FACT ABOUT NEPAL

Sandwiched between the two super powers China and India, Nepal is draped along the greatest heights of the Himalayas. The Kingdom Nepal is a country of ancient history, diverse cultures, and superb scenery.

Stretching 800 km from north-west to south-east, and varying in width between 90km - 230km Nepal has a total area of approx. 147,181 sq km making it a relatively small country. However, within this small area, the greatest altitude differences in the world can be found, ranging between 100m in the Terai and 8848m above see level on Mount Everest. Physiologically Nepal consists of three major regions or natural zones stretching from the north west, to the south-east of the country, being the low plains or Terai in the south, the hilly region also called Pahar Zone in the middle and the Himalayan Region.

FLAG	MAP	Mt. EVEREST

Geologically seen, like the rest of the Himalayas, Nepal is still very young. Unlike e.g. the Alps in Europe the landscape in Nepal changes very quickly. The Himalayas are still growing as the Indio-Australian plate is pushing against the Eurasian plate, while through landslides and erosion, hills move over years and rivers constantly change their course. Nepal is also very prone to earthquakes, and other geological and climatic disasters.

CLIMATIC CHARACTERISTICS

Nepal probably also has the most diverse climate in the world. Temperatures range from over 45°C during the dry season in the Terai up to -60°C during winter in the mountains. From June to September the monsoon floods the whole Terai, while the rest of the year it hardly rains at all.

FLORA & FAUNA

With 6500 known species of Flora, 10 % of the worlds bird species, and the many kinds of mammals and reptiles, biologically Nepal is still a very rich country. But its conservation is very doubtful due to the quickly increasing population. Forests will continue to be depleted for firewood, while alternatives for energy are either too expensive or not available, and it is becoming more difficult for a Farmer to understand why land should be set aside for Rhinos or Tigers, especially when they destroy crops, take domestic animals and make a hard life even harder. Despite all this Nepal does a lot for the conservation of its nature, perhaps more than any other third world country. Even though demand for more land is very strong, today a total area of over 12% of the country is protected in 8 national parks and 4 wildlife reserves, which shows an impressive commitment to conservation.

ECONOMIC SITUATION

Having an estimated annual Gross Domestic Product of only 210 US$ per person (1997), Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. 90% of the population are subsistence farmers operating outside the cash economy. About 41% of the GDP is accounted for by agriculture. But due to the increasing population, Nepal already became a Net food importer. The only real incomes for the country was the manufacturing of Carpets and Tourism. But both are dying out: The Carpet industry due to boycotted Child Labour, and tourism due to the instability in the country. Meanwhile 30% of the country's income is Foreign aid. Nepal's Trade is mainly dominated by India and many activities within the country are Indian owned or controlled.

PEOPLE

Most of the people here are uneducated and don't feel the necessity of education, if the daily problem of food is solved they are satisfied. Therefore, they hardly send their children to school, unless enough money is available and there is really nothing to do at home. But slowly, slowly their habitat is diminishing, and not enough land is left for all to survive with agriculture.

Nepal's population is estimated at around 24 million and is increasing at a high annual rate of nearly 3%, even though infant mortality is extremely high and life expectancy is only 57 years. This means that the population will double in the next 25 years. About half of them live in extreme poverty, while nearly 60% are illiterate. The population growth is resulting in a large number of subsistence peasant families urbanizing to the slums of Nepal's big cities, because it is becoming too crowded in the countryside for them to survive. Especially outside the capital city Kathmandu, health services are extremely limited - the ratio doctors to people was 1 to 15000 in 1991.

The population of Nepal is extremely diverse and highly complex since it is the meeting point of the Indo-Aryan people from India and the Tibeto-Burmese from the Himalayas. There are more then 35 different major casts and ethnic groups that speak over 20 completely different languages. Nepali is the major and official Language, but by far doesn't mean that everybody speaks Nepali. The national census shows Nepalese are Hindus, Buddhist, Muslims and Christians as well. All these different people live together in perfect harmony, and no conflicts regarding religion exist.

2. State and society

The Kingdom of Nepal has been independent since it was founded in 1768. Since 1990 it has been a constitutional monarchy. Executive powers lie with a Cabinet, and the parliament has an upper and lower house.
The Nepalese economy is based on agriculture and animal husbandry, which supports 93 per cent of the population. The mountainous interior of the country lacks the necessary infrastructure for industrial production. Only 60 per cent of the land is inhabitable, and only 17 per cent can be used for farming. The most important source of revenue is tourism, and the export of Tibetan carpets also plays a significant role. The natural resources found in the country have not yet been exploited. With a gross national product per capita of only US$ 223, Nepal is one of the world's poorest countries.

Nepal is characterised by a considerable cultural variety and has a rich cultural heritage. Almost three-quarters of the population of Nepal belong to Indo-Nepalese and Indian ethnic groups, about a quarter to old Nepalese groups. There is also a Tibetan minority. The various ethnic groups such as the Newar, Tamang, Tibetans and Sherpas differ considerably in terms of lifestyle, clothing and rituals. 90 per cent of the population are Hindus.

Many of the people are living in poverty and child mortality is extremely high. Only three per cent of young people attend school beyond primary levels, literacy rates are low - only about every tenth Nepalese woman can read and write. Due to their poor education, people often lack the ways and means to overcome their poverty.