Nepal

**Nepal,** officially the **Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal**, is a country located in South Asia. It bordered by China to the North, and India by the south, east and west. It has an area of about 147,181 square kilometers which is about 56,827 sq. mi. Its population is approximately 30 million, making Nepal the 93rd largest country in the world by land mass and the 41st most populous country. The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu and is also the country's most populated city. The official language is Nepalese. One rupee equals .01 US dollars.



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There many religions in Nepal. The main religion is Hinduism, which is about 80 percent of the population's faith. Next comes Buddhism, which is about 11 percent of the population's faith. Next Islam, with about 4 percent of the population. Next is Mundhum, 3.6 percent of the population.
 * Religions: **


 * Weather: **

There are many monsoons that occur in Nepal. A monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation. In Nepal monsoons occur between the months of June and September. During a monsoon, the streets become muddy and it's difficult to transport people and goods. In addition, there are seasonal variations in the amount of rainfall, depending on the monsoon cycle. The pre-monsoon season generally occurs during April and May; it is characterized by the highest temperatures, reaching 40° C during the day in the Tarai Region and other lowlands. The hills and mountains, however, remain cool. Nepal has warm summers and mind winters. About 80% of rainfall occurs during the monsoon season meaning it scarcely rains during November-May. Due to the excessive rain during the Monsoon season, rivers overflow causing districts and villages to flood.



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 * Geography: **

Nepal has been called "a yam caught between two rocks" because it is sandwiched between China and India Nepal is about the size of the American state of Arkansas. Nepal is very Mountainous with the world’s largest mountain: Mt. Everest. The Himalayan Mountains are in Nepal (Lakshmi might have lived around the Himalayans in one of the Mountainous villages).



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Education in Nepal has only recently started to develop. Illiteracy rates in Nepal are about 58%, 72% being women. Caste problem was a major deterrent in development of Education of Nepal. The schools in Nepal are usually located in large cities, people cannot afford to live in cities so this forces them to move out of the city and their children get no education. On the bright side, Nepal Government has realized that education is the only way to curb poverty in Nepal, so they are trying hard to develop their education. Now there are about 26 thousand schools, 415 colleges and five universities and two academics of higher studies.
 * Education: **




 * Clothing: **

In Nepal, people should dress modestly. The clothing of Nepal has been influenced by many other countries including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Much of its traditional dress and customs have not changed. They should have their clothing below the knee and the shoulders should be covered. If women in Nepal are not married they were a Kuta. If they are married women wear a cotton sari called a guinu and a blouse. The sari is commonly draped around the waist and worn with a separate shawl. This style of draping is called Haku patasi. Another tradition dress for women in Nepal is a Sherpa dress is a knee-length robe woven of yak wool. The Sherpa is similar for both men and women and is worn with yak wool pants. Boots made of yak hide and stuffed with dried grass for warmth are traditional. This is like modern day cow boy boots. Some men just wear shirt and pants. Traditional men's clothing in much of Nepal consists of the daura suruwal or labeda-suruwal. This garment is a long tunic or vest over pants. The vest or tunic has five pleats and eight ties, each with religious significance. In Nepal eight is considered to be a lucky number. The outfit is the national uniform for men in Nepal, and it dates back 600 years. Old people wear topis on their head. A topi is a wool hat. People will treat you accordingly and respectful if you wear appropriate clothing.



There is a very ample variety of cuisines based on ethnicity in Nepal. The Main meal is Dal Bhat which is eaten twice a day during mid-morning and early evening. Dal Bhat is steamed rice and lentil soup. Another thing eaten is roti, it is a snack eaten between meals. Another food eaten is Masu. Masu is spiced or curried meat (usually chicken, mutton, buffalo or pork) with gravy. Served with rice, it is a main course dish, and is very popular in Nepal.
 * Cuisine: **






 * City Life vs. County Life: **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Over 1 million of the country's 22 million people live in the capital city of Kathmandu and about 80% of people living in rural Nepal are in poverty. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">






