Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia, nestled between India to the south and China to the north. It is world-famous for the Himalayas, which include eight of the ten highest peaks on Earth. The country is also the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism.
- Capital
- Kathmandu
- Continent
- Asia
- Region
- Southern Asia
- Area
- 147,181 km²
- Coordinates
- 28° N, 84° E
Country facts
- Nepal is home to Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth at 8,849 metres above sea level.
- The Nepali flag is the only national flag in the world that is not rectangular or square in shape.
- Nepal follows a unique calendar system called the Bikram Sambat, which runs about 56 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar.
- The snow leopard is one of Nepal's most iconic and protected wildlife species, living in its high mountain regions.
- Nepali, written in the Devanagari script, is the official language and serves as a lingua franca among the country's many ethnic groups.
Capital facts
- Kathmandu sits in a valley at roughly 1,400 metres above sea level, surrounded by green hills.
- The city is home to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the famous Pashupatinath Temple and Boudhanath Stupa.
- Kathmandu's Durbar Square was the historic heart of the medieval kingdom and features intricate traditional Newari architecture.
- The city takes its name from a legendary wooden temple called Kasthamandap, said to have been built from a single tree.
- Kathmandu has been the capital of Nepal since the unification of the country under King Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1768.