Location

Nepal is located between India and China. It is the highest country in the world on average and has eight of the ten highest mountains in the world in the Himalayas. 40% of the country is over 3000 meters high.

On the 147'181km2 live 30.5 million people, almost 1 million of them in the capital Kathmandu.

Division of the country

Nepal is divided into three geographical parts. The Terai, which accounts for 14% of the country's area, is inhabited by almost half of the population. Its fertile soils and frost-free climate make the Terai the most valuable region for agriculture.

The midland reaches up to 3000 meters above sea level and forms the link between the Terai and the Himalayas, the third main region. Also in the midlands are the Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara.

Religion

80% of the population belongs to Hinduism. Another 10% are Buddhists.

Income

Nepal is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world with an annual per capita income of 645 US dollars.

80% of the Nepalese population live from agriculture, another important source of income is tourism.

Education

Primary education is compulsory for all Nepalese children between the ages of six and ten. However, many children cannot go to school because they have to earn extra money or help in the household and in the field. Only half of all children , especially girls, complete the compulsory education. More than 60 % of the adult population can neither read nor write.