long as they do not proselytize. Hindu funda-mentalism has increased in recent years.

LanguagesNepal’s diverse linguistic heritage evolved from four major language groups: Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-Burman, Mongolian and various indigenous languages. The major languages of Nepal (per-cent spoken as mother tongue) are Nepali (70%), Maithili (5%), Tharu (4%), Newari/Nepal Bhasa (3.6%), Bhojpuri (3%), Tamang (3%), Rai (2.8%), Awadhi (2.5%), Magar (2.4%), Limbu (1.5%), and Bajjika (1%).

Nepali has roots in Sanskrit and it is written in Devanagari script. Nepali is the official na-tional language, although over 100 regional and indigenous languages are spoken throughout the country. Many Nepalese in government and business speak English, as well.

Economic LifeNepal is one of the world’s poorest countries, with around one-third of the people living below the poverty line on less than $1/day. Subsistence agriculture occupies up to 90% of the population and accounts for 38% of GDP. According to the World Bank, its per capita income is $490. Natural resources include water, hydropower, limited fer-tile agricultural land, and timber and non-timber forest products.

Tourism, both eco and religious, is a poten-tial resource with Nepal’s spectacular landscape and its many temples shared by two major religions. Along with the Hindu temples, it is home to Lumbini, a Buddhist pilgrimage site and UNESCO World Heritage Site traditionally held to be the birthplace of Buddha. However, growth in the hospitality industry has been stifled by recent political events.

A long-standing economic agreement underpins a close relationship with India and neighboring countries. Thus many Nepali citizens move to India in search of work; the Gulf coun-tries and Malaysia are new sources of work.

FoodA typical Nepalese meal is Dal bhat. Dal is a soup made from different types of lentil seeds, served

over bhat (boiled rice), with tarkari (curried veg-etables) together with achar (pickles) or chutni (spicy condiment made from fresh ingredients). It consists of non-vegetarian as well as vegetar-ian items served with non-alcoholic beverages. Mustard oil is the cooking medium and a host of spices, such as cumin, coriander, black peppers, sesame seeds, turmeric, garlic, ginger, methi (fen-ugreek), bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, chilies, mustard seeds, etc., are used in cooking.

DressDaura Suruwal has been the national dress of Nepal for many years. It is also known as “Labeda Suruwal”. The dress has been worn by Nepali men for centuries. The coat was added to it on top by Jang Bahadur Rana, Prime minister of Nepal in the 19th century. Daura is the upper wear and the Suruwal is the trouser. The traditional dress for married woman is a Saree and blouse. Kurta and Suruwal are worn by the majority of women throughout the country. Due to Western influ-ence, Western clothing is predominantly worn by teenagers and young adults throughout the country.

HolidaysThe majority of the holidays in Nepal are based on Hindu religious festivals because most of the population believes in Hinduism, even though it is a secular country. Dashain and Tihar are the major religious holidays when public and govern-ment offices are closed for a few days. Since the country is a representative democracy it has declared several other religious holidays, such as Christmas and Eid-al-Fitr

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Nepal

LocationNepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign country situ-ated in South Asia. It is located in the foothills of the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People’s Republic of China, and to the south, east and west by the Republic of India.

Size and PopulationThe country itself is rectangular in shape. It has an area of 56,136 sq. miles, about the size and shape of Tennessee. The estimated population of 29.4 million has an annual population growth rate of 1.596%. The rural population includes about 86%. The percentage of male and female is almost the same, close to 50%.

Geographical FeaturesNepal is a mountainous Himalayan state with a rich geography. It can be divided broadly into three ecological zones: the lowland Tarai, the midland, and the highland. The Tarai region in the south is flat and has the most fertile land in the country; it contains most of the agricultural land. Terraced cultivation and swiftly flowing mountain rivers originate in the midland or the central hills and the highland or the Himalayas in the north. Eight of the world’s ten highest peaks are in Nepal, including Mt. Everest, which is at 29,000 ft. The southern Tarai covers about 49% of the land, the hills 44%, and the mountains 7%.

