The Kingdom of Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia, bordering the People's Republic of China to the north and India to the south, east and west. Nepal has the distinction of being the world's only Hindu state, with over eighty percent of the people following this faith. For a relatively small country, the Nepali landscape is uncommonly diverse, ranging from the humid Terai in the south to the lofty Himalayas in the north. Nepal boasts eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest on the border with China. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. The exact origin of the name Nepal is uncertain, but the most popular understanding is that it is derived from Ne (holy) and pal (cave).

After a long and rich history, during which the region has splintered and coalesced under a variety of absolute rulers, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy in 1990. This arrangement has been marked by increasing instability, both in the parliament and, since 1996, throughout large swathes of the country that have been fought over by Maoist insurgents . The Maoists have sought to overthrow the monarchy and establish their own form of republic; this has led to a civil war in which more than 12,000 people have died (see Nepalese civil war). On the pretext of quashing the insurgents, who now control about seventy percent of the country, the king unilaterally declared a "state of emergency" early in 2005 and assuming all executive powers.

Capital Kathmandu 27°42' N 85°19' E Largest city Kathmandu Official languages Nepali Government King Prime Minister Constitutional Monarchy Gyanendra Office currently vacant Unification 1768-12-21 Area • Total • Water (%) 147,181 km² (94th) 2.8 Population • 2005 est. • 2001 census • Density 27,676,457 (40th) 23,151,423 196/km² (39th) GDP (PPP) • Total • Per capita 2005 estimate $37,087 billion (83rd) $1,402 (163rd) Currency Rupee (NPR) Time Zone • Summer (DST) NPT (UTC+5:45) not observed (UTC+5:45) Internet TLD .np Calling code +977 Major Industry Toursim