Nepal
The Kingdom of Nepal, situated in the Himalaya, is the world's only Hindu kingdom. It is in South Asia, sharing borders with the People's Republic of China (Tibet Autonomous Region) and India.
History 
Nepal has a long history stretching over several millennia. The Kirati were one of the first Nepali groups known to historians, having migrated from the east in the 7th or 8th century BC. Lord Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal circa 563 BC and the Emperor Ashoka ruled over a vast empire that included North India and the southern Terai region of present-day Nepal (although the hilly and mountainous regions were not a part of Ashoka's Empire) in the 1st century BC. By 200 AD, the Buddhist empire was displaced by resurgent Hindu fiefdoms, such as the Licchavi dynasty.
Around 900, the Thakuri dynasty succeeded the Licchavi era and was eventually superseded by the Malla dynasty, which ruled until the 18th century. In 1768, the Gorkha king, Prithvi Narayan Shah, captured Kathmandu. In 1814, Nepal fought the Anglo-Nepalese War with the British East India Company, which ended with the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, in which Nepal gave up Sikkim and the southern Terai, and the British retreated. After Nepali Gurkhas aided the British in quashing the Indian Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, most of the Terai territories were returned to Nepal.
The Shah dynasty was cut short in 1846, when Jung Bahadur Rana seized control of the country after assassinating several hundred princes and chieftans in Kathmandu's Kot Massacre. Ranas ruled as hereditary prime ministers until 1948, when British India achieved independence. India propped up King Tribhuvan as Nepal's new ruler in 1951 and sponsored the Nepali Congress Party. Tribhuvan's son, King Mahendra, dissolved the democratic experiment and declared that a "partyless" panchayat system would govern Nepal. His son, King Birendra, inherited the throne in 1972 and continued the panchayat policy until 1989, when "Jana Andolan" (People's Movement or Democracy Movement) forced the monarchy to accept constitutional reforms. In May 1991, Nepal held its first election in nearly 50 years. The Nepali Congress and the  Communist parties received the most votes. Since then, no party has held power for more than two consecutive years. Critics argue that the governmental reforms did not appreciably improve the political order, because the new government was characterised by extreme corruption bordering on kleptocracy.
In February 1996, one of the Maoist parties started a bid to replace the parliamentary system with a socialist republic, through a Maoist revolutionary strategy known as People's war. This has since grown into a civil war that has resulted in the deaths of about 10,000 people. According to official Nepal government accounts, on June 1, 2001, the Heir Apparent Crown Prince Dipendra went on a killing spree in the royal palace in a violent response to his parents' refusal to accept his choice for a wife. He apparently shot and killed his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, as well as his brother, sister, two uncles and three aunts, before turning the gun on himself. His suicide attempt was not immediately successful, however, and although in a comatose state, he was proclaimed king (in accordance with Nepalese tradition) in his hospital bed. He died three days later.
Following King Dipendra's death, his uncle (King Birendra's brother, King Gyanendra, was proclaimed king on 4 June. Shortly afterwards, he declared martial law and dissolved the government. Gyanendra deployed Nepal's military to contain a destructive civil war with the Maoist insurgents, the Nepalese People's War.
Geography and climate
Topographic map of Nepal.
Nepal is roughly rectangular shaped, 650 km in width and 200 km in depth with an area of 147,181 square kilometres. India surrounds Nepal on three sides. Though Nepal does not share a boundary with Bangladesh, the two countries are separated by a narrow strip of land about 24 km in width known as the Chicken's Neck. India has granted transit facilities to both countries. Nepal commonly is divided into three broad physiographic areas: the Mountain Region, the Hill Region, and the Terai Region. All three parallel each other, from east to west, as continuous ecological belts, occasionally bisected by the country's river systems.
The Terai Plains, bordering India are part of the northern rim of the Indo-Gangetic plains. It has a hot and humid climate. The region was formed and is fed by three major rivers: the Kosi, the Narayani (India's Gandak River), and the Karnali. The Hill Region (known Pahar in Nepali) abuts the mountains and varies between 1,000 and 4,000 meters in altitude. Two hills ranges, the Mahabharat Lekh and Shiwalik Range (also known as the Churia Range), dominate the region. The hilly belt includes the Kathmandu Valley, the country's most fertile and urbanised area. Despite its geographical isolation and limited economic potential, the region always has been the political and cultural centre of Nepal. Elevations above 2,500 m are sparsely populated, in contrast to the heavily populated valleys. Emigration from this belt to the Terrai has increased in recent years. The mountainous region is conterminous with the Hill Region and the belt contains the highest elevated region in the world. The world's highest mountain, Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) 8,850 metres is located on the border with China. Eight of the top ten highest mountains in the world are located in Nepal.
Based on altitude, Nepal has five climatic zones. The tropical and subtropical zone lies below 1,200 m; temperate zone up to 2,400 meters; the sub-arctic climatic zone of 3,600 to 4,400 meters in altitude; and the arctic zone above 4,400 meters in altitude. Nepal experiences five seasons: Summer, monsoon, autumn winter and spring. The Himalaya also blocks the cold winds from Central Asia in winter, and forming the northern limit of the monsoon wind patterns.
Economy
Nepal is one of the poorest and least developed nations in the world, with over forty percent of its people living below the poverty line. Agriculture forms the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood to eighty percent of the population and accounts for forty percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Services make up 40% and industries make up the rest of the country's GDP. Hilly to ruggedly mountainous terrain has made the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The lack of natural resources, its landlocked location, and the long running civil war have also prevented the country from fully developing its economy. The country is a recipient of foreign aid from India, China, the United States, Japan and the European Union. The country has a national budget of $665 million, with expenditures amounting to $1.1 billion. Inflation is at 2.9%.
Nepal's labour force is about 10 million strong, but suffers from a severe lack of skilled labour. Labour force by occupation is broken down into agriculture (81%), services (16%) and industry (3%). Agricultural yields, mostly grown along the Terrai region bordering India, includes rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Nepal has a vast tourism potential with its landscape and national parks, but its growth has been stifled by recent political events. Unemployment rate stands at 47%. The lack of unemployment has meant that many Nepalese migrate to India in search of jobs. Nepal also receives $50 million through its Gurkha soldiers who serve in the Indian Army and British Army. The Gurkhas are known for their bravery and have served in almost all major wars.
Nepal's GDP for the year 2005 is estimated to be around $37,087 billion (adjusted to Purchasing Power Parity), making it the 83rd largest economy in the world. Per capita income is around $1,402, ranked 163rd. Nepal's exports of mainly carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain total $568 million. orts commodities of mainly gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products and fertiliser total $1.419 billion, giving it a trade deficit. India (48.8%), USA (22.3%), Germany (8.5%) are its main export partners. Nepal's import partners include India (43%), UAE (10%), China (10%), Saudi Arabia (4.4%), and Singapore (4%).
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