Homeland

Nepal is a small, beautiful, and landlocked country in South Asia. Its total land area is 147,516km² and population is 28.09 million. Its neighboring countries are India and China. Nepal had been under Royal regime for over 240 years. However, people overthrew the system and established Presidential System in 2006. It is a secular country under the new constitution of Nepal.  Majority of the population are Hinduists and the rest are Buddhists, Kiratists (Indigenous ethnic religion), Muslims, and Christians. Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal.

Nepal is geographically, topographically and culturally rich. It is topographically divided into three regions: the Himalaya to the north, the middle hills consisting of the Mahabharat range and the Chure Hills, and the Terai to the south. So, the weather in Nepal varies based on geographical zones. Unlike other countries, there are six different seasons - spring, summer, monsoon, autumn, “hemanta” (pre-winter) and winter – in Nepal. So, people enjoy all the different weather and grow different kinds of food, grains, fruits, and vegetables.  

Nepali is the official language of Nepal. There are more than 123 local languages spoken across the country by Indigenous people and over 80 diverse ethnic groups are residing with harmony and peace.

 The national festivals of Nepal are Dashain and Tihar. People who live far away from home return to celebrate Dashain and Tihar or at least to celebrate one of the holidays. People are given a statutory holiday on these occasions. Actually, Dashain is celebrated for ten days. People pray to goddess Druga for nine days and finally they celebrate Dashain on the tenth day. This day people get blessings from seniors. People celebrate with traditional food: goat meat, rice, and roti (traditional bread), play swings and kites. Similarly, during Tihar sisters worship for their brothers’ long life. It is celebrated for five days during which people do vailo (cultural singing and dancing), play on swings and play cards. Men wear national clothes called daka topi and daura-suruwal and women wear sari-cholo or a traditional dress. During these festivals people express their love, care, and generosity to each other. It helps to keep harmony in the community.

The economy of the country mostly depends on agriculture, tourism and small industries. But GDP is heavily dependent on remittances of foreign workers. A vast majority of youths go to foreign countries for work. There is a huge opportunity in hydropower and raw materials for herbal medicine. In fact, Nepal is the second richest country in the world in water resources.

Nepal is popularly known as the roof of the world as the tallest/highest mountain – Mt. Everest – lies in the country. In fact, eight of the world’s top ten highest mountains are in Nepal. It is famous for historical sites and scenes. Some places are included in the world heritage, such as Kathmandu Valley, Lumbini, Chitwan National Park and Sagarmatha National Park. Kathmandu Valley has different types of architectural buildings that represent the oldest forms of art and culture. Lumbini, where Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. is a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists, and a famous tourist destination. Chitwan National Park is famous for some of the best wildlife sightseeing in Asia. In the park you can come across world’s endangered one-horned rhinos, royal Bengal tigers, deer, monkeys, wild boars and over 544 species of birds. So, it is a safari destination for tourists. Sagarmatha National Park is famous for the mountains, glaciers and deep valleys dominated by Mount Everest which is visited and climbed by lots of tourists every year. Also snow leopards and the lesser pandas are found in the park.

However, the most popular tourists’ destination in Nepal is Pokhara. Many tourists visit Pokhara to see the panorama of mountains. Pokhara is also famous for boating, trekking, rafting and extreme sports like rafting, canoeing and bungee jumping.

Nepal is such a wonderful blend of natural beauty and cultural heritage that always entices people.