 Nepal (Natural Geography)
Nepal can be divided into three natural geographical zones. At the border
with India lies a narrow zone of fertile lowlands, the Terai, which is
the northernmost part of the Ganges Plain. The area is Nepal's granary,
intensively cultivated and very densely populated; almost half of the country's
population lives here. Here is also a large part of the industry, especially
based on agricultural production. Originally, Terai was dense jungle, which
pretty much only the national parks testify to today. The best known is Chitwan
National Park. Here are still Bengal tigers, rhinos and elephants. In
Terai are some major cities; the most important are Nepalganj to the
west, Birganj on the main road from Kathmandu to India and to the east Nepal's
second largest city, Biratnagar. However, the majority of the population lives
in villages. Terai has recently experienced a large influx from the rest of
Nepal; the area is characterized by proximity to India and many Indians live
here.
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The middle zone, the hill zone, is made up of the Himalayan foothills, Siwalik or Churia
Range and Mahabharat Range with heights up to 3000 m.
The mountains and the intermediate valleys make up the majority of the country
and house the majority of the population. Large areas are intensively
cultivated. In the steep terrain, extensive deforestation together with the
heavy monsoon rains has led to massive erosion problems. Culturally and
historically, this part is Nepal's core area with the Kathmandu Valley as the
cultural and political center for 1500 years. The valley is the largest and most
densely populated in the country; here, in addition to the capital Kathmandu,
are the cities of Patan and Bhaktapur. To the west, at Pokharaand below the
mighty Annapurna Mountains lies Nepal's second major valley. The Pokhara Valley
is the starting point for the much-used trekking route Annapurna Circuit and
is visited by many tourists. Between Kathmandu and Pokhara lies Gorkha, the
original home of the well-known gurkhas who have served in British
armies for over 100 years. This is also the origin of the Shah dynasty, which
sat on the throne of Nepal from 1768 to 2008. In general, the villages in this
zone are not very large, and the settlements are scattered with the mountain
slopes shaped into cultivation terraces.
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The third zone is the high-lying, very sparsely populated mountain areas with
a number of the world's highest peaks, Mount Everest. The climate allows
only limited cultivation partly due to cold, partly because large parts of the
area are in rain shelter. Even during the summer monsoon, there is very little
rainfall, many valleys are actually deserts, and settlement is completely
dependent on irrigation. Access to the area is difficult, in winter due to
snowfall and in summer due to the monsoon rains. The crops are barley, buckwheat
and potatoes, often supplemented with apples. Goats, sheep and yaks are of great
importance as suppliers of milk, meat and wool and as pack animals. In this
zone, the settlements are concentrated in dense villages, often with completely
adjoining houses.
Nepal (Economy and Business)
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. It has no access to the
sea, has few available mineral resources and very difficult transport
conditions. The dependence on India is great.
The cost of constructing and maintaining roads is enormous. In the hill zone,
there are few roads beyond the connections to Kathmandu and Pokhara, although
the road network is spreading to more remote areas in the mountains. In the
lowlands, there is a road along the entire length of the country from east to
west, but only a few side roads lead into the valleys of the foothills. A number
of roads to India have been built over time, but only one goes through the
mountains, from the Kathmandu Valley to Tibet. Apart from a narrow gauge stretch
from the Indian border to the city of Janakpur in Teraithere are no railways in
Nepal. There are airports scattered around the country, but air traffic in no
way has the capacity to transport larger volumes of goods and serves primarily
to bind the country together administratively.
Agriculture employs the vast majority of the population. Due to the
dependence on irrigation and cultivation terraces, it requires a lot of
labor; most farms are family-run small farms. The difficult conditions for the
transport of goods in the hills and mountains mean that these zones have to be
largely self-sufficient in food, while Kathmandu imports a number of
agricultural products from India in particular. The main crops are rice,
barley, wheat, corn, sugar, vegetables and tea. Livestock are primarily goats,
sheep, cattle and water buffalo. The industry is weakly developed and mainly
processes food.
Tourism. The mountains are the main destination for tourism to
Nepal. Annapurna, Langtang (north of Kathmandu) and Sagarmatha National
Park with Mount Everest are intensive tourist areas in the high seasons of
spring and autumn, and the dense traffic of mountain hikers has radically
changed the business structure. Where the most popular trekking routes pass, the
villages have assumed the character of service centers with numerous small
hotels. The Kathmandu Valley is also an important tourist destination. Here is
the country's only international airport, and the towns in the valley have rich
historical memories, magnificent temples and views of the peaks of
the Himalayas.
Nepal (Peoples)
Country approximately 28 mio. residents are divided into many castes and ethnic
groups, each with their own culture.
In the southern belt there are especially Indian peoples; they are
predominantly Hindu, though with a significant minority of Muslims. In addition,
there are a number of local peoples, including tharu.
In the middle area north of the Mahabharat Range, but south of the Himalayas,
the majority of the population is located. The Indo-European peoples are made up
of the high-caste groups Brahmin, Chetri and Thakuri,
who are also the dominant politicians; moreover, the area is home to a number of
low-caste groups and casteless people of various origins, who are often
artisans. Ethnic groups where Mongoloid traits are increasingly prevalent
include the groups newar, sunwar, rai, limbu, magar, gurung, thakali and tamang. Among
these, the religion is a mixture of Buddhism and Hinduism. This applies not
least to Newar, who since 500 AD. and until 1769 ruled the Kathmandu
Valley. They are often merchants and have from ancient times been famous for
their fine craftsmanship and architecture.
In the Himalayan region towards the border with Tibet, sherpa and bhotia,
which are of Tibetan origin, dominate. The closure of the border with Tibet
around 1960 and the growing Indian influence throughout Nepal have led to a
cultural and political influence from the south. The strong population growth
(2.4% per year) has resulted in widespread environmental problems,
especially in the densely populated Kathmandu Valley, which holds over 1
million. farmers.
Nepal - language
The official language is Nepali, which belongs to the Indo-European
language group and is spoken by more than half of the population. This group
also includes Maithili (about 2.8 million) and Bhojpuri (about
1.7 million). In addition, there are over 100 other languages, most of which
belong to the Tibeto-Burmese language group; among the largest are tharu (about
1.2 million) and tamang (about 1.1 million) and the Indo-European
languages maithili (about 2.3 million) and bhojpuri (about 1.4
million of religious reasons play Tibetan(about 60,000) a significant
role. Pga. immigration is also spoken in various languages that otherwise only
belong in India.
Nepal (Religion)
About 87% of the population are Hindus, and until 2006 Hinduism was the state
religion. A religiously active minority group is the Buddhists (8%). There are
about 4% Muslims and a small group of Christians. Furthermore, traditional
religion thrives with ancestral worship and shamanistic traits among
several ethnic groups.
For centuries, Buddhism and Hinduism have lived side by side under mutual
influence, while both religions have incorporated folk religious elements into
their rituals. The large predominance of Hindus in Nepal today is due to a
systematic Hinduization of the country from the mid-1700's. It has meant
that the caste system also plays a significant role in Buddhist
circles. Similarly, following their Hindu model, Buddhists have included in
their rituals ceremonies that mark important events in a person's life from
birth to death.
When Hinduism and Buddhism in Nepal do not appear as two strongly separate
religious systems, it is partly due to the fact that both religions have deep
roots in tantrism (see tantra). Several gods are worshiped by both Hindus and
Buddhists, such as the red Matsyendranatha, the patron god of the Kathmandu
Valley; Buddhists perceive the god as the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, and
Hindus see an aspect of Vishnu or Shiva in him. In art, Buddhist and Hindu
deities and goddesses often have common iconographic features.
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