NEPAL

Nepal is shown in green on the map above.

Nepal is a landlocked nation in central Asia bordering China to the north and India to the south. Nepal is an independent country of approximately 29,000,000. Its capital and largest city is Kathmandu.

The architecture of Nepal is on display in this Kathmandu location. The tall buildings with several roofs or tiers are called PAGODAS and are usually associated with the Buddhist religion.

Nepal is noted for being home to Mount Everest and 5 other peaks among the 10 highest mountains on the planet.

Nepal was the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism. Buddhism is the predominate religion of the country today.

Nepal is a country of varied terrain and climate. In the south warm, humid weather permits Nepalese farmers to grow rice and other crops. All along the northern border, however, the Himalayan Range creates a drastic change in topography. These highest mountains in the world make agriculture an impossibility, not only because of the steepness of the land but also for the cold temperatures high altitude locations create.

Nepalese ladies harvest rice. These muddy fields are called paddies. Although southern Nepal has favorable weather and fertile soil that allows for productive farming, output is low because most farm work is done by hand.

Famous Nepalese citizen, Tenzig Norgay, one of the first two men to reach the summit of Mount Everest, May 23, 1953.

For adventurers, one of earth’s greatest challenges is to climb to the summit of Mount Everest which at about 29,000 feet above sea level is almost a superhuman feat. The high altitude, low oxygen content of the air, severe cold, steepness, and extremely erratic weather allows only for the strongest, smartest and most well equpped mountaineers to be successful. Few people have actually been to the top, but many have died trying.

In 1953 Englishman Sir Edmund Hillary, pictured below on the left with Tenzig Norgay, were the first people to get to the top. Hillary was the organizer and din and financier of the expedition, and Norgay was Hillary’s guide and assistant.

Hillary and Norgay below the summit of Mount Everest in 1953.

Thousands of adventurers have attempted the climb since 1953. ‘Sherpas’ like Tenzig Norgay are routinely hired by climbers to carry supplies and assist the climbers in other ways.

While not all of the climbers are successful, they all add to the economy of Nepal. Tourism, because of the mountains, bring in much needed revenue.

Because it is landlocked, marked by extreme topography, and held back by antiquated farming methods, Nepal is regarded as an economically poor country. Both Nepal and Bhutan, located to the east, face physical challenges to economic success which have NOT been overcome.

The summit of Mount Everest, elevation 29,029 feet, seen on a rare but clear day.

A Buddhist ‘monastery’ located high in the Himalayas.