南亚:
|
| 尼泊尔 Nepal 首都:加德满都 国家代码: np |
 尼泊尔尼泊尔国会于5月28日宣布废除君主制，结束于280多年的沙阿王朝，成立尼泊尔民主联邦共和国，实现共和，是世界上最年轻的共和国。 尼泊尔王国国旗 尼泊尔的国旗是世界上唯一三角形的国旗。一个世纪前尼泊尔就出现过这种三角旗，后来两面三角旗连在一起，就成为今天尼泊尔国旗的式样。由上小下大、上下相叠的两个三角形组成，旗面为红色，旗边为蓝色。红色是国花红杜鹃的颜色，蓝色代表和平。上面的三角形旗中是白色弯月、星图案，代表皇室；下面三角形旗中的白色太阳图案来自拉纳家族的标志。太阳和月亮图案也代表尼泊尔人民祈盼国家象日月一样长存的美好愿望。两个旗角表示喜马拉雅山脉的两个山峰。 国徽 尼泊尔国徽大致呈圆形。国徽中部底图是世界第一高的珠穆朗玛峰，峰顶飘着尼泊尔国旗，峰底依次是丘陵和平原。浮在地貌底图之上的是白色尼泊尔地图和女性与男性握手图样。在整个图案的外围，左右两边环绕着尼泊尔国花杜鹃，花束下方有稻穗图案。底部基座是弧形的红绶带，上面用梵语写着“母亲与祖国重于上天”。（2006年12月批准使用） 国歌 《尼泊尔民主联邦共和国国歌》 国花 杜鹃花 国兽 黄牛 首都 加德满都 (Kathmandu)，位于中部巴格玛蒂专区的加德满都河谷。历史名城，1768年起成为尼泊尔首都。为全国政治、经济、文化中心和交通枢纽。居民主要为尼瓦尔人。寺庙和古迹很多。 官方语言 尼泊尔语 货币 尼泊尔卢比 人口 2642万（2006年7月统计），全国有拉伊、林布、苏努瓦尔、达芒、马嘉尔、古隆、谢尔巴、尼瓦尔、塔鲁等30多个民族，其中包括世居与流亡的藏族共三万左右，大部分已经取得尼泊尔国籍。尼泊尔语为国语，上层社会通用英语。居民86.2％信奉印度教，7.8％信奉佛教，3.8％信奉伊斯兰教，信奉其他宗教人口占2.2％。 面积 147181平方公里 国家元首 2007年1月15日，尼颁布临时宪法规定，首相吉里贾·普拉萨德·柯伊拉腊（Girija Prasad Koirala）在制宪会议选举前代行国家元首之职。 4月1日，尼临时政府成立，柯伊拉腊继续担任首相。2008年5月28日，尼议会发布声明，宣布尼为“民主联邦共和国”。 重要节日 议会宣言颁布日：5月18日（2006年）定为国家节日，相当于国庆节。 德赛节（Dashain）：又称大德赛节（Bara Dashain）、十胜节（Vijaya Dashami），是尼民间最大的节日，在公历10月，共15天，全国放假7天。 名胜 博克拉河谷 佛教胜地 蓝毗尼（Lumbini) 世界遗产 萨加玛塔国家公园（包括珠穆朗玛峰），加德满都谷地，奇特万皇家国家级森林公园，蓝毗尼佛祖诞生地 历史 公元前6世纪建立王朝。公元1769年，兴起于尼中西部地区的沙阿王朝征服加德满都谷地，从此尼逐步趋于统一，并开始有年代准确、资料翔实的历史。1814年英国入侵后，迫使尼将南部大片领土割让给印度，并在尼享有多种特权。1846至1950年，拉纳家族依靠英国人的支持夺取军政大权，并获世袭首相的地位，使国王成为傀儡。1923年英承认尼独立。1950年，尼人民掀起声势浩大的反对拉纳家族专政的群众运动和武装斗争。国王特里布文和王储马亨德拉在印度的支持下，通过谈判恢复王权。拉纳家庭统治结束，尼实行二元制君主立宪制。1960年，马亨德拉国王取缔政党，实行无党派议会制。1990年全国爆发大规模“人民运动”，比兰德拉国王被迫实行君主立宪的多党议会制。此后，尼政局持续动荡，党派斗争激烈，政府更迭频繁。1996年，尼共产党激进派宣布退出议会斗争，成为反政府势力，开展所谓“人民战争”，与尼军队和警察不断发生冲突，影响越来越大。 2001年6月，尼王室突发血案，比兰德拉国王等王室成员遇害，比的胞弟贾南德拉登基。就在公元2008年5月29日，尼泊尔国旗从前国王贾南德拉居住的纳拉扬希蒂王宫升起。尼泊尔制宪会议第一次会议28日晚通过了由尼泊尔临时政府提出的议案，宣布尼泊尔为联邦民主共和国，存续了近240年的尼泊尔沙阿王朝从此退出历史舞台。 地理 尼泊尔北边与中国的西藏自治区接壤，东，西，南三面被印度包围。这是一个长方形的国家，从东到西长度为885公里，而从南到北则在145-241公里之间。尼泊尔从地形上可以分为三个部分： 北部喜玛拉雅地区： 这个地区的海拔高度在4，877米至8848米之间，毫无疑问是世界的“脊梁”。这里有全世界最高的14座海拔超过8，000米的高峰中的8座，其中就包括游客熟悉的珠穆朗玛峰，安纳普纳峰，道拉吉里峰。 中部山区：尼泊尔国土面积的68%是山区，主要由两部分组成：最高峰达到4，877米的马哈布哈拉山系，以及相对较矮的丘日山系。 特莱低地：占国家领土面积的17%。 尼泊尔位于喜马拉雅山脉中段南麓。北面与我国西藏毗邻，东界锡金，东南、西、南与印度接壤。 面积：147181平方公里。 尼泊尔被世人视为“伟大的小山国”（A Great Little Country），在面积145,391平方公里土地上，有超过四分之一的土地高度在海拔3,000公尺以上，狭长的高山地形，有三分之一是森林。 尼泊尔境内拥有八座超过8,000米山峰。即：萨嘉玛塔峰（Sagarmatha）、康城章加峰（Kanchenjunga）、圣母峰（即珠穆朗玛峰）（Everest）、罗兹峰（Lhotse）、马卡鹿峰（Makalu）、奇欧雨峰（Cho Oyu）、道拉吉利峰（Dhaulagiri）、马那斯鹿峰（Manaslu）。 政治 政府 全称“尼泊尔政府（Government of Nepal）”。2007年4月1日，尼成立临时政府，尼大会党主席柯伊拉腊留任首相。大会党总书记拉姆·昌德拉·鲍德尔（Ram Chandra Poudel）为和平与重建大臣，萨哈娜·普拉丹(Sahana Pradhan)为外交大臣，克里什纳·巴哈杜尔·马哈拉(Krishna Bahadur Mahara)为信息通讯大臣，普拉蒂普·尼帕尔(Pradip Nepal)为教育和体育大臣，马亨塔·塔库（Mahantha Thaku）为科学技术大臣，拉姆·萨仁·马哈特(Ram Sharma Mahat)为财政大臣，纳仁德拉·比克拉姆·纳姆旺（Narendra Bikram Nemwang）为司法议会事务大臣，克瑞什纳·西陶拉(Krishna Sitaula)为内政大臣，戴维·古隆(Dev Gurung)为地方发展大臣，拉杰德拉·马哈托(Rajendra Mahato)为工商供应大臣，普利维斯·苏巴·古隆(Prithvi Subba Gurung)为文化、旅游和民航大臣，马崔卡·雅达夫(Matrika Yadav)为森林和土地保护大臣，查比·拉尔·毕什沃卡尔玛(Chhabi Lal Biswokarma)为农业与合作大臣，西斯拉·雅米(Hisila Yami)为物资计划和工程大臣，贾伽特·巴哈杜尔·博伽蒂(Jagat Bahadur Bogati)为土地改革和管理大臣，卡德嘎·巴哈杜尔·毕什沃卡尔玛(Khadga Bahadur Biswokarma)为妇女、儿童与社会福利大臣，以及拉麦斯·雷卡克(Ramesh Lekhak)为劳工与运输管理国务大臣等5位国务大臣。 2002年5月，贾南德拉国王应时任首相德乌帕的要求宣布解散议会。同年10月，国王罢免首相，解散内阁，任命洛肯德拉·巴哈杜尔·昌德（Lokendra Bahadur Chand）为首相。2003年5月，国王任命苏里亚·巴哈杜尔·塔帕（Surya Bahadur Thapa）为首相。2004年6月2日，国王任命尼泊尔大会党（民主派）主席谢尔·巴哈杜尔·德乌帕（Sher Bahadur Deuba）为新首相。 2005年2月，国王解散德乌帕政府，亲自干政。2006年4月，尼主要政党组成的“七党联盟”与尼泊尔共产党（毛主义）联合发起反国王街头运动。国王妥协，4月28日，任命尼泊尔大会党主席吉·普·柯伊拉腊（G. P. Koirala）为新首相。5月，尼组成政党政府。18日，尼议会通过宣言，剥夺国王权力，将“尼泊尔国王陛下政府”更名为“尼泊尔政府”。之后尼政府与尼共（毛主义）加紧和谈，启动和平进程。11月21日，双方签署《全面和平协议》，宣布结束11年的武装冲突。2007年1月15日，尼议会颁布临时宪法，组建包含尼共（毛主义）的临时议会，尼共（毛主义）正式回归政治主流。4月1日，尼临时政府成立。柯伊拉腊继续担任首相。 尼前国王政府与尼共（毛主义）曾于2001年和2003年两次举行和谈。由于双方在国家政体等根本问题上分歧严重，和谈破裂。尼政府宣布尼共（毛主义）为恐怖组织，双方冲突不断。德乌帕政府成立后表示，尼政府愿早日同尼共（毛主义）恢复和谈，希双方均采取灵活立场。 国王亲政后，加大对尼共（毛主义）的打击力度。2005年11月，尼共（毛主义）与七党联盟为反国王联手。2006年七党联盟成立新政府后，双方举行多次和谈。8月，双方分别致信联合国秘书长安南，一致要求联合国协助管理双方武器和军队。 政党 尼现政府为七党联盟政府，包含：尼泊尔大会党、尼泊尔共产党（联合马列）、尼泊尔大会党（民主派）、尼泊尔人民阵线党、尼泊尔亲善党、尼泊尔工农党和尼泊尔联合左翼阵线。目前，尼共有党派70多个，其中主要党派有4个。 (1) 尼泊尔大会党 (Nepali Congress)：尼第一大党。1947年1月成立。该党主张巩固多党民主和君主立宪政体，建立民族团结并保持所有人的相互信任与合作，坚持不结盟。1999年7月，该党重新组建中央工作委员会，主席吉里贾·普拉萨德·柯伊拉腊(Girija Prasad Koirala)。2002年5月大会党内部德乌帕派与柯伊拉腊派发生争斗，6月德乌帕召开党代会，撤消柯伊拉腊的党主席职务，19日组成党的新的领导班子，被称为大会党(民主派)，由德乌帕任党主席，库·巴·卡德贾为总书记。21日大会党（柯派）成立6人委员会。大会党分裂。 2006年4月，尼大会党主席柯伊拉腊出任尼新政府首相。 (2) 尼泊尔共产党 (联合马列(Nepal Communist Party [Unified Marxist-Leninist])：尼第二大党。在尼下层人民中颇有影响，并有较强的号召力和组织能力。该党由尼共(马)和尼共(马列)于1991年1月7日合并而成，1993年12月14日尼共(阿玛蒂亚)的并入使该党的人数从3.7万人增至4万人。尼共(联合马列) 主张多党民主，建立一个法制的、自由和开放的福利国家，以实现国家的根本变革。该党于1998年3月分裂为尼共（联合马列）和尼共（马列）。2002年2月15日，尼共(联合马列)和尼共（马列）两党正式合并。两党总书记联合发表了统一声明，宣布正式取消尼共（马列）的称谓和选举标志。合并后现任总书记仍为马达夫·库马尔·尼帕尔 (Madhav Kumar Nepal)。 (3) 民族民主党 (Rastriya Prajatantra Party) ：1992年1月3日成立。该党由其前身民族民主党（昌德派）和民族民主党（塔帕派）(两党均成立于1990年5月29日)合并而成，由前评议会人士组成。该党坚持君主立宪政体和多党制民主，主张同世界各国特别是邻国保持友好关系。该党于1998年1月短暂分裂，1999年12月重又联合。2002年12月15日，原党总书记帕苏帕蒂·拉纳（Pashupati Rana）当选新任党主席。 (4) 尼泊尔亲善党 (Nepal Sadbhavana Party) ：其前身为1983年成立的尼泊尔亲善委员会，1990年改为现名。该党主要代表尼南部与印接壤的平原地区各少数民族的利益，主张对内加强与王室的合作，对外保持与印的密切关系。该党曾于1993、1994年两次分裂。原该党主席贾金德拉·纳拉扬·辛格(Gajendra Narayan Singh)于2002年1月23日因病逝世。2002年10月，该党执行主席巴·普·曼达尔被任命为副首相。2003年3月，该党第3次分裂，曼达尔当选党主席。 议会 为最高立法机构，现为临时议会，实行一院制，共设330席。其中四大政党席位分配如下：大会党85席，尼共（联合马列）83席，尼共（毛主义）83席，大会党（民主）48席。现任议长苏巴斯·内姆旺（Subas Nemwang）。2007年6月20日制宪会议选举后将成立425席的制宪会议。 行政区划 全国共分为5个发展区(Development Region)，14个专区(Zone)，36个市(Town)，75个县(District)，3995个村(Village)。 司法机构 尼法院分为三级：最高法院、上诉法院和县法院，全国设上诉法院16个，县法院75个。现任最高法院首席大法官迪里普·库玛·鲍德尔（Dilip Kumar Poudel），2005年7月上任。尼设总检察长一名，现任总检察长班贾德(Yagyea Murgi Banjade),2006年5月12日上任。 宪法 2007年1月15日，尼议会颁布临时宪法，规定现议会解散，组建包含尼共（毛主义）的临时议会；全面剥夺国王行政权力，首相掌握行政大权并在6月制宪会议选举前代行国家元首之职。这是60年来尼颁布的第六部宪法。3月，尼议会通过临时宪法第一次修正案，决定通过制宪会议选举在尼实行民主联邦制。 重要人物 吉里贾·普拉萨德·柯伊拉腊（Girija Prasad Koirala），生于印度比哈尔邦萨哈萨县，81岁。曾在印度接受高等教育。早年投身政治运动，参加1950-51年推翻尼泊尔拉纳家族统治的运动。上世纪50年代曾任尼泊尔大会党莫朗县委主席和尼泊尔工会大会主席。60-70年代因政治活动被捕入狱，其后流亡印度。1976-1991年间多次当选尼大会党总书记。柯是1990年尼反评议会制度的“人民运动”的领导人之一。1991年5月出任尼大会党议会党团领袖，被任命为政府首相。2007年4月1日，留任临时政府首相，是其第6次出任首相。柯对华友好，曾于1992年以首相身份访华，1993年以首相身份专访西藏。2004年11月，作为大会党主席访华，政协主席贾庆林会见 尼为农业国，经济落后，是世界上最不发达国家之一。90年代初起，尼开始实行以市场为导向的自由经济政策，但由于政局多变和基础设施薄弱，收效不彰。90年代尼经济年均增长率为4.8％。王室血案后，经济形势愈加恶化。2002年贫困人口比例达41％。近年来，有所下降，2005年为31%。严重依赖外援，预算支出的三分之一来自外国捐赠和贷款。截至2006年4月，尼共有1062个外国直接投资项目，总金额约285亿卢比（约合4.04亿美元）。截至2006年7月16日，尼外债达2340亿卢比（约合31亿美元），约占GDP的40%。2003年9月11日，世界贸易组织第5次部长会议批准关于尼加入该组织的议案。2004年1月，尼加入孟印缅斯泰经济合作组织（BIMSTEC）。 2006年8月，尼财政部统计，2002年至2005年各种在尼项目的外援协议金额总计达930亿卢比（约合12.6亿美元）。 国内生产总值(2005/2006财年): 5579亿卢比（约合75.4亿美元） 人均国内生产总值(2005/2006财年): 22540卢比（约合311美元） 国内生产总值增长率(2005/2006财年): 2.4% 货币名称：尼泊尔卢比（Nepalese Rupee) 汇率 (2005/2006财年): 1美元＝74卢比 通货膨胀率（2005/2006财年）：7.6% （注：尼财政年度起于本年度的7月16日，止于下年度的7月15日。） 资源： 铜、铁、铝、锌、磷、钴、石英、硫磺、褐煤、云母、大理石、石灰石、菱镁矿、木材等，均只得到少量开采。水利资源丰富，水电蕴藏量为8300万千瓦，约占世界水电蕴藏量的2.3%。其中2700万千瓦可发展水利发电。尼政府积极鼓励水力资源开发。 工业： 基础薄弱，规模较小，机械化水平低，发展缓慢。主要有制糖、纺织、皮革制鞋、食品加工、香烟和火柴、黄麻加工、砖瓦生产和塑料制品等。产值约占GDP的10％。 农业： 2005/2006财年，农业增长1.7%。农业人口占总人口约80%。耕地面积为325.1万公顷。近几年主要农产品产量如下(单位：万公吨) ： 2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 水 稻 421.6 416.5 413.3 445.6 * 玉 米 148.4 151.1 156.9 159 * 小 麦 115.8 125.8 134.4 138.7 * 大 麦 3 3.1 3.2 3 * 小 米 28.3 28.2 28.3 28.3 * 甘 蔗 224.8 234.3 230.5 237.6 246.3 油料作物 13.5 12.5 13.3 14.2 13.9 马铃薯 138 153.1 164.3 173.9 197.5 黄麻 1.61 1.7 1.69 1.77 1.9 资料来源：2005/2006财年经济概览。*为暂无统计 资料来源：2005/2006财年经济概览。*为暂无统计 旅游业： 尼地处喜马拉雅山南麓，自然风光旖旎，气候宜人，徒步旅游和登山业比较发达。尼政府也积极鼓励向旅游业的投资。2004/05财年，旅游业创汇105亿卢比，占GDP的2%，较上一财年的181亿卢比有大幅下降。