Nepal

The Place

Nepal is one of the world's most extraordinary countries: a geographical wonder and an ethnological crossroads. Contrast is the common denominator, the unifying thread linking a profusion of customs, cultures, peoples, languages and landscapes.
The terrain stretches from the Terai, a flat, fertile strip of land along the country's southern border, to the breathtakingly high mountains that march along the northern. Ancient traditions honour the Himalaya as the embodiment of the gods, and it is easy to see why: the mountains are on a superhuman scale, both beautiful and dangerous.

Tucked between peaks and plains are the Middle Hills, a rugged landscape on which farmers have eked out a living for centuries, equipped only with hand tools and determination. Rural realities dictate the terms of life for more than 80 percent of the population: Nepal is still largely a country of villages and agriculture.
Nothing manifests in a single variety in Nepal, neither religions (Hinduism and Buddhism combine with each other, with Shamanism and with various local religious traditions) nor holidays (four separate New Year's Days are celebrated), and especially not people, who are as diverse as the terrain. More than 60 linguistic groups have been recognised, each with their own cultural identity. Today there are 23 million Nepalese of various ethnic groups, castes and tribes.

Age-old patterns are altering as the nation develops. The fabric of Kathmandu's society is being re-woven to incorporate modern influences: motorised transport, popular culture, mass tourism. It is a time of transition. Yet, regardless of the changes in Kathmandu, Nepal's reputation as a land where gods and mortals mingle and the inaccessibility of its rugged terrain make it likely that the hills and valleys, sheltered beneath the protecting peaks of the Himalaya, will long nurture the country's magnificent diversity and heritage.