The Kingdom of **Nepal—a constitutional monarchy—is a land-locked country of extremes in both climate and geography. Some southern regions are near sea level, but the land rises sharply toward the north to encompass the Himalayan mountain ranges. Seven of the world's ten highest mountains are entirely within its borders, including Mt. Everest, 29,028 feet (8848 metres) high. Two others are partly in Nepal and partly in a neighboring country.

Mt Everest

Nepal is small and roughly rectangular, approximately 120 miles by 460 miles. Its borders enclose an area of almost 54,400 square miles (141,000 sq km)—about a third the size of California, or slightly smaller than the state of Iowa. Three general geographic zones can be identified—floodplains, foothills and high mountains.

Terraced Mountainside Farmland

Only about 17% is arable land, mostly along the rivers in the regions close to the border with India, and further north in the centrally located Kathmandu valley. Climatic conditions range from 'subtropical' in the south with hot and humid summers and mild winters, to 'arctic' with cool summers and severe winters in the mountains. This extreme climatic variation occurs within a range of about 100 miles (160 kilometers).

The estimated population is about 25 million, and is expected to double by 2030. Although 90% live in rural areas, a majority live in centrally located Kathmandu valley. Others are scattered in more remote mountainous regions. Towns are few, the largest being located in the Kathmandu valley, close the capital, Kathmandu (population 700,000).

Kathmandu Street Scene

The Nepalese people are among the poorest in the world. Recent estimates of annual per capita income are near US$200. As a consequence, as is the case in most other developing countries, funds for education and other life-necessities beyond basic subsistence, are non-existent for most families. Where schools are close enough for rural children to attend, only the most fortunate and richest can afford to attend.

Two Nepalese Children

Children are needed to work to help support the family: to fetch water, care for smaller children, tend animals and collect fuel, etc.—similar reasons to those expressed in neighboring countries. Education is not a high priority when the major concern is basic existence. Other issues compounding the national education problem involves lack of qualified teachers.

Life expectancy is about 53 years, but the overall population is young: 41% is under 15 years of age. The overall the literacy rate for those over 14 years old is below 30%, with boys and men having the advantage (males 40%, females 15%). Female literacy is one of the lowest in the world. Forty percent of individuals 25 and older have no formal education at all.

Estimates suggest that nearly ten thousand "street children" are found in Kathmandu and the larger, neighboring towns. Many have come from rural families suffering in poverty, and most are runaways or orphans who come to the cities to become "survivors" any way they can.

Most people (80%) are involved in agriculture and forestry, however, the "food deficit" continues to become more and more critical. The fact that more than half of the children of school age are described as being undernourished, and one in six is clinically malnourished, does not bode well for the future of the population as a whole.

While Nepali is the official national language, over 30 other languages are used in general conversation. Some English is widely understood and spoken in most urban areas.

Hindu Pagoda, Kathmandu

Nepal is the only official Hindu kingdom in the world, with other religions representing less than ten percent of the overall population (Buddhist: 5%, Islam: 3%, all others: less than 2%).