Nepal is a South Asian country popularly known for its natural beauty and amazing and unique geographical features. Nepal is very rich in culture, and the people in Nepal are appreciated for their tolerant behavior towards religion and culture. Every year a large group of tourists visits Nepal to enjoy beautiful sceneries, learn about Nepalese people, their religion, and culture, and enjoy naturally gifted adventurous sports.

In Nepal, people greet each other by saying Namaste by joining the two palms.

Namaste means “I salute the God in you.”

There are many surprising and interesting facts about Nepal which are discussed below.

10 Interesting Facts about Nepal

Nepal’s flag is the only national flag in the entire world that is not rectangular in shape.

interesting facts about nepal flag

Only Nepal has a triangular flag in the world.

The flag of Nepal is a combination of two individual pennons. It is not unique in shape but also holds a very meaningful detail regarding color combination and the pictures it holds. On the top pennon of the flag, there is the moon which represents the cool weather in the Himalayas and the calmness of the Nepalese people, while there is the sun in the bottom pennon which expresses the hot temperature of the lower regions of Nepal. The red color of the flag represents the mark of bravery and victory, which the Nepalese people are actually, while the blue outline in the flag depicts peace and harmony. Only Nepal has a triangular flag in the world.

Kumari, the only living goddess in the world, exists in Nepal.

interesting facts about nepal kumari

Nepal kumari

Kumari is a girl selected rigorously under certain religious procedures from the Shakya and Bajracharya castes of the Newar community and is believed to be the avatar of Taleju. There are many Kumaris in Nepal, depending upon the cities, but the most popularly known Kumari is the Royal Kumari of Kathmandu. Nepalese people are allowed to visit the Kumari house located in Basantapur during Dashain. At the same time, Kumari is brought outside the Kumari house and is taken around Kathmandu city in a chariot during Indrajatra and a few other occasions. A new kumari replaces the former one when her first menstruation begins or a serious illness or a significant loss of blood from an injury.

Nepal is the birthplace of the Lord Gautam Buddha.

interesting facts about nepal gautam buddha

Nepal Gautam buddha

The Lord Gautam Buddha was born in the holiest place, Kapilvastu, Lumbini, in 623 BC. The birthplace of Gautam Buddha is engraved with the Asoka Pillar. The birthplace of Buddha is now a Buddhist pilgrimage center where lots of national and international tourists pay homage every year.

Nepal faces a remarkable altitude variation.

The altitude of Nepal varies from a minimum of 60 meters above sea level to 8848 meters which is the height of Mount Everest. The three major regions of Nepal strikingly explain the variation in altitude. The lower region of Nepal is called the Terai region, with the tallest grassland in the world, where there is around 48% of Nepal’s population. The middle region, called the hilly region, covers 45% of the population because of the favorable climate for animals and humans. The upper region is the Himalayas region, with about 8% population because of the high altitude. Nepal provides opportunities for people to travel from lowlands to glaciers in just a few weeks.

Nepal is not a colonized country.

Nepal is a not-colonized country as the country was never under the control of any foreign countries. There have been many reasons behind it, from the severe interest of the British to acquire South Asia to the economic cause of the losing war between Nepal and the British to the topography reasons.

Nepal consists of the eight highest peaks in the world.

Out of the 10 highest peaks in the world, Nepal occupies eight, namely, Everest (29,029 ft), Kangchenjunga (28,169 ft), Lhotse (27,940 ft), Makalu (27,838 ft), Cho Oyu (26,864 ft), Dhaulagiri (26,795 ft), Manaslu (26,781 ft) and Annapurna (26,545 ft).

Mount Everest from Gokyo

There are many world heritage sites in Nepal.

Kathmandu Valley, Lumbini, Chitwan National Park, and Sagarmatha National Park are the four enlisted world heritage sites of Nepal. Kathmandu valley includes Pashupati Nath temple, Boudhanath, Swayambhunath, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, and Changunarayan as the heritage sites.

Bardia National Park

Nepal is considered to have the most thrilling and exciting places on earth.

Nepal has the most extreme places, whether it be the world’s most popular trekking trails like Annapurna Circuit trekking and Everest Base Camp trek or adventure sports like mountain biking, kayaking, rafting, bungee jumping, mountaineering, paragliding, or the best rivers like Karnali and many upstream rivers for white water rafting.

bungee jump nepal

Bungee Jump Nepal: Bungee by the owner of WapNepal in 2013 at a Bungee jump in Bhotekoshi

The elephant polo match is played only in Nepal.