2005年全年接待国外游客375398人，同比减少2.6%。赴尼旅游主要为亚洲游客，其中以印度游客居多，占总数的25.7%。其次为西欧和北美游客。 交通运输： 以公路和航空为主。截至2006年3月中旬，公路总长17297公里，其中沥青路面4918公里，占28.4%。有各类机场45个,直升机停机坪120个。除首都有一国际机场外，其余为简易机场。全国有一家国营的尼泊尔皇家航空公司，6家私营航空公司和一家私营直升飞机公司。国内主要城镇有班机通航。同印度、巴基斯坦、泰国、孟加拉国、文莱、新加坡、中国香港、阿拉伯联合酋长国、中国、德国和英国等国家和地区通航。 尼泊尔货币兑换： 尼泊尔使用的货币是卢比，和印度，巴基斯坦，孟加拉等南亚国家一样，但相同的只是货币的写法和发音，与其他国家货币的汇率是不同的。 尼泊尔卢比与印度卢比实行联系汇率，就是说两种卢比的兑换汇率固定在1：1.6之间，一旦印度卢比与美元或者人民币的汇率波动，尼泊尔卢比与他们的汇率也随之波动。由于尼泊尔的政界高层基本上都是从印度留学回来的，所以这两个国家的政治经济体系，包括语言文字科学教育都有点像老师与学生的关系。两国联系很密切，双方公民可以自由来往，在尼泊尔，除了大面额的钞票，印度卢比可以流通。 在西藏边境的樟木，以及尼泊尔的加德满都和博卡拉着两个游客最集中的地方，到处都可以找到兑换人民币的人（这种形式只在樟木镇才有）和货币兑换小店（加德满都的汤美区和博卡拉的菲瓦湖边）。在尼泊尔的这两个地方，绝大多数旅行社，旅馆，餐厅，酒吧，商店都可以使用包括维萨国际卡在内的各种信用卡，另外当地的银行可以为您兑换各主要外币或者旅行支票。所以在这里您根本不用担心货币兑换的问题。 尼泊尔卢比与人民币的官方汇率在 1：9 上下浮动，与美元的汇率一般在1：75上下。 财政金融： 近几财年财政收支情况如下(单位：亿卢比) 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 总支出 840.06 894.43 1025.60 常规支出 520.91 555.52 616.86 发展支出 223.56 230.96 273.41 总收入 675.69 736.14 845.14 财政收入 562.30 623.31 701.23 外国援助 113.39 112.83 143.91 赤 字 164.37 158.28 180.47 2005/2006财年前8个月，总支出达685.8亿卢比，同比增长10.7%。 2005/2006财年前7个月，外汇储备增长11.3%，达1445.2亿卢比。 对外贸易： 2004/2005财年，外贸总额为1904.2亿卢比(约26.3亿美元），同比增长0.12％。主要贸易伙伴有印度、美国、德国等。主要进口商品是煤、石油制品、羊毛、药品、机械、电器、化肥等，主要出口商品是蔬菜油、铜线、羊绒制品、地毯、成衣、皮革、农产品、手工艺品等。近年来尼外贸情况如下(单位：亿卢比) （2005/2006财年为前8个月统计） 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 出口额 492 539 582 433.1 进口额 1255 1363 1322 1174 差 额 -763 -824 -740 -741.7 外国直接投资：2005年3月至2006年3月间，共新增76个外国直接投资项目，协议项目总额14.4亿卢比（约合0.19亿美元），上一年度同期新增35个项目，金额5.46亿卢比。居前三位的投资国仍为印度、中国、日本。 外国援助： 近几年接受外援情况如下（单位：亿卢比） 2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 总 额 196.48 244.50 237.4 381.5 无偿援助 87.02 59.11 89.57 253.9 贷 款 109.46 185.39 147．81 127.6 主要援助国和国际组织是:德国、法国、瑞士、荷兰、美国、加拿大、日本、印度、中国、沙特阿拉伯以及援尼财团（包括美、日、德、英、法等国）、联合国开发计划署、亚洲开发银行和世界银行等。 人民生活：2005/2006财年，尼人均国内生产总值为311美元。截至2006年3月，全国有医院87所，病床6796张，医生1257人。 军事 国王为武装力量最高统帅。国家安全委员会由首相、国防大臣和陆军参谋长组成，首相任主席。只有陆军。现任陆军参谋长为皮亚尔·忠格·塔帕（Pyar Jung Thapa)，到2006年9月任期届满。实行志愿兵役制，士兵服役期一般为15年。总兵力6.8万人，编成23个旅。全国有警察4.7万人。 2005-06财年，尼国防部开支约121亿卢比（约合1.6亿美元）。 文化 教育 全国有5所大学：特里布文大学、马亨德拉梵文大学、加德满都大学、博克拉大学、普尔阪查尔大学。其中特里布文大学下设61所直属分院、4座研究中心和134所私立分院。 2005/2006财年，共有学校34543所，同比减少6%。在校学生增加6.6%，达646万。 新闻出版 截至2006年3月，全国注册发行的各类报刊有4286份，其中日报313份，周报1506份，双周刊300份，月刊1313份。全国最大的两份日报均为官方报纸：《廓尔喀报》，尼泊尔语，1902年创刊；《新兴的尼泊尔》，英语，1965年创刊。此外还有《加德满都邮报》和《康提普尔》等多种日报。 尼泊尔国家通讯社为全国唯一的通讯社，官办，成立于1962年4月。 尼泊尔广播电台是全国唯一的电台，官办，成立于1948年，用尼泊尔语和英语广播。 尼泊尔电视台创建于1984年，1985年12月28日正式在首都开播，目前每天播放18个小时，通过卫星传送。目前共有7家电视台，包括5家私营电视台。 尼泊尔时差 北京时间比尼泊尔早两小时零15分钟。 另外，在尼泊尔，星期六是法定休息日，和西方国家一样，这一天绝大多数的商店都会关门，即使是如加德满都的汤美区那样的游客异常集中的地方。星期日除了政府部门，学校在外，人民照常工作。 除了一些早起清扫或者送牛奶的当地工人外，大部分人上午10点钟以后才开始上班，（这点也和印度和巴基斯坦等南亚国家一样。）你会惊奇的发现那些学生也是直到这个时候才背着书包去上学，不知道他们一天的学习效率有多高。 主要城市 加德满都（Kathamandu）、帕坦（拉利特普尔）[Patan(Lalitpur)]、巴德岗（巴克塔普尔）[Bhadgaun(Bhaktapur)]、伊拉姆（Ilam）、巴德拉普尔(Bhadrapur)、钱普尔(Chainpur)、昌德拉加尔希（Chandragarhi）、博杰普尔（Bhojpur）、丹库塔（Dhankuta）、达朗（Dharan）、比拉特纳加尔（Biratnagar）、纳姆切巴札尔(Namchebajar)、奥卡尔东加(Okhaldhunga)、拉杰比拉杰（Rajbiraj）、拉梅查普(Ramechap)、贾纳克普尔(Janakpur)、赫托达（Hetauda）、比尔干吉(Birgunj)、廓尔喀(Gorkha)、博克拉（Pokhara）、坦森（Tansen）、布特瓦尔（Butwal)、白拉瓦(Bhariahawa)、比兰德拉纳加尔(Birendranagar)、尼泊尔干吉(Nepalgunj)、巴格隆(Baglung)、图尔西普尔(Tulsipur)、苏尔凯特（Surkhet）、丹加尔希(Dhangarhi)、马亨德拉纳加尔(Mahendranagar)。 帕坦（Patan）：又名拉利特普尔(Lalitpur)，位于加德满都以南约3公里，与加德满都仅一河之隔。建于公元299年，尼佛教中心和古都之一。寺庙和古迹很多。 巴德岗（Bhadgaun）: 又名巴克塔普尔( Bhaktapur)，位于加德满都以东约13公里。加德满都河谷最早出现的村落之一，12世纪以前已发展成为商业中心城镇，13世纪初成为马拉王朝首都。市内多古老寺庙。 博克拉(Pokhara)：人口约10万人。位于加德满都以西约200公里。主要旅游城市之一。该市北面有终年积雪的鱼尾峰，西侧有天然费瓦湖，市内有地下塞蒂河，市郊有天生“水帘洞”。近几年，到此旅游的游客年均约7万人。 对外关系 尼奉行平等、互利、相互尊重和不结盟的外交政策，主张在和平共处五项原则的基础上同世界各国发展友好关系。高度重视发展同中、印两大邻国的友好关系。积极推动南亚区域合作联盟的发展。重视加强同美、英等西方国家的关系，争取经援和投资。已同125个国家建交（截至2007年1月）。 同中国的双边关系 一、双边政治关系回顾 中尼之间有着上千年友好交往的历史。晋代高僧法显、唐代高僧玄奘曾到过佛祖释迦牟尼诞生地兰毗尼（位于尼泊尔南部）。唐朝时，尼泊尔公主尺真与吐蕃赞普松赞干布联姻。元朝时，尼著名工艺家阿尼哥曾来华监造北京白塔寺。 1955年8月1日建交以来，两国人民之间的传统友谊和友好合作关系不断发展。高层往来不断，尼国王、首相均多次访华。周恩来总理曾两次访尼。邓小平副总理、李先念主席、李鹏总理、李瑞环政协主席、钱其琛副总理兼外长也先后访问过尼泊尔。1996年底，国家主席江泽民对尼进行了国事访问，两国领导人共同确立建立面向21世纪的世代友好的睦邻伙伴关系，将中尼友好关系推向一个新高潮。 2005年8月1日，国家主席胡锦涛、外交部长李肇星与尼泊尔国王贾南德拉、外交大臣潘迪就两国建交50周年互致贺电。 两国主要高层互访情况如下： 1956年4月25日-5月7日 中国特使乌兰夫副总理赴尼参加马亨德拉国王加冕典礼 1957年1月25-29日 周恩来总理访尼 1960年3月11-24日 尼首相毕·普·柯伊拉腊访华 1960年4月26-29日 周恩来总理、陈毅副总理访尼 1961年9月28日-10月5日 尼国王马亨德拉访华 1966年6月25日-7月13日 尼王太子比兰德拉访华 1972年11月14-25日 尼首相比斯塔访华 1973年12月7-14日 尼比兰德拉国王访华 1975年2月22-26日 中国特使陈锡联副总理赴尼参加比兰德拉国王加冕典礼 1976年6月2-9日 尼国王比兰德拉访问中国四川和西藏 1978年2月3-6日 邓小平副总理访尼 1978年5月14-15日 尼国王比兰德拉访华 1978年9月27日-10月4日 尼首相比斯塔访华 1979年8月26-29日 尼国王比兰德拉访华 1981年6月4-7日 赵紫阳总理访尼 1982年7月27日-8月3日 尼国王比兰德拉访问中国甘肃兰州、西藏甘孜和日喀则 1984年3月19-23日 李先念主席访尼 1987年5月28日-6月1日 乔石副总理访尼 1987年9月14-17日 尼国王比兰德拉访华 1989年11月19-21日 李鹏总理访尼 1992年3月16-22日 尼首相柯伊拉腊访华 1992年11月27-30日 全国人大副委员长廖汉生访尼 1993年9月20-27日 尼国王比兰德拉访华 1993年10月30日-11月6日 尼首相柯伊拉腊访问中国西藏 1993年11月25-29日 全国政协主席李瑞环访尼 1994年4月9-21日 尼上议院议长卡尔基访华 1994年7月19-20日 钱其琛副总理兼外长访尼 1994年10月25-11月2日 尼王太子迪潘德拉访华 1995年4月17-21日 尼首相阿迪卡里访华 1996年4月17-23日 尼首相德乌帕访华 1996年8月23-30日 尼国王比兰德拉访华 1996年12月4-5日 国家主席江泽民访尼 1997年11月10-14日 全国人大副委员长陈慕华访尼 2000年5月 国务委员司马义·艾买提赴尼参加中国援建的中华寺开光庆典 2000年8月20-26日 尼外交大臣巴斯托拉访华 2001年2月 中央军委副主席、国防部长迟浩田访尼 2001年2月 尼国王比兰德拉访华 2001年5月 朱镕基总理访尼 2002年7月 贾南德拉国王访华 2003年12月2-3日 全国政协主席贾庆林访尼 2004年8月 尼泊尔王储帕拉斯访华 2005年3月 李肇星外长访尼 2005年4月 尼泊尔国王赴海南出席博鳌亚洲论坛年会 2005年8月 尼泊尔外交大臣潘迪访华 2006年3月 唐家璇国务委员访尼 2006年8月26-9月2日 尼泊尔副首相兼外交大臣奥利访华 2007年1月 全国人大常委会副委员长李铁映访尼 二、双边经贸关系和经济技术合作 中尼建交后，两国政府先后签订贸易、经济技术合作、避免双重征税和防止偷漏税以及中国西藏自治区和尼泊尔之间的通商、交通等协定。1983年10月成立两国政府间经济贸易委员会，第一次会议于1984年在北京举行，至今已召开9次会议。1996年中尼成立民间合作论坛，由两国工商联主办，迄已举行8次会议。 （一）双边贸易 我对尼出口商品主要有纺织品、轻工业品、机械设备、化工品、黑色金属和畜产品等；我从尼进口的商品有谷物、麻袋、黄麻、南药、大米、烟叶、皮革、有机染料等。据中国海关总署统计，2005年中尼贸易总额为1.96亿美元，其中中方出口1.88亿美元，进口800万美元，同比分别增长14.6%、15.1%和3.2%。2006年，中尼双边贸易额为2.68亿美元，同比增长36.5%。其中我出口2.60亿美元，增长38.2%，进口829万美元，减少2.5%。 我西藏自治区同尼泊尔自1962年起开始进行陆路边境贸易，主要通过樟木口岸进行。2006年边贸总额为1.7616亿美元，同比增长51％，占藏尼贸易总额的98.3%。其中我出口1.7156亿美元，进口0.046亿美元。2005年第10届藏尼贸易洽谈会在尼举行。 （二）对尼援助 自1956年以来，我向尼政府提供经济技术援助总额17.5亿元人民币，均为无偿援助，已全部安排完毕，主要有公路、砖瓦厂、造纸厂、水电站、纺织厂、制革厂、水利灌溉工程、糖厂和国际会议大厦等。目前公务员医院、巴尼帕综合技术学校2个项目在建。沙拉公路、马亨德拉国王自然保护基金会研究所、加德满都环城公路、樟木至加德满都光缆、传统医药研究所等7个项目待建。 （三）承包劳务合作 中国在尼的工程承包和劳务合作始于1981年。截至2006年底，我在尼开展承包劳务合作业务合同额8.7726亿美元，完成营业额8.3096亿美元。工程承包合同额为8.6541亿美元，完成营业额8.1993亿美元。2006年，我在尼新签工程承包合同额8696万美元，完成营业额5192万美元。 （四）对尼投资 我在尼开办合资企业仍处于起步阶段。截至2006年底，我在尼非金融类直接投资共计3405万美元，其中2006年为32万美元。同期，尼在华投资项目累计63个，合同外资金额1599万美元，实际投入138万美元。主要经营范围有餐饮、食品加工、服装等。 三、在文化、科技与教育等方面的双边交往与合作 中尼双方在体育、文学、艺术、广播、科学、宗教、摄影、出版、教育等方面均有交流。中方每年向尼提供一定数量的奖学金，我向尼提供政府奖学金名额为每年100人。目前有109名尼留学生在华学习。2001年，中尼签署“关于中国公民赴尼泊尔旅游实施方案的谅解备忘录”。2002年6月，中国公民赴尼旅游正式启动，尼成为第16个中国公民自费出国旅游目的地国家。2005年，尼旅华人数为2.9万人，我公民首站赴尼游客为1.98万人。2006年双方人员往来为4.448万人。 四、双边关系中的其他问题 （一）尼泊尔与我西藏的关系 中国西藏地区和尼泊尔有着传统的友好往来，近年来藏尼在经贸、旅游、文化等方面的合作发展较快。1978年中尼签订民航协定，1987年开通拉萨至加德满都的航线，目前中国国际航空公司有每周两次的航班。1994年5月，中尼签署加德满都至拉萨汽车运输协议。1999年，中尼签署边界过牧协议换文。2002年7月，中尼签署藏尼通商协定。2003年12月，中尼就增设两对边境贸易点进行换文。2005年5月，拉萨至加德满都开通客运直通车。8月，中尼就延长边民过界放牧签署换文，并签署关于尼泊尔借道中国西藏公路进行货物运输的议定书。12月，西藏自治区主席向巴平措访尼。2006年8月，尼副首相兼外交大臣奥利来华时访藏。 （二）中尼民间合作论坛情况 1996年4月18日，中国和尼泊尔两国政府在北京签署了《中尼民间合作论坛协议的换文》，确定双方建立由两国工商界人士、学者、专家和政府代表组成的中尼民间合作论坛，旨在促进两国间的民间经贸交流与合作，推动两国友好合作关系的发展。论坛中方委员会主任由全国工商联常务副主席张绪武担任，委员由全国工商联、外交部、商务部、国务院发展研究中心和部分民营企业家代表组成。尼方委员会主任由尼工商联主席施雷斯塔担任。2003年论坛在尼举行第7次会议。 2005年1月，中尼在海南三亚召开论坛第8次会议。 五、重要双边协议 1956年9月20日 友好以及藏尼通商交通协定 1960年3月 边界协定 1960年4月28日 和平友好条约 1961年10月5日 边界条约 1963年1月20日 边界议定书 1964年5月19日 贸易协定 1964年10月11日 文化合作协定 1966年5月2日 藏尼通商交通协定 1978年8月21日 民航协定 1981年11月22日 贸易和支付协定书 1983年10月10日 边民过牧换文 1986年8月1日 重签藏尼通商交通协定 1986年11月11日 边民过牧换文 1987年8月 拉萨-加德满都不定期飞行备忘录 1996年4月18日 民间合作论坛换文 1999年8月 边民过牧换文 2001年5月 避免双重征税和防止偷漏税协定 2002年7月 重签藏尼通商协定 2003年12月 增设边境贸易点换文 2005年8月 延长边民过牧协议的换文 互免持外交、公务护照人员签证的协定 互发商务人员多次签证协议的换文 尼泊尔借道中国西藏公路进行货物运输的议定书 中国驻尼大使：郑祥林。