The Kingdom of Nepal

The Kingdom of Nepal lies along the slopes of the Himalayas between Tibet and India and is one of the most mountainous countries in the world, containing within its borders five of the world's highest peaks - Everest, Kanchenjunga Makalu, Dhaulagiri, and Annapurna, all above 26,400 feet. Nepal is sacred to the Buddhists as the birthplace of Buddha and to the Hindus as the source of rivers flowing into the the holy Ganges. The country is a constitutional monarchy with a population of approximately 9,500,000 people. It is 54,362 square miles in area and may be roughly divided into three regions: the high Himalaya country, the foothills and the Terai, a narrow belt no more than 10 to 20 miles wide along the Indian frontier containing most of the agriculture and industry in Nepal. 75% of the land is covered with rich forests and timber is a principal export item. With the assistance of United Nations experts, the Government is currently investigating the mineral resources of the country and has discovered copper, cobalt, iron, lead, zinc, manganese, and gold. Because of its rugged topography and abundant precipitation, studies are under way to assess the enormous potential for the development of hydroelectric power.

A street scene in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, a city of 220,000 people. [Exact date unknown]

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