Nepal is a tiny land-locked nation located in the Himalayas. It is bordered by China on its north and India on its south, east and west. It is the 93rd largest country in the world, considering land mass, and population wise, it is the 41st most populous country.
Top of the World
Who wouldn't like to be at the top of the tallest peak in the world? But for that, you will have to book a ticket to Nepal.
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The tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest, called Sagarmatha in the local Nepalese language, is highly revered by the local Sherpa people.
Did you know that the flag of Nepal is the only flag in the world that is not rectangular or not quadrilateral in shape? The crimson red color of the flag signifies the color of its national flower, rhododendron.
Flag of Nepal
The color also stands for victory in war and the braveness of the Nepalese people. The blue border of the flag symbolizes peace.
The shape of the flag has two triangles which stand for the mountains of Nepal. The shape of the sun and the moon on the flag represents the aggressiveness of Nepal Warriors.
Religion in Nepal
Nepal is a secular country, but Hinduism is the religion that dominates Nepal; over 80 percent of the population practices Hindu traditions and rituals.
Buddhism is also a major religion here and is followed by many people.
The mountainous north of Nepal has eight of the top ten tallest mountains in the world. Amazing, right?
The Land of the Himalayas
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The peaks are - Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga (3rd highest), Mount Lhotse, Mount Makalu, Mount Cho Oyu (4th, 5th and 6th resp. shared by Nepal and Tibet), Mount Dhaulagiri I, Mount Manaslu and Mount Annapurna (7th, 8th and 10th tallest respectively).
There are over 240 peaks above the height of 20,000 feet in Nepal's mountain ranges.
Birthplace of The Buddha
The great and revered Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal. Tenzing Norgay, among the first persons to scale Mount Everest, is a Nepalese Sherpa.
Unlike in Western countries, people in Nepal do not shake their hands to greet one another or a newcomer. They instead, place their palms together, and say Namaste. Nepalese people value their traditions, and respect their customs and traditions above anything else.
As far is food is considered, majority of the Nepalese are vegetarians. Goat is preferred as meat. Lentils, rice, millet and corn are also preferred by people.
Nepalese Food
Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city in Nepal. The many temples and palaces in the capital give it an Medieval air.
Katmandu
For its culturally rich and important architecture, The Kathmandu Durbar Square has been declared a world heritage sight by the UNESCO.
Nepalese Currency
The area of Nepal is around 147,181 square kilometers and according to the 2010 census, the population is about 29,331,000. The currency of Nepal is 'rupiya'.
Till 2008, Nepal was a constitutional monarchy, but now it is a democratic country. Nepal, though a poor country, is blessed with rich flora and fauna.
The Rhododendron Arboreum, known locally as Lali Guransh, is the national flower. Nepali is the official language, but a majority of the population also speaks and understands English.
Rhododendron Arboreum
The prominent regional recognized languages of Nepal are Nepal Bhasa, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Limbu, Gurung, and Sherpa. Apart from that there are more than 100 indigenous languages spoken in Nepal, making it a linguistically blessed country.
The cow is the national animal and is highly revered. and killing it for meat is a felony in this country. The Himalayan Monal, known locally as Danfe, is the national bird.
Himalayan Monal
Sayaun Thunga Phool Ka is the national anthem of Nepal. It hails Nepalese pride, courage, rich culture, people, scenic beauty, peace and biodiversity. The lyrics of the anthem were written by poet Pradeep Kumar Rai.
Trekker's Paradise
Nepal is a rich country for travel and tourism. For people interested in trekking, rafting and hiking, Nepal is like heaven. The locales and innumerable mountains make it a trekker's paradise.