About Nepal
Facts about Nepal
Capital: Kathmandu
Language: Nepali (official) & 20 other languages divided into numerous dialects. Derived from Sanskrit, Nepali is related to the Indian language, Hindi, and is spoken by about 90 percent of the population in either native or second language fluency. Many Nepalese in government and business also speak English.
Time Zone: 5 hrs 45 min ahead of GMT
Currency: 1 Nepalese Rupee (NR) divided into 100 paise Exchange Rate: 98 NR = 1 US Dollar
International Calling Code: 977 + city codes (Kathmandu 1, Pokhara 61)
National Calendar: The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months: Baisakh, Jestha, Asadh, Shrawan, Bhadra, Aswin, Kartik, Marga, Poush, Phalgun, Chaitra.
Saturday is the official weekly holiday.
Unification Day: 1768 (by Prithvi Narayan Shah – First King)
Constitution Birth: November 9, 1990
National Anthem: “May Glory Crown Our Illustrious Sovereign”
National Motto: “The Motherland Is Worth More than the Kingdom of Heaven.”
National Bird: Danphe
National Flower: the spectacular rhododendron ‘guras’ in Nepali
Land: 147181sqkm
Geography: landlocked; strategic location between India and Chinese-occupied Tibet; extremely diverse terrain ranging from fertile plains and broad valleys to containing eight of the world’s ten highest peaks.