Nepal is a landlocked country located between the two giant countries, People’s Republic of China at the north and Republic of India at the south, east and west. With an area of 147,181 square kilometers and a population of approximately 30 millions, Nepal is the world’s 93rd largest country by land mass, the 41st most populous country and 18th poorest country.
Despite being one of the world’s poorest countries, Nepal is rich in geography, cultural heritage and bio-diversity. The mountainous north has eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains, including the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest, called Sagarmatha in Nepali. It contains more than 240 peaks over 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level. In addition, Nepal is popular all over the world as an adventure tourist destination offering activities like mountaineering, trekking, rafting and jungle safaris.
Most of the tourists visit Nepal for recreation, trekking and mountaineering, business, official visit, pilgrimage, and other purposes which makes Nepal as one of major tourist destination of the world in recent years. Apart from mountaineering, trekking, rafting and jungle safaris, Nepal offers cultural tourism as another attraction to the tourists. Tourists visiting Nepal are not only attracted by the snow peak, ancient cities and villages but also by the diverse people and culture of the country.
In Nepal there are 70 ethnic groups who speak roughly 42 different languages. They are separated by geography. People who live in the mountains are different from those who live in the hills or tarai. They have their own lifestyle, dress, food, religion, and beliefs. Buddhist monks and nuns in culturally rich monasteries and nunneries also reside in the mountains. They live in the unique Himalayan setting of Nepal, where symbiotic relationships among the sacred, secular and eco-sphere prevail.
