Nepal
The Indian plate began drifting northeastward 75 million years ago, colliding with the Eurasian Plate to create the Himalayas. This geological process continues today at a rate of about four centimeters per year, making Nepal one of the most earthquake-prone zones on Earth. The rising barriers blocked ancient river paths, creating large lakes that only broke through as late as 100,000 years ago to form fertile valleys like Kathmandu. Immediately south of these emerging mountains, plate movement created a vast trough filled with river-borne sediment known as the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Seven other of the world's eight-thousanders lie in Nepal or on its border with Tibet, including Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kangchenjunga, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu. Mount Everest stands as the highest point above mean sea level on Earth, marking the northern limit of the country's geography. The southern lowland plains or Terai border India and contain some hill ranges within the northern rim of the Gangetic Plain. Broad, low valleys called Inner Terai Valleys lie north of the Sivalik Hills, which crest at 984 meters and mark the limits of the Gangetic Plain. Severe flooding and landslides cause deaths and disease, destroy farmlands, and cripple transport infrastructure during the monsoon season each year.
The oldest discovered archaeological evidence of human settlements in Nepal dates to around 30,000 years before the present. By 55,000 years ago, modern humans had arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa, entering the north-west region via coastal routes. Emperor Ashoka made a pilgrimage to Lumbini in southern Nepal and erected a pillar at Buddha's birthplace, creating inscriptions that mark the starting point for properly recorded history of Nepal. In the Kathmandu valley, the Licchavi dynasty came into power around 400 AD after pushing eastward the Kiratas who had ruled for over 16 centuries. A stone inscription dated 464 AD found in the premises of the Changu Narayan Temple stands as the first in Nepal since the Ashoka inscription of Lumbini. The Gopal Bansa was the oldest dynasty mentioned in various texts as the earliest rulers of the central Himalayan kingdom known by the name 'Nepal'. The word Nepāl appears in ancient Indian literary texts dated as far back as the fourth century AD, with the first appearance in an inscription of Samudragupta. According to Hindu mythology, Nepal derives its name from an ancient Hindu sage called Ne, referred to variously as Ne Muni or Nemi. Buddhist mythology tells how Manjushri Bodhisattva drained a primordial lake of serpents to create the Nepal valley and proclaimed that Adi-Buddha Ne would take care of the community that would settle it.
In the mid-18th century, Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha king, set out to unify what would become present-day Nepal. He secured the neutrality of bordering mountain kingdoms before engaging in bloody battles and sieges, notably the Battle of Kirtipur, to conquer the Kathmandu Valley in 1769. A dispute with Tibet over control of mountain passes prompted the Qing Emperor of China to start the Sino-Nepali War, compelling the Nepali to retreat to their own borders in the north. The rivalry between the Kingdom of Nepal and the East India Company eventually led to the Anglo-Nepali War from 1815 to 1816. In 1846, a plot revealed that the reigning queen had planned to overthrow Jung Bahadur Kunwar, leading to the Kot massacre where several hundred princes and chieftains were executed. Bir Narsingh Kunwar emerged victoriously and founded the Rana dynasty, making the post of Prime Minister powerful and hereditary while reducing the king to a titular figure. The Ranas were staunchly pro-British and assisted them during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and later in both World Wars. In 1860, some parts of the western Terai region were gifted to Nepal by the British as a friendly gesture because of its military help. Rana rule was marked by tyranny, debauchery, economic exploitation, and religious persecution until it was toppled following the success of the Indian Independence Movement.
In 1951, the Nepali Congress successfully overthrew the Rana regime with support from King Tribhuvan, establishing parliamentary democracy for the first time. King Mahendra scrapped this democratic experiment in 1960, creating a partyless Panchayat system that banned political parties and imprisoned or exiled politicians. A communist insurgency was crushed in its cradle in the 1970s before eventually coalescing under the United Left Front. In 1990, joint civil resistance launched by the United Left Front and Nepali Congress overthrew the Panchayat system, leading to the adoption of multi-party democracy. The Maoist Party started a violent bid to replace the royal parliamentary system with a people's republic in 1996, resulting in the long Nepalese Civil War and more than 16,000 deaths. Following the death of both the King and Crown Prince in a massacre in the royal palace, King Birendra's brother Gyanendra inherited the throne in 2001. The Maoist Party joined mainstream politics after the peaceful democratic revolution of 2006, and Nepal became a secular state on the 28th of May 2008 when it was declared a federal republic. This declaration ended its time-honored status as the world's only Hindu kingdom. After a decade of instability which saw two constituent assembly elections, the new constitution was promulgated on the 20th of September 2015.
