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Facts About
Nepal
Perched on the southern slopes of the
Himalayan Mountains,
the Kingdom of Nepal is as ethnically diverse as its terrain of
fertile plains, broad valleys, and the highest mountain peaks in
the world. The Nepalese are descendants of three major
migrations from India, Tibet, and central Asia.
Among the earliest inhabitants were
the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley
and aboriginal Tharus in the southern Terai region. The
ancestors of the Brahman and Chetri caste groups came from
India, while other ethnic groups trace their origins to central
Asia and Tibet, including the Gurungs and Magars in the west,
Rais and Limbus in the east, and Sherpas and Bhotias in the
north.
In the Terai, a part of the Ganges
Basin with 20% of Nepal’s land,
much of the population is physically and culturally similar to
the Indo-Aryan people of northern India. People of Indo-Aryan
and Mongoloid stock live in the hill region. The mountainous
highlands are sparsely populated. Kathmandu Valley, in the
middle hill region, constitutes a small fraction of the nation's
area but is the most densely populated, with almost 5% of the
population.
With eight of the world's ten
highest mountain peaks--including
Mt. Everest at 8,848 m (29,000 ft)--Nepal is a tourist
destination for hikers and mountain climbers. Yet a worsening
internal security situation and a global economic slowdown
threaten the tourism industry. Figures from the Nepal Tourism
Board show an increase in arrivals of 12.8% in 2004 but are well
below numbers during 1999, the peak tourism year.
Religion is important in Nepal--Kathmandu
Valley alone has more than 2,700 religious shrines. Nepal is
about 81% Hindu. The constitution describes the country as a
"Hindu Kingdom," although it does not establish Hinduism as the
state religion. Buddhists account for about 11% of the
population. Buddhist and Hindu shrines and festivals are
respected and celebrated by all. Nepal also has small Muslim and
Christian minorities. Certain animistic practices of old
indigenous religions survive.
Nepali is the official language,
although a dozen different languages
and about 30 major dialects are spoken throughout the country.
Derived from Sanskrit, Nepali is related to the Indian language,
Hindi, and is spoken by about 90% of the population. Many
Nepalese in government and business also speak English.
Nepal ranks among the world's
poorest countries with a per capita income of just over $240.
Based on national calorie/GNP criteria, an estimated 38% of the
population is below the poverty line. An isolated, agrarian
society until the mid-20th century, Nepal entered the modern era
in 1951 without schools, hospitals, roads, telecommunications,
electric power, industry, or a civil service. The country has,
however, made progress toward sustainable economic growth since
the 1950s and is committed to a program of economic
liberalization. |
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