About Nepal
Nepal lies between China and India in South Asia. Nepal’s government is a constitutional monarchy. Violent political protests ravaged the country in the 1990 which opened the way for multiparty government. Since then, no single party has been able to form a majority, resulting in a number of incompatible coalitions. In 2002 the king postponed elections because the Maoist insurgents controlled nearly 50 percent of Nepal - - mostly the poorer western regions. The political instability has not yielded any economic reforms for the country. Nepal remains one of the world’s poorest countries.
Most of the Nepalese people live in the central, hilly region which embraces the Kathmandu Valley and in the southern plain known as the Terai. The cutting of trees for fuel - increased by the demands of a booming tourist industry - causes erosion. Nepal has the greatest altitude variation on Earth – from the lowlands near sea level to Mount Everest in the Himalayas (29,035 feet). The local Sherpas benefit from the mountaineering boom and tourism in the Everest region.
Economy
Industry:
Tourism, carpets, textiles, rice, jute, sugar, cigarettes, cement and brick production
Agriculture:
Rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, milk
Exports:
Carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
Nepal Flag
Fast Facts
Population: 25,371,000
Capital: Kathmandu
Area: 147,181 square kilometers, (56,827 square miles)
Language: Nepali, English, many other languages and dialects
Religion: Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim
Currency: Nepalese rupee
Life Expectancy: 59 years
Literacy Percent: 45
GDP per Capita: U.S. $1,400
Text Source: National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
Food in Nepal
Food in Nepal is heavily influenced by Indian and Tibetan cuisine. The most popular Nepalese food includes a dish called ‘dhal bhat tarkari’. Dhal bhat tarkari consists of rice (bhat), curried vegetables (tarkari) and a type of lentil soup know as dhal. Bhat is certainly a staple Nepalese food.
Other popular foods in Nepal include:
Curd – A type of yogurt Gundruk – A sun-dried leafy green vegetable which is cooked in different ways (particularly in soup) Thupka – A traditional chicken soup Masu – Meat with a type of spicy gravy and rice Alu Tama – Potato made with bamboo shoots
Sweet Nepalese foods include:
Skiarni – A spiced sweet pistachio desert Juju Dhau – A rich creamy curd
Popular Nepalese drinks include locally produced beer and ‘lassi’ which is refreshing drink made from yogurt and water.