Nepal - this word comes from two words NE and PAL. It is believed that in ancient time the saint Ne practised his meditation at the confluence of two rivers the Bagamati and the Vishnumati in the Kathmandu valley. He was a patron saint of the Kathmandu Valley and it is believed that the purpose of his meditation was the welfare and prosperity of the people living in the Kathmandu Valley. The second word PAL means - protection. Thus the meaning of Nepal is the country where people have been protected by a holy saint named NE. You can also interpret it as :
N = Never
E = Ending
P = Peace
A = And
L = Love
The population of Nepal has now reached 26.5 millions. The two main religions practised in the country are Hinduism (76%) and Buddhism (20%). Besides other religions like Islam, Christianity and jainism also exist as minority religions. However there is a mixed culture of Hinduism and Buddhism due to which people have equal faith in both religions. There has always been a harmony between people of all religions whether they are Buddhist or Hindus or other minority religion. Nepalese are God loving and God fearing people so they are known for their honesty, bravery and friendliness in the World.
Nepal is a very small country with the total area of 147,181 sq km that lies between two huge nations China and India. It Stretches out to only 800 km from east to west and 200 km from north to south. Though a small country Nepal has 40 ethnic groups speaking more than 50 languages. Out of the World's 14 mountains exceeding 8000m in height, 8 are in Nepal.
It's the country of lord Buddha who preached the message of peace all over the World for people to live in harmony. It is where Gurkhas as brave warriors and Sherpas as famous climbers have been living from time immemorable.
Nepal has been divided into 14 zones and 75 districts and 15 district headquarters have not been yet connected by motorable road.
More than one third of the population still live at least a two hour walk away from the nearest motorable road. According to 2010 World Health Organization data Nepal ranks 139 in life expectancy with the average age of 66.16 years,
Though the hydro power potential of Nepal is 83000 MW it has been able to generate only 600 MW from 20 major hydro power plants and a number of small and micro hydropower plants.
Nepal could be divided mainly into three regions - Himalayan 19%, Mountain 64% and Terai (plain land) 17%. Being a mountainous country the altitude varies from 70 metre the lowest in the terai to 8848 metre (Mt.Everest) in the Hialayan region from the sea level.
The country offer such a diversity that a visitor can experience any life style from the stone age in the far west and high hills to the jet age of Kathmandu. It is also very rich in term of flora and fauna. It has more than 800 species of birds which is more than in USA and Canada combined. It has a lot to offer to its tourists such as tours, trekking, rafting, paragliding, Mt. flight, jungle safari and many more. It is the country where people welcome you wearing a smile on their face despite their poverty at all times. This speciality of the people of Nepal make tourists feel like coming again and again. There are many tourists who keep coming to this country every now and then.