Nepal is a rectangular country, 150km wide by 800km long, between Tibet (China) and India. The Himalayas in the north of the country (10 mountains over 8 000 metres high, more than 100 over 7 000m) act as a weather barrier and a defence. Over a distance of 25km, the altitude can vary from 6 000m. Mountains can be crossed via rivers (often hemmed in by steep walls) and cols at 4 500 to 6 000 metres.
35% of the country is below 1000m. The Terai is a low-lying region bordering India, with plains, jungles and swanps where you can see rhinoceros, elephants, tigers…
Time difference
9 hours and 45 minutes difference between Montreal and Kathmandu (GMT : +5h45).
Over 20 hours by air.
Population
- 26.5 million inhabitants, of whom 6.2 million are Indo-Nepalese, 960,000 Tamgans, 750,000 Tharus, 620,000 Newars, 536,000 Magars, 500,000 Rais, 357,000 Gurungs, 300,000 Limbus, 51,000 Sherpas.
- Ages: 50% are under 19 years old
- Life expectancy: 53
- 10 million of the people are illiterate.
Religions
- Hindu (state religion until 1990) 90%,
- Buddhist 5.8%,
- Muslim 2.7%.