CapitalKathmandu is the nation’s capital and the country’s largest metropolitan city. It lies in a broad valley at 4300 ft. above sea level. The city is surrounded by four major mountains: Shiva-puri, Phulchoki, Nagarjun and Chandragiri. There are two other major cities, Patan and Bhaktapur, located in the same valley as Kathmandu, which is one of the most densely populated cities, with an estimated population of 2.2 million.

The ancient and refined traditional culture in Kathmandu and the whole of Nepal is an uninterrupted and exceptional meeting of the Hindu and Buddhist ethos practiced by its highly religious people. Kathmandu has been described

as “The Land of God.” The capital city is also a popular tourist spot because of several magnifi-cent historical monuments and shrines.

Historical Influences Ancient Nepal was ruled by different dynasties before it was unified into the Kingdom of Nepal. Modern Nepal was created in the latter half of the 18th century, when Prithvi Narayan Shah, the ruler of the small principality of Gorkha, formed a unified country from a number of independent hill states. The country was called the Gorkha Kingdom, the source of the term “Gorkha” used for Nepali soldiers.

After 1800, the heirs of Prithvi Narayan Shah proved unable to maintain firm political control over Nepal. A period of internal turmoil followed, heightened by Nepal’s defeat by the British in a war from 1814 to 1816. Stability was restored after 1846, when the Rana family gained power and reduced the monarch to a figurehead. The Rana regime, a highly centralized autocracy, pursued a policy of isolating Nepal from external influences. This policy helped Nepal maintain its national independence during the colonial era, but also impeded the country’s economic development.

GovernmentNepal has seen rapid political changes during the last two decades. Up until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy under executive control of the king. Faced with a communist movement against absolute monarchy, in 1990 King Biren-dra agreed to a large-scale political reform by creating a constitutional monarchy with the king as the head of state and a Prime Minister as the head of the government. Nepal’s legislature was bicameral, consisting of a House of Representa-tives, and a National Council. The legislature had a five-year term, and all Nepali citizens 18 years and older became eligible to vote.

In April 2006 there was a change in the na-tion’s governance: an interim constitution was promulgated, with the king giving up power, and an interim House of Representatives was formed with Maoist members, after the new govern-ment held peace talks with the Maoist rebels. The

number of parliamentary seats was increased. In April 2007, the Communist Party of Nepal (Mao-ist) joined the interim government of Nepal. In 2008 the monarchy was abolished and a Con-stituent Assembly convened to begin drafting a new constitution. It set forth: Executive-President (head of state), Prime Minister (head of govern-ment). Legislative-The Constituent Assembly is a unicameral Parliament, consisting of 601 mem-bers; 240 members were elected through a direct electoral process representing single-member constituencies across the country; 335 mem-bers were nominated from party lists through a proportional representation system; and 26 were nominated by the cabinet as representa-tives of ethnic and indigenous communities. This assembly was dissolved in May 2012. The judicial system consists of a supreme court, 16 appellate courts, and 75 districts courts. The country as a whole is subdivided into 5 development regions, 14 zones, and 75 districts.

People, Religion, SocietyPerched on the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains, Nepal is as ethnically diverse as its terrain. There are as many as 100 ethnic groups, consisting of over 300 peoples, sub-groups and castes. A caste is often as important a distinction as ethnicity in this strongly Hindu culture.

The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations from India, Tibet, and Central Asia. Among the earliest inhabitants were the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharus in the southern Tarai region. The ancestors of the Brahman and Chetri caste groups came from In-dia, while other ethnic groups trace their origins to Central Asia and Tibet, including the Gurungs and Magars in the west, Rais and Limbus in the east, and Sherpas and Bhotias in the north. The majority of the Nepalese population fol-lows Hinduism. Shiva is regarded as the guard-ian deity of the country. Nepal is home to the famous Lord Shiva Temple, the Pashupatinath Temple, where Hindus from all over the world come for pilgrimage.

Once the world’s only Hindu Kingdom, Nepal is now officially a secular democratic country. Foreign religious NGOs can operate freely, as