Facts about Nepal
Nepal climbs from the Tarai plains along the Indian border through forested hills and terraced valleys to the highest peaks on Earth. Explore the country through its provinces, cities, rivers and lakes, then discover the festivals, food and communities behind those places.
- Capital
- Kathmandu
- Currency
- Nepali rupee (NPR)
- Provinces
- 7, with 77 districts
- Main language
- Nepali
- Highest mountain
- Everest, 8,848.86 m
- Neighbours
- India and China
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Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur share the Kathmandu Valley, with Durbar squares, stupas and temples close together. Pokhara sits beside Phewa Lake beneath the Annapurna range, while Biratnagar, Birgunj and Janakpur anchor the busy southern plains. Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, lies near Siddharthanagar, and Chitwan National Park protects rhinoceroses and tigers in the inner Tarai.
Farther north, Namche Bazaar is the Sherpa trading town on the way to Everest, Jomsom stands in the dry Kali Gandaki valley and Jumla and Simikot serve the remote northwest. Three maps cover the seven provinces, 24 cities and towns, and 13 rivers and six lakes. Nepali lessons introduce everyday phrases, while the reading recognises the country’s many other mother tongues.
Geography of Nepal
A landlocked country that rises from lowland plains to the summit of Everest across a few hundred kilometres.
- Which countries border Nepal?
- Only two. India surrounds Nepal to the east, south and west, and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region lies to the north across the Himalaya.
- What is the Tarai?
- The Tarai is the strip of fertile lowland plains along Nepal’s southern border. It holds much of the country’s farmland and more than half of its population.
- How tall is Mount Everest?
- Nepal and China jointly announced a height of 8,848.86 metres in 2020. Everest stands on their shared border, in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district.
More about Nepal: geography
Nepal lies between India to the east, south and west and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north. It runs about 800 kilometres from east to west but is much narrower from north to south. Within that short distance the land climbs through distinct belts: the flat Tarai along the Indian border, the low Siwalik or Chure hills, the Mahabharat range, the middle hills with the Kathmandu and Pokhara valleys, and finally the high Himalaya.
Eight of the world’s fourteen peaks above 8,000 metres stand wholly or partly in Nepal, including Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Annapurna. Behind the main range, districts such as Mustang and Dolpa lie in a dry rain shadow. Three great river systems, the Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali, cut south through the mountains and carry snowmelt and monsoon rain towards the Ganges.
History of Nepal
Valley kingdoms, unification from Gorkha, a century of Rana rule and the long road to a federal republic.
- Who unified Nepal?
- Prithvi Narayan Shah, king of Gorkha, conquered the Kathmandu Valley in 1768 and started the unification that his successors extended.
- Was Nepal ever a colony?
- No. Nepal fought the British East India Company from 1814 to 1816 and lost territory under the Treaty of Sugauli, but it remained independent.
- When did Nepal become a republic?
- The Constituent Assembly abolished the monarchy in May 2008. A new constitution in 2015 then established Nepal as a federal democratic republic.
More about Nepal: history
The Kathmandu Valley was home to the Licchavi kingdom in the first millennium and later to Malla kings, who ruled rival city-states in Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. In the eighteenth century, Prithvi Narayan Shah of the small hill kingdom of Gorkha conquered the valley in 1768 and began building a unified state. War with the British East India Company ended with the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816, which fixed much of Nepal’s modern southern and western frontier. Nepal was never colonised.
From 1846 to 1951 hereditary Rana prime ministers held real power while Shah kings reigned. A popular movement in 1990 restored multiparty democracy. A Maoist insurgency from 1996 to 2006 cost thousands of lives before a peace agreement, and the elected Constituent Assembly abolished the monarchy in 2008. The 2015 constitution created a federal republic of seven provinces. That April, the Gorkha earthquake killed about 9,000 people.
Languages of Nepal
Nepali in Devanagari script is the shared language, alongside more than a hundred mother tongues.
- What script is Nepali written in?
- Devanagari, an alphabet written left to right with a line along the top of each word. Hindi, Marathi and Sanskrit use the same script.
- Is Nepali the only language in Nepal?
- No. The 2021 census recorded more than a hundred mother tongues. Maithili, Bhojpuri, Tharu, Tamang and Newar are among the most widely spoken after Nepali.
- What does namaste mean?
- Namaste is a respectful greeting said with palms pressed together. It works for hello and goodbye and comes from Sanskrit words meaning “I bow to you”.
More about Nepal: language
Nepali is an Indo-Aryan language written in the Devanagari script, the same script used for Hindi and Sanskrit. It is the official language of the federal government and the most common language between communities. In the 2021 census, a little under half of the population reported Nepali as their mother tongue.