馆址：BALUWATAR KATHMANDU NEPAL。 电话: 977－1－4411740（办公室），4416485（政治处），4415383（文化处），4419053（签证处）。电传：2545 COCE NP。传真: 4414045。网址：www.chinaembassy.org.np (英文) 经商处地址：TRIPUESWOR, KATHMANDU, NEPAL。信箱: P.O.BOX NO.4234。电话: 977－1－4418622/4418972。电传: 2545 COCE NP。网址：np.mofcom.gov.cn（中文） 尼驻华使馆临时代办：库施·纳拉扬·施瑞斯塔公使衔参赞（Mr.Khush Narayan Shrestha, Minister-Counsellor）。 馆址：北京朝阳区三里屯路西6街1号。电话：65321795。 传真：65323251。电传：210408 NEPBJ CN。网址：www.nepalembassy.org.cn 同印度的关系： 1947年6月两国正式建交。2006年尼印两国高层往来频繁。4月，印总理曼·辛格（Manmohan Singh）派特使卡兰·辛格(Karan Singh)和外秘希夫香卡尔·梅农（Shivshankar Menon）访尼，与尼领导人就尼局势交换意见。6月，尼首相柯伊拉腊访印，与辛格总理会晤。印对尼和平进程表示欢迎和支持，同意在2006-07财年向尼提供80亿卢比（约合1.07亿美元）预算支持。7月，尼内政大臣西陶拉访印。印国大党总书记特里帕蒂（Devi Prasad Tripathi）访尼。11月，尼副首相兼外交大臣夏尔玛·奥利（K.P.Sharma Oli）访印。12月，印外长普拉纳布·慕克吉（Pranab Mukerjee）访尼，会见尼政府和政党主要领导人，并向柯伊拉腊首相转交了印总理辛格邀请其出席第14届南盟峰会的函。关于尼局势，慕表示印尊重尼人民和政党的决定，欢迎尼共（毛主义）回归政治主流，愿继续向尼和平进程提供援助。 印是尼最大贸易伙伴和重要援助国。2005-06财年前8个月，尼对印出口约4亿美元，同比增长21.5%，占尼出口总额的69.1%。尼从印进口约9.75亿美元，同比增长34.8%，占尼进口总额的63.3%。2006-07财年，印对尼发展援助达35亿卢比（约合4700万美元），为上一财年的3倍。 同美国的关系： 1947年4月，尼美建交并签订友好和商务条约。2005年2月，贾南德拉国王亲政，美宣布停止对尼军援、军售。5月9-11日，美国负责南亚事务助理国务卿罗卡对尼进行工作访问。罗卡会见了贾南德拉国王、大臣委员会两位副主席、外交大臣、尼军总参谋长，以及尼主要政党领导人。太平洋司令部司令法伦。2006年4月，尼政党推翻国王亲政，并组建新政府。美总统布什致电祝贺柯伊拉腊出任首相。5月初，美主管南亚和中亚事务助理国务卿包润石（Richard A. Boucher）访尼，会见尼政府和政党领导人。包表示，美将全面支持尼新政府，包括民主进程和提供社会经济援助，并考虑恢复对尼军援。尼共（毛主义）必须放弃暴力回归政治主流。美支持尼国王为礼仪性君主，国王今后的命运取决于尼人民。2007年4月1日，尼临时政府成立，美驻尼使馆声明表示支持。 文化遗产 杜巴广场（Durbar Square）：是加德满都最有名的广场，也是观赏尼泊尔寺庙建筑的好地方。这里囊括了尼泊尔十六世纪至十九世纪之间的古迹建筑，广场上总共有五十座以上的寺庙和宫殿。 斯瓦扬布纳特寺（Swayambhunath）：也是一座圆佛塔, 又名猴子庙（Monkey Temple）。由于它坐落在谷地里的猴山（山上有不少野生的猴子）顶，高高在上默视四方，而成为尼泊尔的象征之一。 博达哈大佛塔（Bodhnath）：是全世界最大的圆佛塔，白色巨大的穹形，气势不凡，给人以宽大为怀的感觉。 巴德岗东部的Tachupal街一带是旧城区。在14-16世纪，巴德岗是加德满都谷地的首都。当时，城市的中心位于西部的宫殿广场一带。城中的许多建筑始于17世纪末。 昌古纳拉扬寺：位于巴德岗的昌古村，是保护神毗湿奴的庙宇。该寺的历史可以追溯到公元4世纪。 帕坦皇宫：宫殿广场的整个东部都是帕坦的皇宫。皇宫的一部分是在14世纪建成的，但主体建筑是在17-18世纪完成的。 帕坦的皇宫是最古老的，年代比加德满都和巴德岗的皇宫更久远。 帕斯帕提那寺：是印度教最重要的庙宇之一。这座庙宇拥有三层式屋顶，周围还有一些漆成黄色和白色的建筑物，这里只允许印度教徒进入，如果是游客就只能站在门口好奇地观望。 兰毗尼：是佛教创始人释迦牟尼的诞生地，位于尼泊尔南部特莱平原，距印度只有20多公里。是世界各地佛教徒渴望朝拜之地，也是当代佛教复兴的基地。 [font style="FONT-SIZE: 22pt; FONT-FAMILY: 宋体; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"]政治[/font]：现行宪法是尼历史上的第三部宪法，于１９９０年１１月９日颁布。宪法规定，尼是一个实行多党民主制和君主立宪制的印度教王国。国王为国家元首和武装部队统帅，是国家统一和人民团结的象征。２００６年４月，新政府组成后宣布将进行制宪会议选举，制定临时宪法。２００６年５月１８日，尼泊尔议会通过新内阁提交的决议草案，解除国王拥有的一切特权，规定尼泊尔为“世俗国家”，议会成为全国最高权力决策机构。决议规定，原“尼泊尔国王陛下政府”将更名为“尼泊尔政府”；原“皇家尼泊尔军”将更名为“尼泊尔国民军”；国王也不再拥有军队总司令头衔，军队的调遣及最高统帅的任命由大臣会议（内阁）决定，并经议会相关委员会批准。决议还规定，原皇家事务顾问机构“皇家委员会”将被解散，有关事务由议会接管；国王将为其财产及收入缴纳税款，王宫预算开支由议会决定；国王也不再拥有指定王位继承人的权力，这项权力由议会拥有；国王将不再拥有召开议会全体会议的权力，首相可提出召开议会全会的要求，但最终决定由议长作出。决议还强调，任何与该决议内容不一致的宪法和法律条款都将被视为无效。６月１０日，尼议会全体会议通过一项新规章，规定国王完全脱离议会事务。根据新规章，国家机器的一切职能工作将由议会指挥，国家一切重大决定将由议会作出或授权作出，宪法内容的修改将由议会讨论进行，政府部门的重要决定将直接提交议会批准执行，而不需事先经国王认可。此外，政府内阁大臣、军队治安部队领导人、驻外使节等的宣誓就职仪式也由国王在王宫主持改由议会相关委员会在议会主持举行。 尼泊尔妇女庆祝传统节日——女人节 ７月３１日，尼内阁会议决定，大幅削减享受王室津贴的王室家族成员。根据新规定，今后，只有国王、王后、王储、王储妃和王后的母亲可以享受王室津贴。９月２２日，尼议会通过修改后的新军队法规定，尼泊尔武装力量的最高统帅不再由国王担任，军队指挥权将由政府和议会掌控。政府军的控制和调遣将根据首相领导的国家安全理事会的建议，由政府最终决定。新军队法还规定，设立特别军事法庭，负责处理军内刑事犯罪案件。２００７年１月１５日，尼议会颁布临时宪法，组建包括尼共（毛主义）参加的临时议会。和平协议及尼泊尔临时宪法规定，将通过选举产生制宪会议，负责制定新宪法以及决定尼泊尔未来政体。同年３月，临时议会通过临时宪法第一修正案，决定通过制宪会议选举在尼实行民主联邦制。４月，尼临时政府组建。６月，尼泊尔临时议会通过临时宪法第二修正案。根据临时宪法第二修正案，如果临时议会获得能够证明国王阻挠或试图阻挠制宪会议选举的证据，临时议会可通过表决，并在得到三分之二多数议员支持的情况下废除君主制。修正案规定，相关证据必须由尼泊尔内阁提交。同年１２月２３日，尼泊尔执政的七党联盟领导人签署协议，决定废除君主制，在临时宪法中规定“民主共和”的内容，但上述决定最终需经制宪会议选举后的第一次全体会议批准后方能生效。在此之前，由首相代理国家元首，处理国家事务。１２月２８日，尼泊尔临时议会通过临时宪法修正案，宣布尼泊尔将成为“联邦民主共和国”。２００８年４月，尼泊尔举行制宪会议选举，尼共（毛主义）取得２２０个制宪会议席位，成为最大政党。同年５月２７日，尼泊尔制宪会议成员宣誓就职，尼泊尔制宪会议由此成立。５月２８日，尼泊尔制宪会议第一次会议在加德满都国际会议中心通过由尼泊尔临时政府提出的议案，以560名同意，4名反对的巨大优势宣布废除君主制，将国体改为联邦民主共和国。自此，拥有２３９年历史的尼泊尔沙阿王朝宣告终结，国王贾南德拉成为平民.５月２９日在摆脱了长达239年的君主统治之后，尼泊尔人今日开始庆祝自己走向共和的第一天，尼泊尔皇室悬挂的皇家旗帜也缓缓降下。其原首相柯伊拉腊成为尼泊尔第一任总统。 尼泊尔前国王贾南德拉当地时间１１日２０时３０分左右从位于加德满都市中心的纳拉扬希蒂王宫离开，前往位于加德满都郊区的讷格尔朱纳宫。 The modern state was formed with the Unification of Nepal by Prithvi Narayan Shah on December 21, 1768. Prior to 2006, Nepal was a kingdom and the only nation with Hinduism as its official religion. At present, Nepal is officially and constitutionally a secular country. Its recent history has involved struggles for democratic government with periods of direct monarchic rule. From 1995 until 2006, Nepal suffered from a Civil War between government forces and Maoist guerrillas of the Communist Party of Nepal. On December 28, 2007, the Interim Parliament passed a bill and declared Nepal to be a Federal Democratic Republic. The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly officially implemented that declaration on May 28, 2008. Nepal is a multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi religious country. For a relatively small country, Nepal has a diverse landscape, ranging from the humid Terai plains in the south to the mountainous Himalayas in the north, which makes it a major tourist destination. Hinduism is practised by a huge majority of the people, but the country also has a strong Buddhist tradition; Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama is located in the Terai, one of the three regions of Nepal. The capital Kathmandu is the largest city in the country. The official language is Nepali and the state currency is the Nepalese Rupee (NPR). Nepal's Flag is the only national flag in the world that is non-quadrilateral in shape. It is believed that lord Vishnu had organized the Nepali people and given them this flag, with the sun and moon as emblems on it. The word Nepal is derived from Nepal (नेपा:); the old name of Kathmandu valley was Nepal in Nepal Bhasa, the language of Newars, who were the early inhabitants of the valley, long before the unification of Nepal. The fact that Nepal Sambat, one of the three main calendars of Nepal, existed long before the unification of Nepal proves this historical fact.The Nepal Sambat calendar, named after this Newar kingdom was devised 1200 years ago, is still one of the major calendars used in Nepal. Historians and local traditions say that a Hindu sage named "Ne" established himself in the valley of Kathmandu during prehistoric times, and that the word "Nepal" means the place protected ("pala" in Sanskrit) by the sage "Ne". He performed religious ceremonies at Teku, the confluence of the Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers. According to legend he selected a pious cowherd to be the first of the many kings of the Gopala Dynasty. These rulers are said to have ruled Nepal for over 500 years. He selected Bhuktaman to be the first king in the line of the Gopal (Cowherd) Dynasty. The Gopal dynasty ruled for 621 years. Yakshya Gupta was the last king of this dynasty.However,this mythology can be challenged as no such name as Ne exists in Nepali or other sanskrit derived languages. According to Skanda Purana, a rishi called "Ne" or "Nemuni" used to live in Himalaya. In the Pashupati Purana, he is mentioned as a saint and a protector. He is said to have practiced penance at the Bagmati and Kesavati rivers and to have taught his doctrines there too. Another legend ties the name to agriculture; "Ne" means wool in the Tibetan language and "pal" means house or godown. Language All the