68 Facts About Nepal

Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. 

Nepal has an area of 147,181 square km. 

Kathmandu is capital city of Nepal. 

Nepal’s official language is Nepali and its official currency is Nepalese Rupee (NPR). 

It has two bordering countries that are India and China. 

Nepal's ancient history began in the Kathmandu Valley and expanded over the centuries to include portions of what are now neighbouring countries such as India and China.

Prince Siddhartha Gautama of the Sakya royal family was born in the sixth century BC near Lumbini, which is now considered a sacred site. He grew up to embark on a path of contemplative thought and meditation that eventually led to his enlightenment as the Buddha.

The Hindu Kiratis, a Mongoloid people, were the first known rulers of the Kathmandu Valley in the 7th or 8th centuries BC, according to history. In AD 300, people from northern India overthrew the Kiratis, and the country became predominantly Hindu. They heralded a new era of prosperous trade and cultural brilliance.

From the late 600s to 1200, Nepal experienced a "dark age" about which little is known. In the 700s, both Tibet and Kashmir invaded the country, but the kingdom's strategic location ensured its survival and growth. King Gunakamadeva is credited with founding Kantipur (what is now Kathmandu) in the 10th century.

The Bikram Sambhat lunar calendar, which is still in use today, was introduced in the 9th century. It is roughly 67 years and eight and a half months ahead of the Gregorian calendar used by Americans. Nepal's New Year is in mid-April, according to the calendar.

Architecturally, the Malla kings reigned during a golden age. Arniko, a 15th century architect, brought the pagoda design to Lhasa and Beijing, forever altering the appearance of Asia's religious temples. During the Mallas' reign, an earthquake in 1255 killed a third of Nepal's population.

Nepal has never been colonised or ruled by foreigners despite its long history of border expansion and contraction. As a result, Nepal has no Independence Day.

Nepal's famous Gurkha soldiers have always successfully defended their country. "Better to die than be a coward," they say. They have been an integral salaried part of the British Army since 1815, after the British were so impressed with their fighting ability during the Indian wars.

The Sugauli Treaty, which established Nepal's current borders, ended Nepal's humiliating defeat by the Chinese during an expansion attempt in 1816. For more than a century, Nepal isolated itself from all foreign contact in humiliation. In 1951, they reopened their borders.

The Himalaya mountain range in Asia, which is approximately 70 million years old, separates the Tibetan Plateau from the Indian subcontinent and is spread across five countries: Nepal, Bhutan, India, China, and Pakistan. It is the world's youngest mountain range. "Himalaya" means "abode of snow" in Sanskrit. According to Hindu mythology, they are the home of the god Shiva.

The Himalayas serve as the starting point for the Asian continent's three major river systems (the Ganga-Brahmaputra, the Yangtze, and the Indus). This is due to the Himalayas being the world's third largest depository of snow and ice (after the two polar regions), with approximately 15,000 glaciers holding approximately 3,000 cubic miles of water.

The most mountainous region of Nepal, in the north, is home to eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest. Mount Everest, at 8,848 metres (5.5 miles) above sea level, towers over all others. The Sherpas call it Sagarmatha ("Forehead of the Sky").

Many explorers and climbers were killed in their attempts to reach the peak's summit before someone succeeded. On May 29, 1953, British explorer Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, forever changing the course of history.

Twenty-five years later, Reinhold Messner of Italy and Peter Habeler of Austria became the first to reach the summit without the use of supplemental oxygen, a significant accomplishment in that thin atmosphere. Messner returned to Everest in 1980.

The Himalayas are home to both the highest and deepest lakes on the planet (Tilicho at 4,800 meters/3 miles) (Shey Phoksundo). In addition to Mount Everest, they are home to eight of the world's top ten tallest mountains. The Sagarmantha National Park, which was established as a protected area in 1976, surrounds it.

Nameha Barwa is the Himalayan peak to the east, and Nanga Parbat is the Himalayan peak to the west.

