Nepal - Friendship Nepal Treks & Expedition

Glimpses of Nepal

Location: Situated between India and Tibet, an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China.
Area: 147,181 sq. km.
Latitude: 26'22'' and 30'27'' north.
Longitude: 80'4'' and 88'12'' east.
People: 61 ethnic groups and over 100 spoken languages.
Population: 25 million
Capital: Kathmandu
Government: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
Currency: Nepalese Rupee
Religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam & Christianity
Topography: From the world's deepest gorge 'Kali Gandaki' to highest point on earth 'Mt. Everest'
Vegetation: Nepal possesses wide range of vegetation due to its unique topographical variation.
Weather: Climate ranges from tropical in the lowlands to Arctic in higher altitudes.
Seasons: Winter (Dec-Feb)
                Summer (March-May)
                Monsoon (June-Aug)
                Autumn (Sept-Nov)

Geographical Division

Ecologically Nepal is divided into three geographical regions.

Himalayan Region:
The altitude of this region ranges between 4877 meters and 8848 meters with the snow line running around 8848 meters. It includes 8 of the existing world's 14 summits, which exceed the altitude of 8000 meters. They are: (1) Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) - 8848m (2) Kangchenjunga - 8586m, (3) Lhotse - 8516m, (4) Makalu - 8463m, (5) Cho Oyo - 8201m, (6) Dhaulagiri - 8167m, (7) Manaslu - 8163m, and (8) Annapurna - 8091m.

Hilly Region:
This region accounts for about 68 percent of total land area. The region lies between the Himalayan and Terai regions soaring up to 4877 m.which includes Mahabharata & Churia range.

Terai Region:
The lowland Terai region, which has a width of about 26 to 32 kilometers and an altitude maximum of 305 meters, occupies about 17 percent of total land area of the country. It extends from the Nepal-India border in the south to the base of Siwalik Hills (Churia) in the north.

Climate:
Nepal has huge variance in attitude and topography which affects diversity of weather and climate. There are four climatic seasons in Nepal namely- spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring and Autumn are the most pleasant seasons. The Terai is hot and humid in summer with temperature going up to 40¢ª C. The mid-mountain regions are pleasant all round the year. The Northern Himalayan region has an alpine climate. In Kathmandu the maximum temperature in winter is normally 18¢ª C to 20¢ªC and in summer it goes to about 30¢ªC- 32¢ª C.

Nepal receives most of its rains during the three summer months Mid June - Mid September. The annual rainfall in Katmandu generally exceeds 1300 mm. The mean annual precipitation ranges from more than 6000 mm along the southern slopes of the Annapurna range in central Nepal to less than the 250 mm in the north central part near the Tibetan plateau. Rainfall varies between 1500 and 2500 mm which predominate over most of the country. On an average, about 80% of the precipitation is confined to the monsoon period (June-September). The highest annual rainfall recorded so far is 4217 mm at Pokhara in 1998.

Major Highlights of Nepal:

Nepal occupies only 0.1% land space on earth
2% of all the world's flowering plants found in Nepal.
8% of the world's population of birds (more than 848 species)
4% of mammals on earth
11 of the world's 15 families of butterflies (more than 500 species)
600 indigenous plant families
319 species of exotic orchids
32 different varieties of Rhododendrons
7500 different kinds of vegetations
Wonderful ethnicity with several languages, rituals & religions
World's 8 highest mountains including Mt. Everest
World's deepest gorge- Kali Gandaki
World's famous river rafting activities
World's famous Trans Himalayan Trekking in Annapurna & Everest regions
World's highest Lake- Tilicho
The birth place of Lord Buddha in Lumbini
World's famous one-horned Rhinoes found in Chitwan National park