Nepal used to be the only Hindu kingdom on earth. Its area is modest, especially if compared to the two giant countries (India and China) that surround it. Although deprived of any access to the sea, Nepal enjoys an unique climatic range, and a wide diversity of fauna and flora.
Nepal can be divided along its length into 4 areas; each differentiated by their altitude, landscape and climate.
The southern part is the Terai Plain, a continuation of the Ganga Plain. The average altitude is about 200 m above the sea level. In this area, the climate is tropical and the flora lush. This area has the highest population density of the country: more than the half of all Nepalese live here (whereas its surface is only 16% of the country’s whole).
Right in the north of Terai lies Siwalik, the foothills of the Himalaya. Composed of parallel summits separated by huge valleys, the hills culminate between 300 and 1500 m above sea level. Lack of water is the main factor of the area’s low population density . The highest peak, called Mahabarata Lekh, rises to 3 000 m.
The step up from this foothill area is known as the “Nepalese Plateau” or “Middle Hills” - summits which hardly reach 2 000m. It is here that the ancestral kings decided to establish their capital. Consequently this area is the heart of Nepalese history and densely populated today.
The Northern part of Nepal hosts the “Himalaya” (the “snow residence”). The top of the mountains are covered by snow the year long and scarce are the people living in this gorgeous but hostile environment. |
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