The Kingdom
of Nepal is a landlocked country situated between India and
China's Tibetan Autonomous region. The Himalayas fall within
the country's boundaries, thus Nepal is well known for its mountainous
and hilly topography. In fact, Nepal is home to the magnificent
Mount Everest, believed to be the world's tallest mountain.
The fascinating geography of Nepal contributes greatly to the
country's wonder and touristic appeal. As we investigate Nepal's
geography you will quickly discover why it draws adventure seekers
and those interested in exploring its ecological diversity.
It offers the most spectacular mountains scenery in the world
with more than a dozen of the highest mountains on earth including
The highest mountain Mt. Everest. Nepal is also the home of
one Asia 's richest and most spectacular wild life sanctuaries.
The Royal Chit wan National Park and Bardiya National park ,
includes the rare great one Horned Rhino, several species of
deer, sloth bear, wild boar, fresh water dolphin, leopard, crocodile,
over 450 species of exotic birds and the Royal Bengal Tiger.
This charming country presents a very rich culture preserved
and maintained intact for centuries by its beautiful people.
Nepal is the birthplace of "Lord Buddha" who enlightened
the entire world with his message of universal peace, compassion
and humanity. The unique culture that have developed from the
marriage of two major religion of the world "Buddhism Hinduism".Nepal
is a haven for adventure in the Himalayas and its has drawn
hundreds of Expeditions from all over the world to conquer its
high mountains. Since the historic conquest of Mt. Everest,
the highest mountain on earth, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzin
Norgay Sharpa in the early 50's Nepal's mountain have been scaled
again and again by expedition from all over the world.
Among the various temples that are dedicated to the god and
goddesses of the Hindu religion the temple of pashupatinath
is the most important. Apart from this temple there is the Guhyeswar
temple that is dedicated to goddess parvati is also of significant
importance. Apart from the temple tourist can also take a look
at the Narayanhiti Palace which has been the seat of many a
event in the recent past. The Kathmandu durbar square in the
capitals one of the UNESCO world heritage site and is a must
see spot for many tourists.
Besides these usual attractions Nepal has wonderful reserves
of museums and wildlife. The Rare national park, Sagamatha national
Park, Makalu Barun national park and Chitwan national park boasts
of some rare varieties of flora and fauna in the region. Besides
wildlife Nepal is known for its picaresque hill stations like
pokhra which attracts thousand s of adventure tourism lovers.
.
Nepal besides its natural beauty offers a wide choice to its
visitors who are interested in trekking, paragliding, bird watching,
river rafting, rock climbing etc. Trekking is the most popular
kind of adventure activity and it is offered in packages of
3 days to 15 days depending on the traveler. River rafting is
a very common and popular in the Bhote Koshi, Karnali and Seti
rivers. If you want to go bungee jumping amidst nature then
Nepal is the perfect location for you. Even sports like mountain
lights and paragliding are available in this beautiful Himalayan
kingdom.
HISTORY
History of Nepal for centuries the Kingdom of Nepal remained
divided into many principalities. Kirats ruled in the east,
the Newars in the Kathmandu Valley, while Gurungs and Magars
occupied the mid-west.
The Kirats ruled from 300 BC and during their reign, Emperor
Ashoka arrived from India to build a pillar at Lumbini in memory
of Lord Buddha. The Kirats were followed by the Lichchhavis
whose descendants today are believed to be the Newars of the
Kathmandu Valley. During this period, art thrived in Nepal and
many of the beautiful woodcarvings and sculptures that are found
in the country belong to this era. With the end of the Lichchhavi
dynasty, Malla kings came to power in 1200 AD and they also
contributed tremendously to Nepal's art and culture.
However, after almost 600 years of rule, the kings were not
united among themselves and during the late 18th century, Prithvi
Narayan Shah, King of Gorkha, conquered Kathmandu and united
Nepal into one Kingdom. Recognizing the threat of the British
Raj in India, he dismissed European missionaries from the country
and for more than a century, Nepal remained in isolation. During
the mid-19th century, Jung Bahadur Rana became Nepal's first
Prime Minister to wield absolute power. He set up an oligarchy
and the Shah kings remained figureheads. The Ranas were overthrown
in a democracy movement of the early 1950s.
Today, Nepal enjoys a multiparty democratic system with a constitutional
Monarch.
GEOGRAPHY
The Kingdom of Nepal covers an area of 147,181 square kilometers,
and stretches 145-241 kilometers north to south and 850 kilometers
west to east.
Nepal, a sovereign Independent Kingdom, lies between 80 degree
12' east longitude and 26 degree 22' and 30 degree 27' north
latitude. It is bounded on the north by the Tibet Autonomous
Region of the People's Republic of China; on the east by Sikkim
and West Bengal of the Indian Union on the south by Indian States
of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and on the west by Uttar Pradesh
of Indian Union. The length of the Kingdom is 885 kilometers
east-west and its breath varies from 145 to 241 kilometers north-south.
Climatically, it lies in the temperate zone with the added advantage
of altitude.
The country can be divided into three main geographic regions:
Himalayan Region: The altitude of this region ranges
between 4877 meters and 8848 meters with the snow line running
around 48848 meters. It includes 8 of the existing 14 summits
in the world which exceed an altitude of 8000 meters. They represent.
(1) Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) 8848 m, (2) Kangchenjunga - 8586
m, (3) Lhotse - 8516m, Makalu - 8463m, (5) ChoOyo- 8201 m, (6)
Dhaulagiri - 8167m, (7) Manaslu - 8163m, and Annapurna- 8091
m.
Mountain Region: This region accounts for about 64 percent
to total land area. It is formed by the Mahabharat range that
soars up to 4877 meters. To its south lies the lower Churia
range whose altitude varies from 610 meters to 1524 meters.
Terai Region: The low-land Terai region which has a width
of about 26 to 32 kilometers and a maximum altitude of 305 meters,
which occupies about 17% of total land area of the country.
Kechanakawal the lowest point of the country with an altitude
of 70 meters lies in Jhapa District of the eastern Terai.
RELIGION
Melting pot of Hinduism & Buddhism, the two major religions
practiced in Nepal are Hinduism and Buddhism with a majority
of the people being Hindus. The two have co-existed through
the ages and many Hindu idols are found within Buddhist shrines.
Hindus visit Buddhist shrines and Buddhists visit Hindu temples
without a second thought as many worship in both. Some gods
and goddesses are shared by Hinduism and Buddhism although they
have been given different names.
Nepal was declared a secular country by Parliament on 18th May
2006. The other religions practiced in Nepal are: Islam,
Christianity, Jainism, Sikhism and Bon. Some of the earliest
inhabitants like the Kirants practice their own kind of religion
based on ancestor worship and the Tharus practice animism. Over
the years, Hinduism and Buddhism have been influenced by these
practices which have been modified to form a synthesis of newer
beliefs.
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