languages spoken in Nepal are the national languages. Nepali is the official language of Nepal. It was originally called Khaskura, but became known as Nepali during the 20th century. However, all languages spoken in Nepal can be used for official purposes and documentation irrespective of what the official language is . In the capital Kathmandu, Nepali and Nepal Bhasa/Newari are the most widely used languages. History Prehistory Neolithic tools found in the Kathmandu Valley indicate that people have been living in the Himalayan region for at least 9,000 years. It appears that people who were probably of Kirant ethnicity lived in Nepal 2,500 years ago. Ancient Nepal is mentioned in Hindu scriptures such as the Narayana Puja and the Atharva Siras (800-600 BC).Around 1000 BC, small kingdoms and confederations of clans arose in the region. From one of these, the Shakya confederation, arose a prince named Siddharta Gautama (563–483 BC), who later renounced his royalty to lead an ascetic life and came to be known as the Buddha ("the enlightened one").7th Kirata king Jitedasti was on throne in Nepal valley at the time. By 250 BC, the region came under the influence of the Mauryan empire of northern India, and later became a vassal state under the Gupta Dynasty in the fourth century AD. From the late fifth century, rulers called the Licchavis governed the area. There is a good and quite detailed description of the kingdom of Nepal in the account of the renowned Chinese Buddhist pilgrim monk, Xuanzang, dating from c. 645 AD. The Licchavi dynasty went into decline in the late eighth century and was followed by a Newari era, from 879, although the extent of their control over the entire country is uncertain. By the late 11th century, southern Nepal came under the influence of the Chalukaya Empire of southern India. Under the Chalukayas, Nepal's religious establishment changed as the kings patronised Hinduism instead of the prevailing Buddhism. Medieval By the early 12th century, leaders were emerging whose names ended with the Sanskrit suffix malla ("wrestler"). Initially their reign was marked by upheaval, but the kings consolidated their power and ruled over the next 200 years; by the late 14th century, much of the country began to come under a unified rule. This unity was short-lived; in 1482 the region was carved into three kingdoms: Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. Hindu temples in Patan, capital of one of the three medieval Newar kingdomsAfter centuries of petty rivalry between the three kingdoms, in the mid-18th century Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha King set out to unify the kingdoms. Seeking arms and aid from India, and buying the neutrality of bordering Indian kingdoms, he embarked on his mission in 1765. After several bloody battles and sieges, he managed to unify Kathmandu Valley three years later in 1768. However, an actual battle never took place to conquer the Kathmandu valley; it was taken over by Prithvi Narayan and his troops without any effort, during Indra Jatra, a festival of Newars, when all the valley's citizens were celebrating the festival. This event marked the birth of the modern nation of Nepal. Modern There is historical evidence that, at one time, the boundary of Greater Nepal extended from Tista River on the East to Kangara, across Sutlej River, in the west. A dispute and subsequently war with Tibet over the control of mountain passes forced the Nepalese to retreat and pay heavy reparations. Rivalry between Nepal and the British East India Company over the annexation of minor states bordering Nepal eventually led to the Anglo-Nepalese War (1815–16). The valor displayed by the Nepalese during the war astounded their enemies and earned them their image of fierce and ruthless "Gurkhas". The war ended the Treaty of Sugauli. This treaty ceded Sikkim and lands in Terai to the Company. Factionalism inside the royal family had led to a period of instability. In 1846 a plot was discovered, revealing that the reigning queen had planned to overthrow Jung Bahadur Rana, a fast-rising military leader. This led to the Kot Massacre; armed clashes between military personnel and administrators loyal to the queen led to the execution of several hundred princes and chieftains around the country. Jung Bahadur Rana emerged victorious and founded the Rana lineage. The king was made a titular figure, and the post of Prime Minister was made powerful and hereditary. The Ranas were staunchly pro-British, and assisted them during the Indian Sepoy Rebellion in 1857 (and later in both World Wars). The decision to help British East India Company was taken by the Rana Regime, then led by Jang Bahadur Rana. Some parts of Terai Region were given back to Nepal by the British as a friendly gesture, because of her military help to sustain British control in India during the Sepoy Rebellion. In 1923, the United Kingdom and Nepal formally signed an agreement of friendship, in which Nepal's independence was recognized by the UK. Nepalese royalty in the 1920sSlavery was abolished in Nepal in 1924. In the late 1940s, newly emerging pro-democracy movements and political parties in Nepal were critical of the Rana autocracy. Meanwhile, with the assertion of Chinese control in Tibet in the 1950s, India sought to counterbalance the perceived military threat from its northern neighbour by taking pre-emptive steps to assert more influence in Nepal. India sponsored both King Tribhuvan as Nepal's new ruler in 1951, and a new government, mostly comprising the Nepali Congress Party, thus terminating Rana hegemony in the kingdom. After years of power wrangling between the king and the government, the monarch scrapped the democratic experiment in 1959, and a "partyless" panchayat system was made to govern Nepal until 1989, when the "Jan Andolan" (People's Movement) forced the monarchy to accept constitutional reforms and to establish a multiparty parliament that took seat in May 1991. In 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) started a bid to replace the royal parliamentary system with a people's socialist republic. This led to the long Nepal Civil War and more than 12,000 deaths. On June 1, 2001, there was a massacre in the royal palace; it left the King, the Queen and the Heir Apparent Crown Prince Dipendra among the dead. Prince Dipendra was accused of patricide and of committing suicide thereafter, alleged to be a violent response to his parents' refusal to accept his choice of wife. However, there are lots of speculations and doubts among Nepalese citizens about the person(s) responsible for the Royal Massacre. Following the carnage, the throne was inherited by King Birendra's brother Gyanendra. On February 1, 2005, Gyanendra dismissed the entire government and assumed full executive powers to quash the violent Maoist movement. In September 2005, the Maoists declared a three-month unilateral ceasefire to negotiate their demands. In response to the 2006 democracy movement, the king agreed to relinquish the sovereign power back to the people and reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives on April 24, 2006. Using its newly acquired sovereign authority, on May 18, 