Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0256/02566.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 15KB | 296 lines

$Unique_ID{COW02566}
$Pretitle{235D}
$Title{Nepal
Brief on Nepal}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Embassy of Nepal, Washington DC}
$Affiliation{Government of Nepal}
$Subject{nepal
range
country
river
rivers
degrees
region
mountain
metres
valleys}
$Date{1989}
$Log{Table A.*0256601.tab
}
Country:     Nepal
Book:        Brief Facts on Nepal
Author:      Embassy of Nepal, Washington DC
Affiliation: Government of Nepal
Date:        1989

Brief on Nepal

Introduction

     Nepal is a country of amazing extremes. Here is the world's highest
mountain Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest), actually one of a whole range of massive
Himalayan peaks stretching across the northern frontier of the country. Here
is the beautiful middle hill country with the legendary towns of Kathmandu,
Gorkha and Pokhara and here is the forested plain toward the south -- home of
the majestic tiger and the great one-horned rhinoceros.

     Enchantment is everywhere, be it on the shoulders of high mountains, on
terraced ridges ascending like stairways to the sky, on quiet or rushing
rivers, or in forests full of wildlife, flowers and birdsong. Nepal offers
something for everybody -- tourists, trekkers, river rafters, wildlife
enthusiasts, poets, artists, scholars, or the weary in search of a personal
Shangri-la.

     Nepal is round-the-year destination with a difference, be it summer,
monsoon, autumn or winter. One finds an unsurpassed splendour in all the
seasons depending upon one's mood and choice. Mother nature has gifted this
country with bountiful beauty in all the seasons -- the balmy and moderate
summer of the valleys provides with the opportunity of strolling around the
temples, monuments and shrines leisurely; the monsoon provides the view of the
soothing green lush valleys and an occasional openning autumn and the winter
offers among other things the snow-capped peaks all along the northern
boarder. Summer or winter, during the both extremes of the weather the climate
is surprisingly moderate and soothing.

Geography and Physical Features

Location

     Located between 80 degrees 4' and 88 degrees 12' east longitude and
between 26 degrees 12' and 30 degrees 27' north latitude, the kingdom of Nepal
extends along the foothills of the Himalayas in central Asia. Its total land
area is 147,181 square kilometres, and its borders are contiguous with the
Indian border in the west, south and east and with the Tibetan autonomous
region of the People's Republic of China in the north. Nepal's boundary limits
are as follows:

     In the east, the Mechi river and Singalia ridge separate the country from
Sikkim and West Bengal.

     In the south, boundary pillars and about nine metres of no-man's land on
either sides demarcate the Nepalese territory from the Indian states of West
Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

     In the west, the Mahakali river is the natural border separating the
Kingdom from Uttar Pradesh.

     In the north, the boundary markers set up in accordance with the Boundary
Agreement of 1961, demarcate the Nepalese territory from the Tibetan
autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Nepal is a landlocked
country, the nearest sea coast being 1,120 kilometres away in India.

Natural Features

The Terai

     The Terai region is composed of a 26 to 32 kilometre-wide broad belt of
alluvial and fertile plain in the southern part of the country. This belt
extends from the westernmost part of the country to the eastern limit and
covers about 17 percent of the total land area.

     In between the Chure hills rising abruptly in the north of the southern
plains and the Mahabharat range, are a number of low valleys called `Dun'.
The Duns resemble the Terai in relief and climate and are also called the
Inner Terai. The Chure range running eastwest across the country is shaped
like a hedge. The hills of this range are rather sparsely forested, averaging
600 to 1220 metres in altitude and 8 to 16 kilometres in breadth. The soil is
immature and dry.

The Hills

     The Mahabharat range, running closely parallel to the Chure range,
separates the Terai from the Hill region which covers about 64 percent of the
total land area. This range averages 1,525 to 3,660 metres in altitude and 16
kilometres in breadth. Its structure is synclinal and the topography steep and
jagged. Forests are usually found on the higher elevations whereas the lower
and gentler slopes are used for terraced cultivation. North of this range and
south of the Himalayas, lies the extensively cultivated broad hill complex of
the `Pahar' or mountain region, the major area of Nepalese settlement.
Topographically rather subdued in character, this complex has a generally
salubrious climate. The fertile valleys formed by the principal river
systems, including Kathmandu Valley, are the main settlement and cultivation
areas in the region.

The Himalayas

     The Himalaya or `abode of snow' is in fact the youngest and highest
mountain system in the world. It extends over 2,400 kilometres as a vast
south-facing area between the Indus and Brahmaputra rivers with Nanga Parabat
(8,125 m) and Namcha Barwa 7,755 m) as its terminal high points. Fully a
third or 800 kilometres of its central section traverses Nepal and is known as
Nepal Himalaya. Here congregate more than 250 peaks that exceed 6,000 metres
in height -- a unique concentration of lofty dazzling summits.

     Of the thirty-one Himalayan peaks over 7,600 metres, twenty-two lie in
the Nepal Himalaya, including eight of the world's fourteen highest giants.
These are:

[See Table A.: Mountain Heights]

     The Himalayan range within Nepal fits into a geographic pattern as a
culmination of series of parallel ranges. The main mountain region,
represented by the eternal ranges, lies about 90 kilometres north of the
Mahabharat Lekh. The intervening space between the two parallel ranges is made
up of the lower belt of low hills (Pahar) and the higher belt of elevated
ridges (Lekh) that provide the first intimations of the high snow peaks
(Himal). The main Himalaya does not form a continuous range but rather a chain
of lofty ridges separated by deep gorges. Each of these mountain chains or
Himal's in turn sends out a maze of spurs studded with numerous peaks.

     In Western and Central Nepal, there is yet another mountain range that
defines the boundary between Nepal and China. This border range has elevations
ranging from 5,000 to 6,000 metres with comparatively less rugged relief but a
harsh climate. Between the main Himalayan range and these border ranges lie
some of the elevated Bhot valleys.

     Much of the high country above 5,000 metres is under the realm of snow
and ice although the permanent snow-line may vary according to aspect and
gradient. Winter snowfall occurs up to an elevation of 2,000 metres and is
much heavier in the western part. While winter is harsh and bitter, summer is
the season of alpine flowers and is the time of year when the high pastures
teem with grazing animals from lower valleys. For the mountain communities, it
is the time for harvesting their main crop before their winter migration to
warmer climate.

Glaciers, Rivers and Lakes

Glaciers

     The Himalayan region abounds in glaciers. Most of the big glaciers lie in
the eastern Himalayas. As the western Himalayas receive only a small amount of
rainfall, barring the formation of vast snowfields, the source of some of the
big rivers of Nepal are in fact glaciers.

     Nepal's largest glacier lies in the Mahalangur and Kumbhakarna ranges.
Khumbu is the biggest glacier and Langtang the longest. Kanchenjunga, Yalung,
Nupchu and Lamtang are some other glaciers belonging to the eastern Himalayas.
Tukche and Hidden Valley glaciers belong to the central Himalayas but these
are comparatively small. Eating into the land along their course, the glaciers
have been partly responsible for changing the Himalayan landscape, and for
envolving various geopatterns ranging from big ciruqes and rock basins to
hanging valleys and moraini