The census recorded more than a hundred mother tongues. Maithili and Bhojpuri are widely spoken on the plains, Tharu across much of the Tarai, and Tamang, Newar (Nepal Bhasa), Magar and many Kiranti languages in the hills. The constitution recognises every mother tongue spoken in Nepal as a national language and allows provinces to adopt additional official languages. The Nepali lessons here start with greetings such as namaste.
Culture of Nepal
Festival calendars, Newar art in the Kathmandu Valley and traditions that change from the plains to the mountains.
- What is Dashain?
- Dashain is Nepal’s longest and most widely celebrated festival, held in autumn. Families gather so that elders can give tika and jamara blessings to younger relatives.
- Who is the Kumari?
- The Kumari is a young girl from the Newar community venerated as a living goddess. The best known, the Royal Kumari, lives in Kathmandu’s Kumari Ghar.
- Why is Nepal’s flag not rectangular?
- The flag is formed from two stacked triangular pennants, a shape linked with older Himalayan banners. It is the only non-rectangular national flag.
More about Nepal: culture
Dashain, the longest festival, brings families together to receive tika and jamara blessings from elders. Tihar follows with days honouring crows, dogs and cows, the lighting of lamps for Lakshmi and Bhai Tika for brothers and sisters. Chhath is central on the Madhesh plains, while Tamang, Gurung and Sherpa communities each celebrate their own Losar new year. In Kathmandu, Indra Jatra brings out the Kumari, a young girl venerated as a living goddess.
Newar artisans of the Kathmandu Valley built the pagoda temples, carved windows and metal images that define its cities. Mithila painting thrives around Janakpur, and mountain monasteries keep Tibetan Buddhist art and dance alive. Hinduism and Buddhism share many sites and festivals. Nepal’s flag is the only national flag that is not rectangular, made of two stacked pennants.
Economy of Nepal
Farming households, money sent home from abroad, tourism and rivers that generate electricity.
- How important are remittances to Nepal?
- Very important. Money sent home by Nepalis working abroad is equivalent to about a quarter of the economy and supports household spending across the country.
- Does Nepal sell electricity?
- Yes. Hydropower from its rivers now produces a surplus in the wet season, and Nepal exports electricity to India and, through India, to Bangladesh.
- What currency does Nepal use?
- The Nepali rupee (NPR). It is pegged to the Indian rupee at a fixed rate of 1.6 Nepali rupees to one Indian rupee.
More about Nepal: economy
Agriculture still employs a large share of workers, especially on the Tarai, where rice, wheat, maize and sugarcane are grown. Remittances from Nepalis working in the Gulf states, Malaysia, India and elsewhere are equivalent to roughly a quarter of the economy, one of the highest shares in the world. They help pay for housing, schooling and consumer spending in many districts.
Tourism brings trekkers, climbers and pilgrims to the Himalaya, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and Lumbini. Steep rivers give Nepal large hydropower potential, and the country has begun exporting electricity to India and Bangladesh. The Nepali rupee is pegged to the Indian rupee, and much trade crosses the southern border. Mountain terrain makes roads costly, so access to markets varies widely between regions.
Politics of Nepal
A federal democratic republic with seven provinces and hundreds of local governments.
- What kind of government does Nepal have?
- Nepal is a federal democratic republic with a parliamentary system. The president is head of state and the prime minister heads the government.
- How many provinces does Nepal have?
- Seven: Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpashchim. They were created by the 2015 constitution and divided into 77 districts.
- When did Nepal’s monarchy end?
- In 2008. The elected Constituent Assembly voted to abolish the monarchy, ending the rule of the Shah dynasty that had unified the country.
More about Nepal: politics
The 2015 constitution made Nepal a federal democratic republic. A president serves as head of state, while a prime minister leads the government with the support of the House of Representatives. That house mixes members elected in constituencies with members chosen by proportional representation. A smaller National Assembly forms the upper chamber.
Power is shared between the federal government, seven provincial governments and 753 local units, which include metropolitan cities, municipalities and rural municipalities. Coalition governments have been common since the end of the monarchy. In September 2025, youth-led protests over a social media ban and corruption turned deadly and led to the prime minister’s resignation and an interim government.
Nature in Nepal
Tiger and rhinoceros grasslands on the plains, rhododendron forests in the hills and snow leopards above the tree line.
- Where can you see rhinoceroses in Nepal?
- Greater one-horned rhinoceroses live in the protected grasslands of Chitwan, Bardiya and Shuklaphanta on the Tarai plains, with Chitwan holding the largest population.
- What is Nepal’s national flower?
- The rhododendron, known locally as lali gurans. Its red blossoms cover hillsides in spring.
- Do snow leopards live in Nepal?
- Yes. Snow leopards live in the high Himalaya, including Dolpa, Mustang and the Everest and Annapurna regions, though they are rarely seen.
