Where is Nepal in the World?

Nepal, formally known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is located in South-Central Asia. The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu, which also holds the title of being the country’s largest city. With a landmass just shy of 57,000 square miles, Nepal is ranked as the 93rd largest country in the world by land size.

Geography

Nepal shares a border with two major countries: India and China. Bhutan and Bangladesh are also extremely close. Nepal is a landlocked country, having no coastal areas or areas with large bodies of water within its borders.

Despite its small physical size, as well as being blocked off from significant bodies of water, Nepal finds itself with varied and rich geography. These areas include the Tarai Region, an area of flat, fertile land use for the majority of the country’s crops, the Hill Region, a more hilly, mountainous region, and finally The Himalayan Region, home to the Himalayan Mountains, containing the world’s tallest peak: Mt. Everest, its height being just a little more than 29,000 feet.

Though the Himalayan Region is home Mt. Everest, it is also home to one of the deepest gorges in the world, named the Kali Gandaki Gorge.

As with many mountainous areas, Nepal has several rivers running from its mountains. The most significant rivers are the Kosi, the Karnali, the Kail, and the Narayani. As the snow melts from the peaks of these valleys, it feeds the water system of the country. No river systems in Nepal feed directly from a significant water source.

Population

The population of Nepal is about 29,000,000 people, which ranks it at the 43rd most populated country in the world. The vast majority of the population is Hindu, with more than 80% of the country claiming that as their religion. Other notable religious minorities include Buddhist, Islam, Kurant, and Christianity, among others.

The ethnic diversity of Nepal is extraordinary, with no one group claiming more than 20% of the total population. The top three religions are Chhetri, Bahun, and Magar. Other much smaller minority religions include Islam and Christianity.

Nepal is also very diverse when it comes to languages. There are four official languages: Nepali, Maithili, Bhojpuri, and English. English serves as a common language, and it is not uncommon to see any documents used for the law to have an English translation.