Nepal
Nepal is a Hindu kingdom of Southern Asia, with borders with Tibet and India.
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| National motto: जननि जन्मभुमिस्चा स्वर्गदपि गरियोशि "The Motherland Is Worth More than the Kingdom of Heaven" (translation from Sanskrit) | |||||
| Official language | Nepali | ||||
| Capital | Kathmandu | ||||
| King | Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev | ||||
| Prime Minister | Sher Bahadur Deuba | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 94th 140,800 kmē 2.8% | ||||
| Population
- Total (2000) - Density | Ranked 40th
25,284,463 184/kmē | ||||
| Unification | 1768 | ||||
| Currency | Nepalese Rupee (NPR) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +5:45 | ||||
| National anthem | Rastriya Gaan (May Glory Crown You, Courageous Sovereign) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .NP | ||||
| Calling Code | 977 | ||||
| Table of contents |
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2 Politics 3 Zones 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 References 10 Further reading |
On June 1, 2001 the Heir Apparent Dipendra went on a killing spree in the royal palace in an angry response to his parents' refusal to accept his choice for a wife. He shot and killed his parents, the king Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, as well as several other royal cousins before turning the gun on himself. His suicide attempt failed, however, and although in a comatose state, he was proclaimed the King (in accordance with Nepalese tradition) in his hospital bed. He died a few hours later. Following this, his uncle (Birendra's brother) Gyanendra was proclaimed king on June 4. Nepal is currently embroiled in a long-lasting civil war, the Nepalese People's War.
The former king Birendra was open to parliamentary democracy, and restored it after a referendum in 1990. King Birendra was widely respected by the people of Nepal. However, quarrels between various political parties and numerous social problems caused a Maoist rebellion which has been escalating since 1996 (see Nepalese People's War). Since the ascension of Gyanendra the king has been trying to excercise more control over the government to combat the rebellion and other problems. Democracy has been largely supended by Gyanendra who has taken control of government.
Nepal is divided into 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural):
Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Koshi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Nepal is landlocked between China and India; total land area 147,181 square kilometers. The terrain is mountainous and hilly, although with physical diversity. Three broad physiographic areas run laterally - lowland Terai Region in the south; central lower mountains and hills constituting the Hill Region; the high Himalayas, with 8,848-meters-high Mount Everest and other peaks forming Mountain Region in north. Of Nepal's total land area, only 20 percent is cultivatable. Deforestation is a severe problem.
The vista and majesty of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, and the Himalayas, including the eight-thousanders those mountains over 8,000 metres, are rightly both a major tourist attraction and one of the acknowledged Wonders of the world.
Nepal has five climatic zones based on altitude that range from subtropical in the south, to cool summers and severe winters in the north. There is annual rainfall with seasonal variations depending on the monsoon cycle, which provides 60 to 80 percent of the total annual rainfall: 2,500 millimeters in eastern part of country; 1,420 millimeters around Kathmandu; 1,000 millimeters in western Nepal.
History
Main article: History of NepalPolitics
Main article: Politics of NepalZones
Main article: Zones of NepalGeography
Main article: Geography of Nepal