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The Kingdom of Nepal covers an
area of 147,181 square
kilometers, and stretches 145 to
241 kilometers north to south
and 850 kilometers west to east.
The country is located between
India in the south and China in
the north. At latitudes 26 and
30 degrees north and longitudes
80 and 88 degree east, Nepal is
topographically divided into
three regions.
The Himalaya: The Himalayan
range makes up the northern
border of the country and
represents 16% of the total area
of Nepal. Peaks like Mt. Everest
(8848 m.) Kanchen Junga (8598
m.), and Dhaulagiri (8167 m.)
are found here and sparse
vegetation is found up to 4,500
m. Some of the Nepal's most
beautiful animal and plant-life
are also found here. Although
rare, the snow leopard and
Danphe bird are much
talked-about sights among
visitors. The people in this
region produce and sell cheese
besides working as
mountain-guides and porters.
Many also trade Tibet and across
the boarder to sell their gods.
The Hills: This region covers
65% of the total land area of
the country. Kathmandu, the
capital of Nepal is located
here., Elevation range from 500
to 3,000 m. above sea level.
During summer the temperature
reaches an average of 32 degree
Celsius. Winter are cold,
temperature sometimes reaches
minus 1 degree Celsius. Areas in
the eastern hills receive more
rainfall because of the monsoon
clouds, which come from the
southeast. The rivers in the
west, which do not receive much
rainfall, are dependent upon the
melted snow that flows down the
Himalayas. Wild animals to be
found here are the spotted
leopard, barking deer, and
Himalayan black bear. The hilly
region is also popular for
different kinds of birds. Over
four hundred species of birds
are found here.
The Terai: The Terai - Low Land
covers 17% of the total land
area of Nepal. It provides
excellent farming land and the
average elevation of flatlands
is 100 to 300 m. above sea
level. In the sub-tropical
forest areas of Terai are found,
marshes and wildlife, which
include the Royal Bengal tiger,
one horned rhino, and the
Gharial crocodile etc. About 48%
of the country's population
occupies this region. Flat
farmlands and the region's
flexible topography have given
rise to many industries. |
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