The Terai is a narrow strip 12 to 25 miles wide along the southern edge of Nepal extending north from the plain of the Ganges River in India. For many years the Terai was a malaria-infested jungle inhabited by leopards, and rhinoceri. After malaria was brought under control, the land was cleared - some might say destroyed - for farming and industry. Today the cities and villages of the Terai are home to about 45 percent of the population of Nepal. Most of the country's arable land is in this region. The Terai is home to more than half of the world's tigers, a population that grows smaller with each passing year.