More about Nepal: nature & wildlife
Nepal’s steep climb from lowland to the highest peaks packs tropical, temperate and alpine habitats into a short distance. Chitwan, Bardiya, Banke, Parsa and Shuklaphanta protect Tarai grasslands and sal forest. Conservation and anti-poaching work have helped Bengal tiger and greater one-horned rhinoceros numbers rise substantially since the 2000s.
In the hills, forests of rhododendron, the national flower, bloom in spring. Red pandas live in bamboo forests, and the Himalayan monal, or danphe, is the national bird. Snow leopards and blue sheep range above the tree line in protected areas such as Sagarmatha, Annapurna and Shey Phoksundo. Glacial lakes and melting ice also make the mountains sensitive to climate change.
Food of Nepal
Dal bhat twice a day, momos everywhere and regional kitchens from Newar feasts to mountain buckwheat.
- What is dal bhat?
- Dal bhat is rice with lentil soup, usually served with vegetables, pickles and sometimes meat. Many Nepalis eat it as their main meal twice a day.
- Are momos from Nepal?
- Momos came to Nepal from Tibet and were popularised in the Kathmandu Valley. They are now one of the most common foods in the country.
- What is sel roti?
- Sel roti is a ring-shaped, slightly sweet bread made from rice flour batter and fried. Families prepare it especially for Tihar and other celebrations.
More about Nepal: food & cuisine
Dal bhat, lentil soup with rice, is the everyday meal for many households, served with vegetable tarkari, pickles called achar and sometimes meat. Gundruk, fermented leafy greens, and dhido, a thick porridge of millet, buckwheat or maize, are staples in the hills. Momos, filled dumplings that arrived from Tibet and spread through Kathmandu, are now eaten across the country.
Newar cuisine in the Kathmandu Valley includes bara lentil patties, chatamari rice crepes and yomari, steamed sweet dumplings made for a winter festival. Thakali cooking from the Kali Gandaki valley is known for its dal bhat sets. Sel roti, a ring-shaped rice bread, is made for Tihar, and sweet milky tea called chiya is drunk throughout the day.
Landmarks of Nepal
Durbar squares and stupas in the Kathmandu Valley, the Buddha’s birthplace and the world’s highest mountain.
- How many World Heritage Sites does Nepal have?
- Four: the Kathmandu Valley, Lumbini, Sagarmatha National Park and Chitwan National Park.
- Where was the Buddha born?
- At Lumbini in southern Nepal. The Maya Devi Temple marks the site, and an inscribed pillar raised by the emperor Ashoka records his visit.
- What is Boudhanath?
- Boudhanath is one of the largest stupas in the world, on the eastern side of Kathmandu. It is a major centre of Tibetan Buddhism.
More about Nepal: landmarks
The Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site gathers seven monument zones: the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, the stupas of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath, and the Hindu temples of Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan. Many buildings were damaged in the 2015 earthquake and have been carefully restored.
In Lumbini, the Maya Devi Temple and an Ashoka pillar from the third century BCE mark the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama. Sagarmatha National Park protects the land around Everest and the Sherpa villages of the Khumbu, while Chitwan National Park protects lowland jungle. Beyond the World Heritage list, Pokhara’s Phewa Lake, Janakpur’s Janaki Mandir and the fortified palace at Gorkha draw many visitors.
People and society of Nepal
About 29 million people from more than a hundred caste and ethnic groups, many with family members working abroad.
- What is the population of Nepal?
- The 2021 census counted about 29.2 million people, with more than half living on the southern Tarai plains.
- What religions are practised in Nepal?
- Most people are Hindu. Buddhism is the second-largest religion, followed by Islam, Kirat and Christianity, and many sites are shared by Hindus and Buddhists.
- Are all Nepali mountain guides Sherpas?
- No. Sherpa is a specific ethnic group from high valleys such as the Khumbu. Guides and porters come from many communities, including Tamang, Rai and Gurung.
More about Nepal: people & society
The 2021 census counted about 29.2 million people. More than half live on the Tarai, and towns such as Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bharatpur are growing quickly as people move from the hills. The census records over a hundred caste and ethnic groups, including Chhetri, Brahmin, Magar, Tharu, Tamang, Newar, Rai, Gurung, Limbu, Sherpa and Madhesi communities. Most Nepalis are Hindu, with Buddhist, Muslim, Kirat and Christian minorities.
Labour migration shapes daily life. Hundreds of thousands of Nepalis leave each year to work abroad, so many villages have more older people, women and children than working-age men. Gurkha soldiers from Nepal have served in British and Indian armies for two centuries. Sherpa is the name of a specific ethnic community from the high valleys, not a general word for mountain guides.