Nepali+Basic+Information


 * Nepal **


 * //Fast Facts //**
 * Capital: ** Kathmandu
 * Highest Mountain: **Mt. Everest- 29,035 ft. (the highest mountain in the world)
 * Population: ** 23 million
 * Languages: ** Nepali (official) and a variety of other languages and dialects
 * Religions: ** Hindu (86%), Buddhist (8%); Muslim (3%)
 * Currency: ** Nepalese rupee

Ross, Z., Le Bas, T., & Bell, B. (2002). //Nepal.// Singapore: Apa Publications GmbH & Co.
 * Reference **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">Information about Nepal **
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Nepal is a geographical wonder which contains the highest mountain in the world (Mount Everest), sub-tropical jungles, forests, and high-altitude deserts as well as tropical lowlands.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Nepalese people belong to various ethnic groups, castes, and tribes.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Nepal has up to 50 distinct languages that its citizens speak.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Currently, about 52% of the population speaks Nepali.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Nepal ranks as among the world’s poorest countries. The GDP averages around $222 per year.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 22.6667px;">Where is Nepal? **


 * Nepal is located in the southern part of Asia.<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> It is located in between India (to the south) and China (to the north).
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Nepal is the size of Austria and Switzerland combined.


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 22.6667px;">Zones in Nepal **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">About 80% of the citizens are farmers and live in the rural parts of the land; it is mostly a country of villages and agriculture.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">There are more than 60 linguistic groups recognized in Nepal.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">There are 23 million people that live in Nepal, with 45% of the population being under 15 years old.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Approximately 15% of the population lives in urban areas (3,450,000 people).


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 22.6667px;">Mount Everest **


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;"> Nepal is home to Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain which is 29,035 feet high.
 * The name of the mountain in Nepal is //Sagarmatha//, which means “goddess in the sky”.
 * Did you know that Mount Everest rises a few millimeters each year due to geological forces (i.e. plate tectonics)?


 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 22.6667px;">Nepalese currency **


 * The Nepalese Rupee (NPR) is the official currency used in Nepal.
 * The NPR is tied to the Indian Rupee (INR), and is worth 5/8 of its value.
 * There are three main currency exchange rates: The Rastra Bank rate, the Private Banks’ rate, and the Black Market rate.

=**Background on the Nepali Language**=
 * Nepali is the official language in the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, and is also spoken in Sikkim, Bhutan, and the Darjeeling District of West Bengal.
 * People who speak Nepali are from countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, and India.
 * Nepali is a language with around 17 million speakers.
 * It is written with the Devangari alphabet. Below is list of the Nepali alphabet with the pronunciation key written underneath the symbol.

Numerals



 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">Nepal: Cultural Communication Styles **
 * Greeting: Nepalese people greet each other by saying "Namaste", holding the hands together below their chin and bowing ever so slightly.
 * Men can shake hands with male colleagues after the Namaste, but not with females.
 * Sense of personal space is different-people tend to stand closer to you and touch you as they become more familiar with you, however, touching does not occur between the sexes.
 * Too much eye contact is associated with aggressive behavior.
 * It is considered to be inappropriate for one to raise his/her voice no matter what the circumstances.
 * Will say yes rather than directly say no-to do so is considered rude and impolite.
 * Men and women do not touch in public-this is considered to be disrespectful. However, it is perfectly acceptable for men to embrace each other and for women to embrace each other. Physical affection between friends of the same sex is quite common.
 * Public display of anger is not acceptable.
 * It is perfectly acceptable to discuss another person's weight or other flaws directly in front of them.


 * //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Fun Facts to Ponder //**
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Nepal celebrates four separate New Year’s Days.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13.3333px;">Nepal has a Teacher’s Day in which students buy gifts for their teachers.