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Nepal, officially the Federal self-governing Republic of Nepal, also Republic of Nepal, is a non-coastal country in South Asia. The country is enclosed by China to the north and by India to the south, east and west. The Himalayan range runs across Nepal's northern and western parts, and eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including the highest, Mount Everest, are within its territory. Nepal has a strip of level land that is partly forested, partly cultivated. Capital and largest city is Katmandu; the location on the map is 27°42′N, 85°19′E, the official languages is Nepali, the other recognized regional languages in the country are Maithili, Nepal Bhasa, Bhojpuri, Tharu, Gurung, Tamang, Magar, Awadhi, Sherpa, Kiranti and another 100 different indigenous languages. The country was declared a Kingdom on December 21, 1768, declared a State on January 15, 2007, declared a Republic on May 28, 2008. The total area is 147,181 km²; estimated population of July 2008 is 29,519,114. The Monetary unit of the country is Nepalese rupee. The major races in the country are Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Chetri 15.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% The religions followed are Hindu 81%, Buddhist 11%, Islam 4%, Kirant 4%. The first civilizations in Nepal, which thrived around the 6th century B.C., were locked up to the fertile Kathmandu Valley where the current-day capital of the same name is located. It was in this region that Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born c. 563 B.C. Gautama achieved enlightenment as Buddha and spawned Buddhist belief. The kingdom of Nepal was unified in 1768 by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who had fled India following the Moghul conquests of the subcontinent. The total arable land of the country is 16% where the Agricultural produce includes rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat. The total labor force includes 11.11 million; divided into agriculture sector 76%, industrial sector 6% and service sector 18%. The main industries include tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production. The natural resources of the country are quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt and iron ore. |
