Containing the world's highest peaks, the Kingdom of Nepal is a land of continuous fascination. This is a place where the snows of Himalaya meet steamy Terai plains - 60 meters above sea level, with its paddy fields, mango groves, bamboo stands and palms. The country is inhabited by plethora of ethnic groups and sub-groups who speak over 70 languages
 
         
    Geography ::    
         
   
The Kingdom of Nepal stretches from north-west to south-east about 800 kilometers, with width from 90 to 230 kilometers. Nepal is positioned between two giant neighbours, China in the north and India in the east, south and west.

Nepal is a long rectangular country with an area of 140,000 square kilometers. Its altitude varies from 60-220m in the Gangetic Plain in the south, rising to 8,848m at the summit of Mount Everest in the north. The variation in climate, population and vegetation is as great as the variation in altitude.It has 10 out of 14 of the world's highest mountains, including the world's highest peak, Mount Everest.

Nepal consists of several physiographic regions: the plains in the south, four mountain ranges and the valley between them. The lowlands with their fetile soil and the southern slopes of the mountains with sunny exposures allow for cultivation and are main inhabited regions.

The Terai, or Gangetic plain is a flat expanse that stretches along the southern border of Nepal. Chure Hills, known also as Siwalik Hillsare the first of the four mountain ranges and run the lenght of the country. They have an average height of 900 meters. Inner Terai lies between Chure Hills and the next range of hills. Formed by east-west flowing rivers it forms longitudinal basins about 150 meters above sea level. North of the Inner Terai, the next range of hills is the Mahabharat Range, also calle Middle Hills. Their height varies between 1500 and 2700 meters. Their water-retentive soil s allow cultivation and extensive terracing. Between Mahabharat Range and the Himalaya lies a broad belt called midlands, or Pahar zone. It includes fertile valleys such as Kathmandu, Banepa and Pokhara. This area supports alomst half of population of Nepal. It ranges between 1000 and 2000 meters and it is extensively cultivated.

The Himalaya stretches along Nepal's northern border. About a third of the total lenght of the great Himalaya is contained in Nepal. These mountains are terraced and cultivated up to about 2700 meters. The Trans-Himalaya lies north of the Himalaya. It is high desert region and encompasses valleys of Mustang, Manang and Dolpo stretching from central to north-western Nepal, with average altitude below 6000 meters.
    
   
   
         
    Culture ::    
         
   
Cultural diversity adds to the rich tapestry that makes Nepal so unique and special.

Nepal is a land of contrasts that link two worlds; maintaining communication between the Hindu and ancient Buddhist cultures of the Indian subcontinent. Nepal is the home of a large number of racial and ethnic groups and minorities. The multitude of languages spoken by the Nepalese people are as diverse as the religions professed by them. Yet all of them live peacefully.

Travellers call Nepal a wonderland. There are few countries in the world where so many monuments of art may be found within such a small compass. Nepal is a dream come true, a dream of Hindu and Buddhist middle ages so rooted in tradition, so unspoilt. It is the throne of the gods and the land of the shrines, sanctuaries and natural beauty.

Nepal is where Gautam Buddha was born in a garden in Lumbini, 560 years before Christ. Nepal is the place where the pagoda style architecture originated. Nepal is the place where Mount Everest (Sagarmatha) is situated and in whose snowclad heights the abominable snowman (yeti) is believed to wander. Nepal is the land of the brave Gurkha soldiers and hardy Sherpas and the skilful artistic Newars. There are many separate races and tribes in Nepal, each having its own distinctive costumes, languages, dialects and customs.

"Nepal is the richest banquet imaginable - for anyone with an apetite for fantastic legends, a thirst for colour and scenary and a general craving for utter cultural and theological wonder, then your trek in Nepal is a case study in all you can eat - a feast of unbelieve proportions".
   
   
   
   
    Health    
   
Healthcare is something that developed countries take for granted. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of cleanliness in a country such as Nepal; the biggest killers, especially in children, are diseases which result from eating and drinking dirty food and water. One in five children dies before their fifth birthday and over 20% of these are as a result of enteritis and other diarrhoeal diseases all of which are curable or can be prevented through vaccination.

Worst affected are the poor. Rate of infant deaths per 1000 is 111 for the affluent/rich, 195 for the poor and 250 for the very poor. After the first year, mortality amongst children in the countryside is twice as great as for those in towns, a reflection of the lower family incomes, poorer healthcare facilities and less efficient immunisation programmes in rural areas; the situation is particularly chronic in the hills and mountains.

Nutritional standards are noticeably worse amongst the poor than the rich and the value of food eaten is lessened by the widespread presence of internal parasites. One survey found 72% of children were infested with worms, mostly roundworm. Another survey in the Kathmandu Valley found 4 out of 5 people had roundworm and everyone had hookworm and whipworm.

Healthcare is about many things; dispensing medicines and setting up immunisation programmes are obviously important but the provision of clean water and the dissemination of messages stressing the significance of hygiene are also crucial. All this costs money of which there is an acute shortage.

The ratio between health posts and population is 1:21,280 according to the national planning commission which states "viewed from the angle of the services to be delivered their number is piteously low, not to say negligable." There is a great need for multiplying their number with all speed so the people can derive benefit from whatever curative and preventative measures they are competent and equiped to provide.

If you plan to visit Nepal it is recommended to take several vaccinations. Detailed information can be found in Nepal links section.
   
   
   
    Facts & Figures    
         
    Nepal has a population of 23 million people. This has risen phenomenaly in the last 30/40 years from 11 million to the present figure. This puts strain and pressure on the land and on the health care and economy of the country. The urban population is 14% which means that Nepal is predominately a rural and agrarian society.

Gross domestic product growth 1.9%
Population growth 2.3%
People per telephone 118
Life expectancy 57 yrs of age
Literacy rate 27.5%
One US dollaris worth 72 Nepali Rupee (as of March 2004)
    
         
   
 
       
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