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Country Hopping: Nepal
Official name: Kingdom of Nepal
Area: 147,181 sq km
Population: 22,847,000
Capital: Kathmandu
Currency: Nepalese rupee
Official language: Nepali
Major Cities: Patan, Morang, Bhadgaon, Biratnagar, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Pokhara
Independence day: 1768 AD
Major exports: Woolen carpets, clothing, hides and skins, food grains, jute, timber, oil seeds, ghee, potatoes, medicinal herbs, cattle.
A landlocked country in the Himalayan mountain range in Central Asia, Nepal is bounded north by Tibet (an autonomous region of China), east, south, and west by India.
Physical features
Nepal is one of the most mountainous areas of the world. Its terrain can be divided into three parallel bands extending northwest to southeast. Closest to China is the Himalayas. The Mahabharat Lekh and Siwalik ranges of the Himalayas dominate the second band. The third region is the Tarai, an area of plains, swamps, and forests.
Climate
Elevation plays a major role in the climate of Nepal. In the high mountain ranges, temperatures remain cold throughout the year. The summers are hot and rainy, the winters are cool. The temperatures are highest from late spring to midsummer. The higher mountain elevations are always snow-covered.
Government
Nepal is a pluralist, parliamentary democracy headed by a constitutional monarch. It has a two-chamber legislature, comprising 205 members and a 60-member national council. Executive power is vested jointly in the king and a council of ministers, which is headed by a prime minister drawn from the House of Representatives’ majority party grouping.
Ethnicity
The main ethnic group, the Newars, were probably the original inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley. There are also various Tibetan-Burmese groups, such as the Gurung, Magar, Rai, Limbu, Thakali, and Sherpa, who have migrated to Nepal over millennia. Some other major groups, such as the Tharu, are of mixed origin. Indians and Tibetans also live in Nepal.
Religion
Nepal is the only official Hindu state in the world; 88 per cent of the population is Hindu. About 8 per cent of the people are Buddhists, and they and Hindus — with the exception of those in the upper castes — often share the same customs and worship at each other’s shrines. Muslims make up around 3 per cent of the population. Christians are the other minority.
Diet
Many higher-caste people in Nepal are vegetarian. Rice with lentil soup and vegetable curry are often the main dishes in urban areas or among the rural upper classes. The middle castes eat goat or chicken meat when available, and occasionally water buffalo. Sherpas and Tibetans tend to eat meat more often than other groups.
Roti (flat bread) may be prepared with wheat or maize. Hill people eat dhedo (porridge) made of cornmeal, millet, or buckwheat. Chopsticks are used in some northern districts, but elsewhere food is eaten with the hand.
Wildlife
The animals found in Nepal are Indian python, leopard, tiger, Asian black bear, Asian elephant, Indian rhinoceros, red pandas, wild boar, red fox, snow leopard, grey wolf and Hanuman Langur. The birds found here include peregrine falcon, osprey, long eared bat, and Bearded vulture.
Places to visit
Nepal can very easily be called a land of mountains, as 11 of the 12 highest mountains in the world are located here. Himalayas, including Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak and the lake city of Pokhara are a must to see when visiting Nepal. The country also attracts tourists through a wide range of wildlife, which include tigers, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and gaur. But most of the tourists from the neighbouring countries come here to witness Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.
Durbar Square, in the Nepalese capital, has one of Nepals richest collections of historical structures. This part of the city boasts a royal palace, fascinating old residences, and more than 50 temples and shrines. The Golden Gate (Sun Dhoka) of the Bhaktapurs Royal Palace is a must see. And if you go to Nepal don’t miss the Elephant Safari, which is a popular mode of travel within Royal Chitwan National Park in Tarai Region.
History
AD 300: Licchavis dynasty migrated from India and introduced caste system.
1768: Nepal emerged as unified kingdom after ruler of the principality of the Gurkhas in the west, King Prithwi Narayan Shah, conquered Kathmandu Valley.
1792: Nepal’s expansion halted by defeat at the hands of Chinese in Tibet; commercial treaty signed with Britain.
1815-16: Anglo-Nepali Gurkha War; Nepal became British-dependent buffer state with British resident stationed in Kathmandu.
1846: Fell under sway of Rana family, who became hereditary chief minister, dominating powerless monarchy and isolating Nepal from the outside world.
1923: Full independence formally recognized by Britain.
1951: Monarchy restored and Ranas overthrown in Palace Revolution supported by Nepali Congress Party (NCP).
1959: Constitution created elected legislature.
1960-61: Parliament dissolved by King Mahendra; political parties banned after NCP’s eader B. P. Koirala became prime minister.
1962: New constitution provided for tiered, traditional system of indirectly elected local councils (panchayats) and an appointed prime minister.
1972: King Mahendra died; succeeded by his son, King Birendra Bikram Shah Dev.
1980: Constitutional referendum following popular agitation led by B. P. Koirala resulted in introduction of direct, but non-party, elections to National Assembly.
1983: Overthrow of monarch-supported prime minister by directly elected deputies to National Assembly.
1986: New assembly elections returned majority opposed to panchayat system of partyless government.
1988: Strict curbs placed on opposition activity; over 100 supporters of banned NCP arrested; censorship imposed.
1989: Border blockade imposed by India during treaty dispute.
1990: Panchayat system collapsed after mass NCP-led violent pro-democracy demonstrations; new democratic constitution introduced, and ban on political parties lifted.
1991: NCP led by Girija Prasad Koirala, won general election.
1992: Communists led anti-government demonstrations in Kathmandu and Patan.
1994: Koirala’s government defeated on confidence motion; parliament dissolved. After fresh elections, minority communist government formed under Man Mohan Adhikari.
1995: Parliament dissolved by King Birendra at Prime Minister Adhikari’s request; fresh elections called but Supreme Court ruled the move unconstitutional. Sher Bahadur Deuba (NCP) became prime minister.
1997: Deuba defeated in vote of confidence. New coalition formed, led by right-wing Rastriya Prajatantra Party under Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand. Coalition divided; government defeated on confidence vote. Former Prime minister Bahadur Thapa returned pending new election.
1998: Government narrowly survived no-confidence vote. Thapa stood down as prime minister and was replaced by G. P. Koirala of the NCP.
2001: King Birendra’s 29-year-old son, Crown Prince Dipendra, opened fire on his parents and other family members before turning his sub-machine gun on himself. Eleven people were shot dead, in one of the worlds worst royal massacre on June 1. Dipendra (who was critically wounded) was announced the new king by the Nepalese council, but he died on June 4. Gyandera, brother of King Birendra was crowned the new king.
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