General Information
ISO Code: NP
Dialing Code: +977
Continent: Asia
Overview
The Kingdom of Nepal, or Nepal in its short form, lies on the shoulder of the southern Himalaya, wedged between China to the north and India to the south. The capital is Kathmandu and other major cities include Patan and Bhaktapur.
The official language is Nepali. The local currency is the Nepalese rupee (NR) broken into 100 paisa.
Nepal’s natural resources include quartz, water, timber, and hydropower potential, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt and iron ore. Nepal’s industries include tourism, carpet manufacturing, textile manufacturing, small rice growers, jute, sugar and oilseed mills, cigarette production as well as cement and brick production. Nepal is one of the world’s poorest countries and least developed. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and many of the industrial activities involve the processing of agricultural products. Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently.
Nepal has the world’s highest mountain ranges, and four ranges that lie in the country are the Chure Hills, Mahabharat Range, Himalaya and the Tibetan Marginals. Apart from the mountain ranges, there are also vast plains in the south, fertile valleys in the midlands and high-altitude deserts in the north. The heavily cultivated area between the Mahabharat Range and the Himalaya hold the majority of the country’s population.
The international time zone is GMT +5.45. The international dialing code is + 977.
Nepal has an international airport at Kathmandu, Tribhuvan Airport. All citizens (except Indians) require visas. Visitors from Europe, Australia, Americas and Africa will probably have to change flights, as there are few direct flights to Nepal. Royal Nepal Airlines and several private companies offer domestic air services between major towns in Nepal. Road conditions in Nepal are poor.
The state of health, the current immunisation status, location and the local disease situation lead to the contraction of hepatitis A, malaria (low-lying areas only), meningococcal Meningitis (Kathmandu Valley region) and typhoid Malaria (exists in the vivax variety in many rural areas. The falciparum variety has also been reported and is highly resistant to chloroquine) and altitude sickness. Medical care in Nepal is extremely limited and serious illnesses often require the patient to be transferred to medical facilities in Bangkok or New Delhi.