Nepal is a geologically active country. The Indo-Australia plate is still moving beneath Nepal and will travel 1,500 kilometres (932 miles) into Asia over the next 10 million years.

The altitude variation in Nepal is extreme. It has the highest valley in the world (Arun) as well as the deepest gorge (Kaligandaki), with altitudes ranging from 59 metres to 8,848 metres on Everest.

Chitwan is the tallest grassland on the planet.

Climates differ with altitude. Traveling from south to north in only 100 kilometres will take you from hot tropical conditions to bone-chilling arctic-level cold.

The Kaligandaki River in Nepal is older than the Himalayas and serves as a major ecological divide between the western and eastern Himalayas.

Nepal is home to 5,980 flowering plant species, including 2% of the world's orchids (more than 360 species), 6% of the world's rhododendron species (and Nepal's national flower), and 250 endemic to Nepal (and not found growing anywhere else on earth).

This is one of the reasons Nepal is known as Asia's Amazon.

Nepal has nearly 870 bird species, more than the continents of North Africa and Europe combined. They are home to 8% of all bird species on the planet.

Nepal also has over 650 different butterfly species, as well as the world's largest moth (the Atlas moth) and some of the world's largest wild honeybees.

The beautiful snow leopard, red panda, and one-horned rhino are among Nepal's endangered species.

Nepal has never seen ethnic or religious clashes or riots. In the country, no blood has ever been shed in the name of religion. Instead, they are home to more than 80 ethnic groups and 123 different languages.

Nepalese people greet each other by placing their palms together. They bow and say "Namaste," as is customary in neighbouring India. This literally translates to "I salute the God within you."

Nepal worships the world's only living goddesses. These pre-pubescent girls, known as Kumaris (literally "virgins"), are chosen as children and are thought to be earthly manifestations of divine female energy. They are incarnations of the goddess Taleju who live in temples, are worshipped by both Buddhists and Hindus, and are driven in chariots at festivals. They leave when they reach puberty.

Nepal, the world's last Hindu country, was declared secular by its parliament in 2006. It still has the world's highest proportion of Hindus among its population today. Cows are considered sacred in Nepal, and it is illegal to kill one; it is also their national animal.

Nepal has the only national flag that is not a rectangle or a square. It has two triangles, one on top and one on the bottom, each with a moon and a sun. Not only do the triangles represent the Himalayas, but also Nepal's two major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. Though the current design was created in 1962, the basic design has been used in the country for over 2,000 years.

The Momo is a popular and quick-to-prepare food dish. They are delicious flour and water dumplings filled with a variety of ingredients such as meat, chicken, and/or vegetables (fried or steamed) and served with a dipping sauce.

Dal-bhat-tarkari is the national dish, which translates as "dal (lentils), bhat (rice), and tarkari" (vegetable). Many Nepali families consume it on a daily basis. Green salad (cucumber and carrot), rice, mustard greens, potatoes, chicken gravy, ghee, black lentils, and mutton curry are typical dishes.

Elephant polo was invented in Meghauli, Nepal. Tiger Tops in Nepal is the home of elephant polo and the site of the World Elephant Polo Championships.

In Nepal, touching anything with your feet is considered impolite. Never step over another person or any of their body parts. In Nepal, the left hand is not to be used for eating. The Nepali also regard the head as sacred, so avoid touching anyone else's.

The Sherpas are an ethnic group from the mountainous eastern part of Nepal who are frequently employed as porters for mountain expeditions because, due to their upbringing and genetics, they do not suffer the effects of altitude. All porters are now commonly referred to as Sherpas.

As one of the poorest countries in the world, half of Nepal's population survives on about one dollar per person per day.

Lumbini International Airport was built to promote tourism in the region surrounding Buddha's birthplace. Every year, a large number of Buddhist monks from China, Tibet, and Japan visit.