2006, the newly resumed House of Representatives unanimously passed a motion to curtail the power of the king and declared Nepal a secular state, abolishing its time honoured official status as a Hindu Kingdom. On December 28, 2007, a bill was passed in parliament, to amend Article 159 of the constitution - replacing "Provisions regarding the King" by "Provisions of the Head of the State" - declaring Nepal a federal republic, and thereby abolishing the monarchy. The bill came into force on May 28, 2008 as a constituent assembly meeting in the capital, Kathmandu, overwhelmingly voted to abolish royal rule. End of monarchy The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) won the largest number of seats in the Constituent Assembly election held on 10 April 2008, and are trying to form a coalition government with some smaller parties. The Maoists had insisted on the abolition of the monarchy and the removal of Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev as King with Nepal becoming a federal democratic state with an elected head of state. The newly-elected Assembly met in Kathmandu on May 28, 2008 and abolished the monarchy that had reigned for 240 years. There was a polling of constituent Assembly members and out of a total of 564 Assembly members, 560 voted to end Nepal's monarchical rule. The proposal declared that Nepal had become an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular and an inclusive democratic republic. Nepal's government has announced a public holiday for three days, from May 28 to May 30, to celebrate the country becoming a republic. The Narayanhity palace removed the royal flag that was flying on its premises and replaced it with Nepal's national flag on 29 May 2008. Geography Geography of Nepal is uncommonly diverse. Nepal is of roughly trapezoidal shape, 800 kilometres (500 mi) long and 200 kilometres (125 mi) wide, with an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi). See List of territories by size for the comparative size of Nepal. Nepal is commonly divided into three physiographic areas: the Mountain, Hill, Siwalik region and Terai Regions. These ecological belts run east-west and are vertically intersected by Nepal's major, north to south flowing river systems. The southern lowland Plains bordering India are part of the northern rim of the Indo-Gangetic plains. They were formed and are fed by three major rivers: the Kosi, the Narayani, and the Karnali. This region has a hot, humid climate. The Hill Region (Pahad) abuts the mountains and varies from 1,000 to 4,000 metres (3,300–13,125 ft) in altitude. Two low mountain ranges, the Mahabharat Lekh and Shiwalik Range (also called the Churia Range) dominate the region. The hilly belt includes the Kathmandu Valley, the country's most fertile and urbanised area. Unlike the valleys called Inner Tarai (Bhitri Tarai Uptyaka), elevations above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) are sparsely populated. The Mountain Region, situated in the Great Himalayan Range, makes the northern part of Nepal. It contains the regions of highest altitude in the world; the world's highest mountain, 8,850 metres (29,035 ft) height Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) is located here on the border with Tibet. Seven other of the world's ten highest mountains are located in Nepal: Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kanchenjunga, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu. The arid and barren Himalayan landscape.Nepal has five climatic zones, broadly corresponding to the altitudes. The tropical and subtropical zones lie below 1,200 metres (3,940 ft), the temperate zone 1,200 to 2,400 metres (3,900–7,875 ft), the cold zone 2,400 to 3,600 metres (7,875–11,800 ft), the subarctic zone 3,600 to 4,400 metres (11,800–14,400 ft), and the Arctic zone above 4,400 metres (14,400 ft). Nepal experiences five seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. The Himalaya blocks cold winds from Central Asia in winter, and forms the northern limit of the monsoon wind patterns. Once thickly forested, deforestation is a major problem in all regions, with resulting erosion and degradation of ecosystems. Nepal is a hotspot of mountaineering, containing some of the highest and most challenging mountains in the world, including Mount Everest. Technically, the south-east ridge on the Nepali side of the mountain is easier to climb; so, most climbers prefer to trek to Everest through Nepal. Until the Sugauli Sandhi (treaty) was signed, the territory of Nepal also included Darjeeling, and Tista to the east, Nainital to the south-west and Kalapani, Susta, Garhwal to the west. However, today these areas are a part of India. As a result, Nepal shares no boundary with Bangladesh now and the two countries are separated by a narrow strip of land about 21 kilometre (13 mi) wide, called the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck. Efforts are underway to make this area a free-trade zone.The border dispute between India and Nepal has often been a cause of tension between the two countries. Subdivisions Subdivisions of Nepal Nepal is divided into 14 zones and 75 districts, grouped into 5 development regions. Each district is headed by a permanent chief district officer responsible for maintaining law and order and coordinating the work of field agencies of the various government ministries. The 14 zones are: Bagmati Bheri Dhawalagiri Gandaki Janakpur Karnali Kosi Lumbini Mahakali Mechi Narayani Rapti Sagarmatha Seti Neotectonics of Nepal The collision between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian continent, which started in Paleogene time and continues today, produced the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau, a spectacular modern example of the effects of plate tectonics. Nepal lies completely within this collision zone, occupying the central sector of the Himalayan arc, nearly one third of the 2400km-long Himalayas. The Indian plate continues to move northward relative to Asia at the rate of ~50mm/yr. Given the great magnitudes of the blocks of the Earth’s crust involved, this is remarkably fast, about twice the speed at which human fingernails grow. As the strong Indian continental crust subducts beneath the relatively weak Tibetan crust, it pushes up the Himalaya mountains. This collision zone has accommodated huge amounts of crustal shortening as the rock sequences slide one over another. Erosion of the Himalayas is a very important source of sediment, which flows via great rivers (Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra) to the Indian Ocean. Structural and Neotectonic pattern of Nepal The main structures of Nepal consist of several north-dipping thrust faults; the more important ones are the main frontal thrust (MFT), the main boundary thrust (MBT) and the main central thrust (MCT) (F. Jouanne et al.,2004). These thrust faults lie to the south of the South Tibetan Detachment System( STDS) which is a system of low angle normal faults and is also an important aspect of Nepal Himalayan tectonics. Geological Map of Nepal Showing Major Tectonic Thrusts.The thrust faults trend generally 120°N in western Nepal, curving to 90°N in the