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Nepal, officially the Federal
Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked
country in South Asia. It is bordered by China to
the north, and India to the south, east and west.
The Himalaya mountain range runs across Nepal's
northern and western parts, and eight of the world's
ten highest mountains, including the highest, Mount
Everest, are within its territory.
The modern state was formed with
the Unification of Nepal by Prithvi Narayan Shah on
December 21, 1768. Prior to 2006, Nepal was a
kingdom and the only nation with Hinduism as its
official religion. At present, Nepal is officially
and constitutionally a secular country. Its recent
history has involved struggles for democratic
government with periods of direct monarchic rule.
From 1995 until 2006, Nepal suffered from a Civil
War between government forces and Maoist guerrillas
of the Communist Party of Nepal.
Nepal is a multi-cultural,
multi-linguistic and multi religious country. For a
relatively small country, Nepal has a diverse
landscape, ranging from the humid Terai plains in
the south to the mountainous Himalayas in the north,
which makes it a major tourist destination. Hinduism
is practised by huge majority of the people, but the
country also has a strong Buddhist tradition;
Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama
being located in the Terai, one of the three regions
of Nepal.
The capital Kathmandu is the
largest city in the country. The official language
is Nepali and the state currency is the Nepalese
Rupee (NPR). Nepal's Flag is the only national flag
in the world that is non-quadrilateral in shape.
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Pokhara is situated at about 884
meter from sea level, and is located 124 miles
(about 200 km) west of Kathmandu and can be reached
by plane in 25 minutes or in 6 hours by bus. Pokhara
is the next destination after Kathmandu for many
adventure and pleasure trips in and around Pokhara.
Pokhara is often called the enchanting Himalayan
valley with a heart of major actions and adventures.
Surrounded by beautiful snow-caped
mountains, with a magnificent lake of crystal-clear
pure Himalayan water, all-year round pleasing
weather, and friendly Pokhralis will greet you with
a smile and leave you with the most unforgettable
moments in your life.
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