Nepal- Land Of Scenic Splendor By Josiah William At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Nepal, draped along the spine of the Himalayas, is bordered by China to the north and India to the south, east and west. For a relatively small country, the Nepali landscape is uncommonly diverse, ranging from the humid terrain in the south to the lofty Himalayas in the north. It is notable that within a very small width the elevation of Nepal increases from the plain terrain to the tallest Himalayas leading to a great vegetation. Nepal boasts eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest on the border with Tibet. Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city. The other main cities include Biratnagar, Birgunj, Janakpur, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, Mahendranagar etc. The origin of the name Nepal is uncertain, but the most popular understanding is that it derived from Ne (holy) and pal (cave).

Nepal is a land of sublime scenery and some of the best hiking trails on earth. Nepal is rich in scenic splendor. Nepal is commonly divided into three physiographic areas: the Mountain, Hill, and Terai Regions. These ecological belts run east-west and are bisected by Nepal's major river systems.

The Terai 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 (India's Gandak River), and the Karnali. This region has a hot, humid climate.

The Hill Region (Pahar in Nepali) abuts the mountains and varies from 1,000 to 4,000 m 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. Despite its geographical isolation and limited economic potential, the region always has been the political and cultural centre of Nepal. Unlike the valleys, elevations above 2,500 m are sparsely populated.

The Mountain Region contains the highest region in the world. The world's highest mountain, Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) at 8,850 m is located on the border with Tibet. Eight of the world's ten highest mountains are located in Nepal. Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest peak, is also located on its eastern border with Sikkim. Deforestation is a major problem in all regions, with resulting erosion and degradation of ecosystems.

After a long and rich history, during which the region splintered and coalesced under a variety of absolute rulers, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy in 1990. However, the monarchy retained many important and ill-defined powers. This arrangement was marked by increasing instability, both in the parliament and, since 1996, in large swathes of the country that have been fought over by Maoist insurgents. The Maoists, alienated from mainstream political parties, went underground and started a guerilla war against both monarchy and mainstream political parties. They have sought to overthrow feudal institutions, including the monarchy, and establish a republic. This has led to the ongoing Nepalese Civil War in which more than 13,000 people have died. On the pretext of quashing the insurgents, who now control about 70% of the country, the king closed down the parliament and sacked the elected prime minister in 2002 and started ruling through prime ministers appointed by him. He then unilaterally declared a "state of emergency" early in 2005, and assumed all executive powers. Following the Loktantra Andolan, 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, in May 19, 2006, the newly resumed House of Representatives unanimously passed a motion to curtail the power of the king and declared Nepal a secular state. An eventual and total rewrite of the realm's constitution is expected to happen in the near future.

Nepali culture is influenced by the cultures of Tibet, which borders to the north, and India, which borders to the south. There are similarities in clothing, language and food. A typical Nepali meal is dal-bhat, boiled lentils served with rice and vegetables, and some spicy relish. This is consumed twice daily, once in the morning and again after sunset. Between these main meals, snacks such as chiura (beaten rice) and tea are consumed. Meat, eggs, and fish are also eaten, particularly in the mountainous regions, where the diet tends to be richer in protein. Millet-based alcoholic drinks are popular, including chhaang and the distilled rakshi.

Folklore is an integral part of Nepali society. Traditional stories are rooted in the reality of day-to-day life—tales of love, affection, battles, and demons and ghosts; they reflect and explain local lifestyles, cultures and belief systems. Many Nepali folktales are enacted in dance and music. The Newar people are well known for masked dance that tell stories of the gods and heroes. Music is percussion-based, sometimes with flutes or shawm accompanying the intense, nasal vocal lines. Musical styles are a variety of pop, religious and folk music, among other styles. Musical genres from Tibet and India have had a strong influence on traditional Nepali music. Women, even of the musician castes, are less likely than men to play music, except in specific situations such as traditional all-female wedding parties.

Telecommunication in Nepal is growing up steadily. Nepal has just recently begun to privatize telecommunications within the country. Cell phones and pagers have been made available from Mid-1999. VOIP (Voice Over IP) license is not yet provided. AT&T has linked up to allow card calls and access number is 0-800-77001. Nepal's Country Code is 977, and Kathmandu's city code is 1. Normal and Mobile phone numbers are 7 and 10 digits respectively. So, calling Nepal is bit costly though phone cards are available on net. In most services, Nepal calling rates starts from 15 cents per minute. Several prepaid calling card and phone card companies are available to call both to and from Nepal.

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