eastern part of the country (Upreti & Le Fort 1999). These thrust faults, with generally southerly transport directions (Brunel 1986; Pecher 1991; Mugnier et al.,1999), are inferred to branch off the major basal detachment of the Himalayan thrust belt called the main Himalayan thrust (MHT) that localizes the underthrusting of the Indian lithospere beneath the Himalayas and Tibet (Zhao et al., 1993). All the cross-sections made through the Himalayan belt advocate a mid-crustal ramp, below a large-scale antiformal structure of the Lesser Himalayas and to be north of a synformal structure(Schelling & Arita 1991; Srivastava & Mitra 1994; Pandey et al. 1990; DeCelles et al. 1998; Mugnier et al. 2003). Geological, geophysical and structural data indicate that there are lateral variations in the geometry of the MHT (Zhao et al.,1993; Pandey et al.1995,1999), but direct knowledge of the geometry of the MHT is sparse and therefore the validity of the profiles is still in debate. The thrusts are generally younger from north to south (24-21 Ma for the MCT, less than 2 Ma for the MFT) (Hodges et al. 1996; Harrison et al. 1997). On the basis of these faults, the structure of Nepal is generally subdivided into five tectonic zones: Gangetic Plain (Terai) (area on the south of MFT) Sub-Himalayas (Siwaliks)( area between MFT and MBT) Lesser Himalayas (area between MBT and MCT) Higher Himalayas (area between MCT and STDS) Tibetan-Tethys ( area north of STDS) Present-day deformation of Nepal The modern deformation of the Himalayas is characterized by big earthquakes. Almost half of the continuing convergence between India and Eurasia is absorbed by underthrusting of the Indian lithosphere, beneath the Himalayas and Tibet along the MHT, as proposed by seismic investigations (Zhao et al.1993). Three of the big Nepalese earthquakes (1905,1934 and 1950, with magnitudes around 8) were caused by the mid-crustal ramp along MHT (Pandey & Molnar 1989). The territory of Nepal is characterized by very intense microseismic activity, most of which follows approximately the topographic front of the Higher Himalaya (Pandey et al.,1999). Most of the earthquakes cluster between the MCT and MBT (Fig: Seismicity in the Himalayas of Nepal). Seismicity in the Himalayas of Nepal.Earthquake focal mechanisms indicate that the intermediate magnitude earthquakes are shallow depth (10-20km) beneath the Lesser Himalayas, demonstrating the activation of thrust planes gently dipping to the north (Ni and Barazangi, 1984). Detailed analysis of the Uttarkashi earthquake (Cotton et al. 1996) in the west of Nepal indicates that this event was initiated to the south of the Higher Himalayas front at 12±3 km depth corresponding to the southward propagation of a rupture along this segment of the MHT. A detailed study of the microseismic clusters suggests segmentation of the Himalayan arc (Pandey et al. 1999) and two major discontinuities segment the microseismicity belt at 82.5°E and 86.5°E. The projection along cross sections of the microseismic event (Fig:Cross-section and Projection of Microseimic Activity) reveals a noticeable change in shape of the clusters between central Nepal (rounded clusters are located in the vicinity of the flat-ramp transition of the MHT) and western Nepal (clusters are elongated and nearly horizontal) (F. Jouanne et al.,2004). Similarly, vertical displacement rates, expressed with reference to the Gangetic plain, indicate current uplift of the high Himalayas at 6mm/yr, but also suggest active displacement along frontal thrusts inducing localized uplift (B. Antoine et al., 2004). There is change in maximum elevation between central (8500m) and western (7500m) Nepal and also a big difference in incision between eastern-central Nepal (6000m) and western Nepal (4500m)(B. Antoine et al., 2004). This is reflected in gentler relief in western Nepal and confirms the segmentation of geology and deformation observed with microseismicity and GPS measurements (Fig:Cross-section and Projection of Microseimic Activity). Cross-section and Projection of Microseimic Activity.Conclusion: To summarise, the neotectonic deformation of Nepal is characterised by three major thrust faults (MCT, MBT and MFT) which are inferred to be the splay thrust of MHT that marks the underthrusting of Indian lithosphere beneath the Himalayas. Likewise, there is a sudden change in geometry of the MHT between central and western Nepal, which is also marked in the Himalayan relief. The MHT is the main structure responsible for recent uplift and continuing deformation in Nepal. This hypothesis is reinforced by the observation that Quaternary displacement along the Main Frontal Thrust, southern emergence of the MHT and the convergence rate estimated across the Himalayas by GPS are both estimated at 18-20 mm/yr, which suggests that nearly all the displacement between India and Tibet is today transferred along the MHT (B. Antoine et al., 2004). Government and politics Nepal has seen rapid political changes during the last two decades. Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy running under the executive control of the king. Faced with a people's movement against the absolute monarchy, King Birendra, in 1990, agreed to large-scale political reforms by creating a parliamentary 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 Representatives called the Pratinidhi Sabha and a National Council called the Rastriya Sabha. The House of Representatives consisted of 205 members directly elected by the people. The National Council had sixty members: ten nominated by the king, thirty-five elected by the House of Representatives and the remaining fifteen elected by an electoral college made up of chairs of villages and towns. The legislature had a five-year term, but was dissolvable by the king before its term could end. All Nepali citizens 18 years and older became eligible to vote. The executive comprised the King and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party securing the maximum seats in an election was appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet was appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Governments in Nepal tended to be highly unstable, falling either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch, on the recommendation of prime minister, according to the constitution; no government has survived for more than two years since 1991. The movement in April, 2006, brought about a change in the nation'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 government held peace talks with the Maoist rebels. The number of parliamentary seats was also increased to 330. In April, 2007, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) joined the interim government of Nepal. On December 28, 2007, the interim parliament passed a bill that would make Nepal a federal republic, with the Prime Minister becoming head of state. The bill was passed by the Constituent Assembly on May 28, 2008. On April 10, 2008, there was the first election in Nepal for the constitution assembly. The Maoist party led the poll results, but failed to gain a simple majority in the parliament. On May 28, 2008, lawmakers in Nepal legally abolished