 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Economy: **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Nepal is a very poor country with atheist a quarter of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the main source of income and three quarters of the population rely on agriculture. The income of an average person or GDP per capita is only $ 1,200 US dollars. Nepal's labor force is 18 million. A labor source is the suppliers of labor. There is a severe lack of skilled and trained labor. 75% of the labor force works in agriculture, 18% in services, and only 7% in industry. Because of limited industrialization, unemployment and particularly underemployment were quite high. The unemployment rate is 46% which has increased 3% since 2004. The people living below the poverty line in 27.4%. The market value of publicly traded shares is 5.2 billion which in comparison to the world Nepal is #78. The agriculture products for Nepal are pulses, rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, jute, root crops; milk and water buffalo meat. Petroleum products, machinery and equipment, gold, electrical goods, medicine are imported in Nepal Nepal's industries are tourism, carpets, textiles; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production. Additional challenges to Nepal's growth include its landlocked geographic location, civil strife and labor unrest, and its susceptibility to natural disaster and lack of institutions for modernization, weak infrastructure, and a lack of policies conducive to development.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Agriculture is big part of Nepal's economy and Nepalese farmers who live on hills grow coffee beans. This is a good thing for Nepal's industury. Significant sales of Nepal coffee and tea have already been made in the United States, Germany, and elsewhere-and, even better, the promise exists for much more to come.






 * Festivals and Rituals:**

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A major festival in Nepal is the Festival of Tihar which is equivalent to the festival of lights. It is celebrated in late fall. The Festival of Tihar is also called the Dipawali or Bhai Tika or Laxmi Puja. It is a five-days festival,is all about worshiping of different animals such as crow, dog, cow, and worshiping of the Hindu Goddess of Fortune or Wealth (Goddess Laxmi), and cTihar Songs, Bhailo, Deusi and folk songsooking meals at home, brothers and sisters shopping for gifts, flying kites, decorating homes and streets, playing cards with friends, resting and relaxing, and finally ending the festival with an exchange of a special temporary mark on forehead (tika in Nepali)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Day 1 is the worshipping of crows. The sounds of the crows symbolize sadness and grief in the Hindu mythology, so people offer the crows food to ward off grief and deaths in their homes.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Day 2 is the worshipping of dogs called Kukur Puja or Khicha Puja, the dogs are the protector of our homes.



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Day 3 is the worshipping of cows called gai puja. The Cow is considered to be the surrogate mother humans, according to Hindu myth, so they worship her with tika, garlands and fruits on that day. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Day 3 is also the worshipping of the fortune goddess <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">On Day 3 girls gather and sing a special song known as Bhailo or Bhailini. They sing Bhailo door to door, giving blessings to the family in return for money or homemade treats.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Day 4 is when the males sing a song called deusi or deusuray. They get together, carry any musical instruments they have or can play, and sing Deusi door to door.They bless the home and family in return for money and/or refreshments. Teenagers perform various Deusi songs to collect money. Some may play Deusi to collect money to build a new trail in a far away village in Nepal. In the Tihar Festival you only hear Tihar Songs, Bhailo, Deusi and folk songs on the local radio. But many people sing these songs.Social workers, young and children visit local homes to sing these songs, and in return the home owners give them money, fruit, rice and bread called selroti. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Day 4 of the Tihar is also about worshiping yourself. The worshiping is known as as Mahapuja. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">On Day 4 the coming of the new year is celebrated. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Also, on Day 4 a popular ritual thats called Govardhan puja or Goru Tihar is celebrated. In other words its called oxen worshipping because the help with agriculture and help grow crops which is a big part of Nepal. People who follow Krishna( a hindu diety) perform Gobardhan Puja, which is worship towards Cowdung because it is seen as very useful in Nepal.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Day 5, the final day, called Bhai Tika day, sisters give tika, and mala to brothers along with wishes for long life and prosperity and thanks them for what protection they have. A Tika is a colored powder placed on one's forehead, and a mala is a necklace made of flowers.Or known as flowers leis. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;"> A type of bread called selroti, a special type of bread made by rice flour and sugar. Some home owners give Selroti to the people who sing Bhailo and Deusi songs.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">By Annalise Ishwardes, Annawade Stevenson, Hiba Al-Naji, and Natalie Voos.