Nepal

The Kathmandu Valley, the historic heart of Nepal, was home to sophisticated city-states under dynasties such as the Mallas, who built the exquisite temples and palaces that still grace its squares. In 1768 the ruler of the small principality of Gorkha, Prithvi Narayan Shah, unified the valley and surrounding lands into a single kingdom, founding the Shah dynasty. Nepal preserved its independence through the colonial age, and in 2008 it abolished its monarchy to become a republic.

Tradition holds that the Kathmandu Valley was once a great lake, and that the bodhisattva Manjushri cut a gorge through the surrounding hills with his sword to drain the waters, making the valley fit for human settlement. The story is cherished in Nepal's Buddhist and Hindu heritage and woven into the founding of its sacred sites. As literal history it is legend, though geologists confirm the valley genuinely did once hold an ancient lake.

Nepal rises in dramatic steps from the flat, fertile plains of the Terai along the Indian border, through the green middle hills where most people live, to the high Himalayas in the north. This small country thus packs in an astonishing range of altitude and climate, from near-tropical lowlands to the icy summit of Everest, more than eight kilometres high. The mountains are both Nepal's defining feature and a magnet for climbers and trekkers from around the world.

Nepal has the only national flag in the world that is not a rectangle. It is made of two stacked triangular pennants, a shape derived from the pennons once flown by Himalayan rulers. The crimson background is the colour of the national flower, the rhododendron, and the blue border represents peace. Within the pennants are a white moon and a white sun, symbols traditionally said to express the hope that the nation will endure as long as they do.

Nepal is a deeply religious country where Hinduism and Buddhism have intertwined for centuries, their gods, festivals, and temples often shared. The majority of Nepalis are Hindu, and Nepal was for a long time the world's only Hindu kingdom before becoming a secular republic. It is also revered as the birthplace of the Buddha, who was born at Lumbini in the southern plains. Temples and shrines of both faiths are woven into daily life.

Nepali food is simple, nourishing, and suited to a mountainous land. The everyday meal, eaten across the country, is dal bhat, lentil soup served over rice with vegetable curries and pickles, often eaten twice a day. From the Himalayan communities and Tibetan influence come momo, steamed or fried dumplings that have become a national favourite, along with noodle soups. The food varies by region and altitude, reflecting Nepal's many peoples.

Agriculture is the livelihood of most Nepalis, much of it carried out on terraces carved into steep hillsides, a striking feature of the landscape. The fertile Terai plains in the south are the country's grain basket, producing rice, the staple crop, along with maize, wheat, and millet in the hills. Farming is largely small-scale and dependent on the monsoon rains. Alongside agriculture, tourism drawn by the Himalayas is a vital source of income.

The flowering of art and architecture under the Malla kings, and the unification of the country by Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1768, are landmarks of Nepali history. The country's preservation of its independence and the birth of the Buddha within its borders are sources of deep pride. In recent times Nepal endured a decade-long civil conflict, abolished its centuries-old monarchy in 2008, and suffered a devastating earthquake in 2015.

Nepal has a population of around 30 million people, remarkably diverse for its size, divided among many ethnic groups, castes, and languages across its varied terrain, from the plains to the high mountains. Most people live in the hills and the southern Terai, and the largest city and capital is Kathmandu, set in its historic valley. Many Nepalis work abroad, and the money they send home is an important part of the national economy.