the monarchy and declared the country a republic, ending 239 years of royal rule in the Himalayan nation. The newly elected assembly, led by the former communist rebels, adopted the resolution at its first meeting by an overwhelming majority. King Gyanendra was given 15 days to leave former Royal Palace in central Kathmandu by the Nepalese Constituent Assembly. He left former Royal Palace on June 11. On June 26, 2008, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala tendered his resignation to the Nepalese Constituent Assembly, which is also functioning as Nepalese Parliament, however a new Prime Minister is yet to be elected by the Nepalese Constituent Assembly. Military and foreign affairs The famous outpost of Naamche Bazaar in the Khumbu region close to Mount Everest. The town is built on terraces in what resembles a giant Greek theatre.Nepal's military consists of the Nepalese Army which includes the Nepalese Army Air Service, (the air force unit under it). Nepalese Police Force is the civilian police and the Armed Police Force Nepal is the paramilitary force. Service is voluntary and the minimum age for enlistment is 18 years. Nepal spends $99.2 million (2004) on its military—1.5% of its GDP. Many of the equipment and arms are imported from India. Nepal has close ties with both of its neighbours, India and China. In accordance with a long standing treaty, Indian and Nepalese citizens may travel to each others' countries without a passport or visa. Nepalese citizens may work in India without legal restriction. Although Nepal and India typically have close ties, from time to time Nepal becomes caught up in the problematic Sino-Indian relationship. Recently China has been asking Nepal to curb protests in Nepal against China'sPolicy on Tibet, and on April 17th, 2008, police arrested over 500 Tibetan protestors citing a need to maintain positive relations with China. Economy Terraced farming on the foothills of the Himalayas.Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP) for the year 2005 was estimated at just over US$39 billion (adjusted to Purchasing Power Parity), making it the 83rd-largest economy in the world. Agriculture accounts for about 40% of Nepal's GDP, services comprise 41% and industry 22%. Agriculture employs 76% of the workforce, services 18% and manufacturing/craft-based industry 6%. Agricultural produce——mostly grown in the Terai region bordering India——includes tea, rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, and water buffalo meat. Industry mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce, including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Its workforce of about 10 million suffers from a severe shortage of skilled labour. The spectacular landscape and diverse, exotic cultures of Nepal represent considerable potential for tourism, but growth in this hospitality industry has been stifled by recent political events. The rate of unemployment and underemployment approaches half of the working-age population. Thus many Nepali citizens move to India in search of work; the Gulf countries and Malaysia being new sources of work. Nepal receives US$50 million a year through the Gurkha soldiers who serve in the Indian and British armies and are highly esteemed for their skill and bravery. The total remittance value is worth around 1 billion USD, including money sent from Persian Gulf and Malaysia, who combined employ around 700,000 Nepali citizens. A long-standing economic agreement underpins a close relationship with India. The country receives foreign aid from India, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union, China, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries. Poverty is acute; per-capita income is less than US$ 470. The distribution of wealth among the Nepalis is consistent with that in many developed and developing countries: the highest 10% of households control 39.1% of the national wealth and the lowest 10% control only 2.6%. The government's budget is about US$1.153 billion, with expenditures of $1.789bn (FY05/06). The Nepalese rupee has been tied to the Indian Rupee at an exchange rate of 1.6 for many years. Since the loosening of exchange rate controls in the early 1990s, the black market for foreign exchange has all but disappeared. The inflation rate has dropped to 2.9% after a period of higher inflation during the 1990s. Nepal's exports of mainly carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods and grain total $822 million. Import commodities of mainly gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products and fertilizer total US$2 bn. India (53.7%), the US (17.4%), and Germany (7.1%) are its main export partners. Nepal's import partners include India (47.5%), the United Arab Emirates (11.2%), China (10.7%), Saudi Arabia (4.9%), and Singapore (4%). A Rs.500 banknote of The Republic of Nepal. (Yet the watermark on the right contains picture of King Gyanendra, later admitted clerical error by state owned Nepal Rashtra Bank.)Nepal remains isolated from the world’s major land, air and sea transport routes although, within the country, aviation is in a better state, with 48 airports, ten of them with paved runways; flights are frequent and support a sizeable traffic. Hilly and mountainous terrain in the northern two-thirds of the country has made the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. There were just over 8,500 km of paved roads, and one 59 km railway line in the south in 2003. There is only one reliable road route from India to the Kathmandu Valley. The only practical seaport of entry for goods bound for Kathmandu is Calcutta in India. Internally, the poor state of development of the road system (22 of 75 administrative districts lack road links) makes volume distribution unrealistic. Besides having landlocked, rugged geography, few tangible natural resources and poor infrastructure, the long-running civil war is also a factor in stunting the economic growth. There is less than one telephone per 19 people. Landline telephone services are not adequate nationwide but are concentrated in cities and district headquarters. Mobile telephony is in a reasonable state in most parts of the country with increased accessibility and affordability; there were around 175,000 Internet connections in 2005. After the imposition of the "state of emergency", intermittent losses of service-signals were reported, but uninterrupted Internet connections have resumed after Nepal's second major people's revolution to overthrow the King's absolute power. Demographics The Population Density map of Nepal.Perched on the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains, Nepal is as ethnically diverse as its terrain of fertile plains, broad valleys, and the highest mountain peaks in the world. The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations from India, Tibet, and North Burma and Yunnan via Assam. Among the earliest inhabitants were the Kirat of east mid-region, Newar of the Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharu in the southern Terai region. The ancestors of the Brahman and Chetri caste groups came from India's present Kumaon, Garhwal and Kashmir regions, while other