Pashupati Temple is visited by many Indian neighbours and has a promising economic and religious future. With its ponds, various temples, and wandering monkeys, the temple complex itself is a grand and splendid vision for visitors.

Nepal's national airline does not have enough planes to fly to airports outside of Asia. It is very expensive to fly into Nepal.

Nepal is an excellent destination for adventure and extreme sport tourism. Paragliding, bungee jumping, high altitude marathons, mountain biking, white-water rafting, kayaking, and, of course, mountaineering are all options.

Although Nepal has fresh water rivers and over 6,000 lakes that generate hydroelectric power, demand is so great that everyone must go without electricity for a significant portion of the day. The average daily "load shedding" time is currently 8.28 hours. Worse, winter is the season when demand is at its peak while supplies are at their lowest.

With so much fresh water available, water supply for towns is a challenge. In Kathmandu, the infrastructure can produce around 180 million litres per day, while the average demand is more than 350 million litres per day.

In this developing country, the people of Nepal are conservative, and public displays of affection are not only discouraged, but also illegal. Kissing in public will result in arrest.

Conservation efforts not only increase the population of endangered animals, but they also save them for increased tourism and business in this developing country. Today, more than 19 percent of Nepal's total landmass is protected as a protected area or national park.

Nepal has saved the Blackbuck, increased the tiger and one-horned rhino populations, and reintroduced Gharial and wild buffalo populations.

The Nepalese government returns half of all tourism income to communities near wildlife reserves.

The Yeti is said to exist and has been spotted in Nepal's Himalayas. Many people who have hiked secluded paths in these mountains have reported seeing a mysterious creature resembling North America's Big Foot. Sir Edmund Hillary led a failed expedition to find the Yeti in 1958.

The Karnali River is Nepal's longest, stretching 507 kilometres (315 miles).

Nepal has the world's third-largest concentration of Royal Bengal Tigers (after Bangladesh and India) and the world's second-largest concentration of one-horned rhinos. West Nepal is home to the world's largest herd of Swamp deer.

Nepal has one of the best habitats in the world for beautiful endangered Snow Leopards.

Nepal's map is exactly the same as Portugal's map if you turn it 90 degrees clockwise.

On April 25, 2015, at 11:56 a.m. local time, an earthquake struck Nepal. It had a magnitude of 7.9 and was extremely powerful. More than 8,800 people were killed and over 21,000 were injured in the earthquake. Almost 3.5 million people were made homeless. In neighbouring countries, 58 people were killed. The earthquake triggered avalanches on Mount Everest, killing 21 people and injuring at least 120 more.

Following the earthquake in Nepal on April 25, 2015, some parts of Kathmandu were vertically lifted by about three feet, causing severe damage to various buildings in the city. The UNESCO-recognized historic Dharahara Tower was among them, and it was reduced to rubble, trapping at least 50 people beneath it.

The cause of the earthquake, according to the USGS, was a release of built-up stress or a sudden thrust along a major fault line where the Indian Plate is slowly diving beneath the Eurasian Plate. Kathmandu shifted three metres (ten feet) to the south in less than 30 seconds.

Kantipur, which means "City of Glory," was the city before Kathmandu.

In ancient times, the Kathmandu Valley was a massive lake filled with floating lotuses. This has been scientifically proven by geologists.

Today, Kathmandu is known as the world's living cultural museum. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 for its collection of approximately 130 significant pilgrimage and monument sites.

More than half of Nepal's population lives in Kathmandu.

The name of this city is derived from the Kaasthanmandap temple, which was built in 1596. It is also known as Maru Satal and is located in what was once the Basantapur Durbar Square.

Kathmandu was at the crossroads of the historic trade route connecting India and Tibet. This resulted in a fusion of architecture, religions, artists, and traditions in Kathmandu, resulting in the city's great diversity.

Freak Street is a Kathmandu street known for the large number of hippies who lived there in the 1960s and 1970s.

Kathmandu’s motto is ‘Unity in Diversity’.