As a citizen of Nepal, a landlocked country within the folds of the Himalayan mountain range that does not produce missiles, crude oil, terrorism, or metro cities like those in the first world, it is interesting to introduce my origin! “Oh, where is Nepal”? The funniest part is when people know Mt. Everest as the highest peak in the world, but not the country it belongs to.
Imagine mountains, indigenous people living with nature-worshipping mountain gods, trees, and rivers, where there are villages at altitudes as high as 4,500 meter altitude; people have to wait for the clouds to drift away to see the next village, far from the sights and sounds of the modern cities and world, Nepal a sovereign independent country with an area of 1,47,516 square kilometers (56,956 sq mi) 52nd by population and 93rd by area. Kathmandu, Nepal, is located at 27° 42′ 6” N and 85° 19′ 14” E.
We are sadly landlocked, sharing open borders with India to the south, east, & west, and the greater Himalayan border with China (Tibet) to the North. Being sandwiched between the two great civilization and culture, it is no surprise that in the geographical vicinity, some diffusions resulting in synonyms is found, however keeping aside that a small percentage Nepali population, in general, are distinct even within due to various ethnic background and one thing that binds them all is their common life evolved in the mountains from high to low commonly known as “Terai”.
Interesting Facts About Nepal
- Buddha was born in Lumbini, where modern-day Buddhism began.
- The only country in the world with 83% of Hindu.
- Land of the Himalayas! 14 out 8 of the 8,000’ers mountains, including Mt. Everest, are located in Nepal.
- The only country in the world with a triangle-shaped flag ever exists.
- The Kaligandaki Gorge is the deepest gorge on earth.
- No foreign nation ever colonized Nepal.
Nepal: An Independent Country in South Asia
The Himalayan mountain range is very long, extending from east to west, from northeast India in the east to Afghanistan in the West, and geographically it is located in the middle, where the mountains are ferocious and compete with the clouds in height. Because the Himalayan mountain range is large, there is a misconception amongst a few that Nepal is part of the big Indian subcontinent. The British colonized India, but Nepal always remained an independent sovereign country.
Geographically, we are home to 8 out of 14 of the highest mountain peaks in the world. Nepal is also the birthplace of Lord Buddha. So, where is it in Asia? Nepal is slightly larger than Portugal, about 1.6 times its size.
Imagine Kathmandu Valley, the country’s capital, is the largest valley at only 49.45 km2. Which is roughly a 30-minute drive east to west. Hills and mountains cover the rest of the land. You will be amazed by how Nepal and the world’s tallest mountains were formed. Watch this HD video to see clearly how the Nepal Himalayas came into existence.
The Formation of the Himalayas
Nepal Geography Myths Busted
- Nepal is not located in Europe!
- Nepal is not a colonized country!
- Nepal is certainly not a part of India!
- Nepal is not a city in Italy.
“NEPAL” is the only country with a Triangular National Flag.
It is not Naples, Napales, or any other search word people use to Google! It’s Nepal.
Religion in Nepal
Based on the 2021 census, 81.19% of the Nepalese population was Hindu, 8.21% was Buddhist, 5.09% was Muslim, 3.17% was Kiratist (indigenous ethnic religion), 1.76% was Christian, 0.01% was Sikh, 0.01% was Jain, and 0.56% followed other religions or no religion.
Languages Spoken in Nepal
People in Nepal speak over 124 languages, according to the 2021 census. 44.9% of Nepal’s total population speaks Nepali, which is also our National language. The details are provided in the graph below.
I hope that we answered your question adequately in this post. You can find out more about the Nepal travel guide here. If you have any more questions or if we missed something, please feel free to leave a comment below! Share with your friends!