ethnic groups trace their origins to North Burma and Yunnan and Tibet, e.g. the Gurung and Magar in the west, Rai and Limbu in the east(from Yunnan and north Burma via Assam), and Sherpa and Bhotia in the north(from Tibet). In the Terai, a part of the Ganges Basin with 20% of the land, much of the population is physically and culturally similar to the Indo-Aryans of northern India. Indo-Aryan and East Asian looking mixed people live in the hill region. The mountainous highlands are sparsely populated. Kathmandu Valley, in the middle hill region, constitutes a small fraction of the nation's area but is the most densely populated, with almost 5% of the population. Nepal is a multilingual, multireligious and multiethnic society. These data are largely derived from Nepal's 2001 census results published in the Nepal Population Report 2002. According to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Nepal hosted a population of refugees and asylum seekers in 2007 numbering approximately 130,000. Of this population, approximately 109,200 persons were from Bhutan and 20,500 from China. The government of Nepal resticted Bhutanese refugees to seven camps in the Jhapa and Morang districts, and refugees were not permitted to work in most professions. Languages Spoken in Nepal.Population Structure Data Size Population 28,676,547 (2005) Growth Rate 2.2% Population below 14 Years old 39% Population of age 15 to 64 57.3% Population above 65 3.7% The median age (Average) 20.07 The median age (Male) 19.91 The median age (Females) 20.24 Ratio (Male:Female) 1, 000:1,060 Life expectancy (Average) 59.8 Years Life expectancy (Male) 60.9 Life expectancy (Female) 59.5 Literacy Rate (Average) 53.74% Literacy Rate (Male) 68.51% Literacy Rate (Female) 42.49% Despite the migration of a significant section of the population to the southern plains or terai in recent years, the majority of the population still lives in the central highlands. The northern mountains are sparsely populated. Kathmandu, with a population of around 800,000 (metropolitan area: 1.5 million), is the largest city in the country. Religion Shaiva-devotees gather at the Hindu Pashupatinath TempleNepal religiosity religion percent Hinduism 80.6% Buddhism 10.7% Islam 4.2% Mundhum 3.6% Christianity 0.5% Other 0.4% The main religion of Nepal is Hinduism. Lord Shiva is regarded as the guardian deity of the country. Nepal is home to the largest Shiva temple in the world, the famous Pashupatinath Temple, where Hindus from all over the world come for pilgrimage. According to mythology, Sita Devi of the epic Ramayana was born in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka Raja. Buddhism was relatively more common among the Newar. But, differences between Hindus and Buddhists have been in general very subtle and academic in nature due to the intermingling of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. Both share common temples and worship common deities and many of Nepal's Buddhists could also be regarded as Hindus and vice versa. Gurkhas from Nepal are Hindu. Among other natives of Nepal, those most influenced by Hinduism were the Magar, Sunwar, Limbu and Rai. Hindu influence is less prominent among the Gurung, Bhutia, and Thakali groups, who employ Buddhist monks for their religious ceremonies. Most of the festivals in Nepal are Hindu. The Machendrajatra festival, dedicated to Hindu Shaiva Siddha, is celebrated even by Buddhists and it is the Buddhists' main festival. As it is believed that Ne Muni established Nepal, important priests in Nepal are called "Tirthaguru Nemuni". Discussing the importance of Nepal's Hinduism, Veer Savarkar wrote, "To the Independent Hindu kingdom of Nepal all Hindudom feels itself most loyally attached and would ever strive to strain every nerve in defending its honour and integrity. It is the only part of our Mother Land which continues down to this day as a Dharma Kshettra unsullied by the humiliating shadow of an alien non-Hindu Flag." Culture Nepalese culture is diverse, reflecting different ethnic origins of the people. The Newar community is particularly rich in cultural diversity; they celebrate many festivals, well known for their music and dance. A typical Nepalese meal is dal-bhat-tarkari. Dal is a spicy lentil soup, served over bhat (boiled rice), served with tarkari (curried vegetables) together with achar (pickles) or chutni (spicy condiment made from fresh ingredients).. The Newar community, however, has its own unique cuisine. It consists of non-vegetarian as well as vegetarian items served with alcoholic and 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 (fenugreek), bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, chillies, mustard seeds etc., are used in the cooking. The cuisine served on festivals is generally the best. Nepalese children practicing danceThe Newari Music orchestra consists mainly of percussion instruments, though wind instruments, such as flutes and other similar instruments, are also used. String instruments are very rare. There are songs pertaining to particular seasons and festivals. Paahan chare music is probably the fastest played music whereas the Dapa the slowest. There are certain musical instruments such as Dhimay and Bhusya which are played as instrumental only and are not accompanied with songs. The dhimay music is the loudest one. In the hills, people enjoy their own kind of music, playing saarangi (a string instrument), madal and flute. They also have many popular folk songs known as lok geet and lok dohari. The Newar dances can be broadly classified into masked dances and non-masked dances. The most representative of Newari dances is Lakhey dance. Almost all the settlements of Newaris organise Lakhey dance at least once a year, mostly in the Goonlaa month. So, they are called Goonlaa Lakhey. However, the most famous Lakhey dance is the Majipa Lakhey dance; it is performed by the Ranjitkars of Kathmandu and the celeberation continues for one whole week that contains the full moon of Yenlaa month. The Lakhey are considered as the saviors of children. Folklore is an integral part of Nepalese society. Traditional stories are rooted in the reality of day-to-day life, tales of love, affection and battles as well as demons and ghosts and thus reflect local lifestyles, cultures and beliefs. Many Nepalese folktales are enacted through the medium of dance and music. The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months. Saturday is the official weekly holiday. Main annual holidays include the National Day, celebrated on the birthday of the king (December 28), Prithvi Jayanti, (January 11), Martyr's Day (February 18) and a mix of Hindu and Buddhist festivals such as dashain in autumn, and tihar in late autumn. During tihar, the Newar community also celebrates its New Year as per their local calendar Nepal Sambat. Most houses in rural lowland of Nepal are made up of a tight bamboo framework and walls of a mud and cow-dung mix. These dwellings remain cool in summer and retain warmth in winter. Houses in the hills are usually made of unbaked bricks with thatch or tile roofing. At high elevations construction changes to stone masonry and slate may be used on roofs. |
|