;) (i/nɛ;pɔːl/ ne-PAWL[6] Nepali: ;;;;; [ne;pal] ( listen)), officially the
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal,[7] is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia.
With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately
27 million (and nearly 2 million absentee workers living abroad),[3] Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass[8] and the 41st most populous country. It is located in the
Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. Specifically, the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim border Nepal, while across the Himalayas lies the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and largest metropolis.
Nepal has a rich geography. The mountainous north has eight of the world's ten tallest
mountains, including the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest, called Sagarmatha in Nepali. It contains more than 240 peaks over 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level.[9] The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanised.It’s one of the two highest countries in the world.
Religion:Hinduism is practised by about 81% of Nepalis, making it the country with the highest percentage of Hindu followers; Buddhism is linked historically with Nepal and is practiced by 9%, Islam by 4.4%, Kirat 3%, Christianity 1.4%, and animism 0.4%.[3]
A monarchy throughout most of its history, Nepal was ruled by the Shah dynasty of kings from
1768, when Prithvi Narayan Shah unified its many small kingdoms. However, a decade-long Civil War by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and several weeks of mass protests by all major political parties led to the 12 point agreement of 22 November 2005. The ensuing elections for the constituent assembly on 28 May 2008 overwhelmingly favored the abolishment of the monarchy and the establishment of a federal multiparty representative democratic republic.
The major languages of Nepal (percent spoken as mother tongue) are Nepali (48.6%), Maithili (11.7%), Bhojpuri (6.0%), Tharu (5.8%), Tamang (5.1%), Newar/Nepal Bhasa (3.2%), Magar (2.4%), Rai (2.8%), Awadhi (2.5%), Limbu (1.5%), and Bajjika (1%). In addition, Nepal is home to at least four indigenous sign languages.
Largest cities
The 13 largest cities in 2011 by population as per census 2011) [3]
1.Kathmandu (17,44,240)*
2.Pokhara (Pop.: 264,991)
3.Lalitpur (Pop.: 226,728)
Patan, Lalitpur
Patan (officially Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City), is one of the major cities of Nepal. It is one of the sub-metropolitan cities of Nepal located in the south-western part of Kathmandu valley. Patan is also known as Manigal. It is best known for its rich cultural heritage, particularly its tradition of arts and crafts. It is also called as city of festival and feast, fine ancient art, making of metallic and stone carving statue. At the time of the 2001 Nepal census it had a population of 162,991 in
68,922 individual households.
Nepal Tourism
cctv.com 02-17-2005 16:34
Tourists from all over the world have discovered the secrets of Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lumbini and many of the other scenic sites in Nepal. Many say Nepal has earned its distinction as one of the great nations for tourism. Serving as a backbone of the national economy, the tourism industry of Nepal has undergone rapid development in recent years. Tourism contributes 3.5 percent to GDP. And it also makes up 15 percent of the total foreign exchange earnings of the country. Tourism is not only a top priority of the government; it's also intertwined in the lives of the people’s daily life.
This is Pokhara airport, one of the busiest domestic airfields in Nepal. Everyday many tourists arrive here, and transfer for the surrounding mountain regions. Today, we are flying with Gorkha Airlines of Nepal, a private Airline, heading for Jomsom, a mountain resort in northern Nepal. In the past, the journey from Pokhara to Jomsom was painstaking, entailing seven days of walking on rugged mountains. But now, it’s easy, only 25 minutes by air. Today, traveling around Nepal has
become much more convenient, thanks to the development of Nepal’s aviation service.
Jomsom area, at an altitude of 2,800 meters is surrounded by the great Annapurna and Nilgiri ranges, amidst the sharp contrasts of high mountains, open spaces, swift flowing rivers and pleasant orchards. This is a location like no other in Nepal. As an ideal place for trekking, Jomsom accepts over 20,000 trekkers each year. And it's easily accessible by regular flights from Pokhara. Jomsom Mountain Resort is the only destination above the clouds and beyond the mountains that offers all modern day facilities in its deluxe surrounding.
Doing its best to catch up with the needs of tourism development, tourism facilities and services in Nepal have developed very fast in recent years. In the major cities of Nepal, and even remote mountain resorts, there are luxury hotels, as well as simple but comfortable lodges catering to different needs of tourists. This is the Kathmandu Hyatt Regency, one of a few prestigious five star hotels in the capital city. Its manager, Harinder Singh, is from India. Her service in Nepal reflects the country’s tourism development.
The Nepal Tourism Board is a national tourism organization established in 1998. Since its establishment, NTB has made much progress in promoting and marketing Nepal as an attractive tourist destination. Generally, visitors to Nepal are largely from neighboring India, Europe, North America and a few developed Asian Countries. Now, NTB is beginning to focus on another big neighboring market, China.
Though small in size, Nepal is enriched by a variety of natural and cultural heritages. Exciting and adventurous activities, as well as breathtaking scenery are combined with a collection of cultural attractions -- to make Nepal one of the unique and most interesting travel destinations on earth.
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Patan is renowned as a very artistic city. Most of the Nepalese art is devoted to Gods, and there are an abundance of temples and viharas in the city