Nepal is a landlocked Asian country located in the Himalaya mountain range, the world’s highest.
Nepal is about the size and shape of Tennessee and is bordered by India, Tibet and the People’s Republic of China. Nepal has been ruled as a hereditary monarchy and became a constitutional monarchy in 1990. Since the November 2006 peace accord between the government and the Maoists, the Prime Minister has replaced the King as Head of State. Parliamentary elections were held in November 2007. On May 28th, 2008, legislators passed a resolution which abolished the monarchy that had reigned for 239 years over this Himalayan country. Nepal is divided into 14 zones and 75 districts, grouped into 5 development regions.
Kathmandu, the largest city, is the capital as well as the primary commercial and cultural center of the country. For many years the Nepalese lived isolated in the mountains. Efforts to modernize and the growth of tourism have ended that isolation.
The official language of Nepal is Hindi. Over 80 percent of the people are followers of Hinduism. Until recently, Nepal was the only officially Hindu state. In 2006 they became a secular state. The Nepalese belong to two main ethnic groups. Most are descended from people from northern India and the rest are of Mongolian ancestry, the descendants of people from Tibet.
The population of over 28 million lives primarily in the countryside, farming and raising livestock. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Only 20 percent of the land is suitable for farming but sustains 76 percent of the population. The primary crops are rice, corn, and wheat for food and jute, sugarcane and tobacco as commercial crops. Industry is limited. The official language is Nepali, a language derived from Sanskrit, related to the Indian language, Hindi.
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