Nepal forms the western portion of the eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, containing a disproportionately large diversity of plants and animals relative to its size. The country harbors 4.0% of all mammal species, 8.9% of bird species, and 1.0% of reptile species despite its small geographic area. Among notable trees are the neem tree widely used in traditional herbal medicine and the peepal tree under which Gautam Buddha is recorded to have sought enlightenment. Nepal contains 107 IUCN-designated threatened species including the endangered Bengal tiger, red panda, Asiatic elephant, and critically endangered white-rumped vulture. The system of national parks and protected areas was first established in 1973 with the enactment of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973. Vulture restaurants coupled with a ban on veterinary usage of diclofenac has seen a rise in the number of white-rumped vultures. Community forestry programs have enabled a third of the country's population to directly participate in managing a quarter of the total forested area. Breeding programs combined with community-assisted military patrols and crackdowns on poaching have reduced poaching of critically endangered tigers and elephants to effectively zero. Nepal has ten national parks, three wildlife reserves, one hunting reserve, three Conservation Areas, and eleven buffer zones covering 19.67% of total land area.
Nepal ranks 165th in the world in nominal GDP per capita and remains one of the least developed countries globally. Foreign exchange remittances reached US$8.1 billion in 2018, constituting 28.0% of GDP and contributed by millions of workers primarily in India, the Middle East, and East Asia. Most of these workers are unskilled laborers who face exploitation, with many working under slavery-like conditions abroad. The rate of unemployment and underemployment exceeds half of the working-age population, driving millions to seek employment overseas. An average of two workers die each day while working abroad due to extremely unsafe conditions. Despite millions raising themselves out of poverty through remittances, the money is largely spent on real estate and consumption rather than productive investment. Debt bondage involving debtors' children affects an estimated 234,600 people or 0.82% of the population according to The Global Slavery Index in 2016. Inflation was at 4.5% in 2019, and foreign exchange reserves stood at US$9.5 billion in July 2019. The country receives foreign aid from multiple sources including the UK, India, Japan, the US, China, and Scandinavian countries.
On the 15th of July 2024, K.P. Sharma Oli was sworn in as Nepali Prime Minister for the fourth time, leading a new coalition between the Nepali Congress and UML. Between March and June 2025, a half-dozen pro-monarchy protests took place in Kathmandam favoring restoration of the old Kingdom with former King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah as its head. On the 9th of March 2025, thousands of supporters welcomed Shah as he arrived in Kathmandu after he delivered a video speech discussing widespread frustrations with the ruling communist government. In September 2025, widespread protests over a social media ban and economic inequality led to rioting that killed or injured dozens of people and damaged Parliament buildings. These events brought about the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who fled the country. The Nepali army assumed control of nationwide security and engaged in talks with protest leaders who selected former chief justice Sushila Karki as interim prime minister. Nepal has been ranked 76 out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index in 2019, though crime rates have shown steady increases in recent years.
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Common questions
When did the Indian plate begin drifting northeastward to create Nepal?
The Indian plate began drifting northeastward 75 million years ago. This geological process continues today at a rate of about four centimeters per year, making Nepal one of the most earthquake-prone zones on Earth.
What is the oldest discovered archaeological evidence of human settlements in Nepal?
The oldest discovered archaeological evidence of human settlements in Nepal dates to around 30,000 years before the present. By 55,000 years ago, modern humans had arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa, entering the north-west region via coastal routes.
Who unified what would become present-day Nepal in the mid-18th century?
Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha king, set out to unify what would become present-day Nepal. He secured the neutrality of bordering mountain kingdoms before engaging in bloody battles and sieges, notably the Battle of Kirtipur, to conquer the Kathmandu Valley in 1769.
On which date did Nepal become a federal republic?
Nepal became a secular state on the 28th of May 2008 when it was declared a federal republic. This declaration ended its time-honored status as the world's only Hindu kingdom.
When was the system of national parks and protected areas first established in Nepal?
The system of national parks and protected areas was first established in 1973 with the enactment of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973. Nepal has ten national parks, three wildlife reserves, one hunting reserve, three Conservation Areas, and eleven buffer zones covering 19.67% of total land area.
Who was sworn in as Nepali Prime Minister for the fourth time on the 15th of July 2024?
K.P. Sharma Oli was sworn in as Nepali Prime Minister for the fourth time on the 15th of July 2024. He leads a new coalition between the Nepali Congress and UML.