Out of many rare sports that are played in Nepal, elephant polo is one of them. Elephant polo is a polo played on the back of elephants. The world elephant polo Association, established in 1982, has its headquarters in the Royal Chitwan Park in Nepal. Every year, elephant polo is played on a grassy field in Megauli.

Nepal has over 80 ethnic groups and 123 languages.

Nepal is home to more than 80 ethnic groups with over 123 languages. Despite the wide range of ethnic groups and different languages, Nepalese people believe in peace and harmony and have shown their tolerance towards each other’s religion and culture.

Nepal has the highest lake, highest valley, deepest Gorge, and Tallest Grassland.

The enrichment of the natural beauty in Nepal is not just limited to mountains. Abundant fauna and flora are available in Nepal. The striking altitudinal variation is sure to surprise you. Though small in area, the altitude varies from 70m to 8848m. Nepal is a habitat for rare species like Bengal Tiger, one-horned rhinoceros, Asiatic elephant, red panda, etc. Mystical Yeti is also said to be found in the majestic Himalayas of Nepal. Not only the highest peak but the highest lake on earth (Tilicho 4800m), highest valley on earth (Arun valley), deepest gorge (1200m in Kaligandaki), and tallest grassland in the world( in Chitwan) lies in this country. Nepal is thus rightfully called the Amazon of Asia.

Nepal has the best trek experience.

These natural beauties make Nepal a must on the bucket list of many travelers worldwide. The awe-inspiring natural diversities make Nepal a sought-after destination for adventure lovers as well. Base camps of Mt. Everest and Mt. Annapurna are popular trek trails for adventurers. One can also experience the thrills by indulging in the adventures like mountaineering, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, paragliding, mountain biking, bungee, and high-altitude marathon.

annapurna trek map

Nepal has 125 ethnic groups and more than 100 languages.

Information in Nepal is incomplete without knowing the Nepalese. Nepalese rejoice in multiple cultures, making the country multilingual, multiethnic, and multi-religious. According to the 2011 census, there are 125 ethnic groups in Nepal. The national language of Nepal is Nepali, but there are more than 100 other languages spoken in the country. Hinduism and Buddhism are the main religions in the country, but there is the presence of many other religions like Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Sikhism, etc. Despite all these differences, Nepal is a peace-loving country. There has never been a riot for the cause of religion.

Nepal has a living God.

Gautam Buddha, the light of Asia and the founder of Buddhism, was born in Lumbini in Nepal, making it a holy place for followers of Buddhism all over the world. Lumbini is one of the UNESCO enlisted world heritage sites of Nepal. There are 10 UNESCO world heritage sites in Nepal, making it a country with a dense concentration of world heritage sites. The living Goddess, Kumari, resides in Basantapur Durbar Square, which is one of the heritage sites in the country. These heritages give Nepal a huge tourism potential.

Nepalese worships Dog and Cow.

There are various customs in Nepal that you may find unusual. Nepalese people do not eat beef. Cows are considered very sacred animals. They are worshipped, and slaughtering them is illegal. In Tihar, the festival of Nepal, dogs, and crows are worshipped too.

Nepal’s capital Kathmandu has a 2.5 million population

There are many bits of trivia in Nepal for you. According to the 2011 census, Nepal has a population of more than 26 million, and more than 2.5 million Nepali live in Kathmandu, making it the city with the most population density in Nepal.

Kathmandu valley

Kathmandu valley

Nepal is 67 years 8.5 months ahead of the English Calendar

Nepalese follow the Nepali calendar, which is 67 years and 8.5 months ahead of the Gregorian calendar. The Nepali New year falls in mid-April. In Nepal, the weekend falls on Saturday.

Nepal has Saturday as a public holiday for a week.

In Nepal, the weekend falls on Saturday. The schools and government offices are closed on Saturday.

Because of the above-discussed interesting facts about Nepal, many national and international tourists visit Nepal every year to enjoy the place more carefully.

Some commonly asked Questions about Nepal & their answers

Nepal stands proudly with its unique features among the two domineering neighboring countries, India and China. Though small in its size, there is a lot that this country holds that many people in the world may not be aware of. The features that this country possesses in its total area of 1,47,181 square km are staggering.

People commonly ask, “is Nepal in India?”. The question asking about Nepal in India is totally wrong. Nepal is a country between India and China.

Is Nepal in India?

Nepal is between India and China

Nepal is a landlocked country situated between India and China. It is divided into three regions: Mountainous, Hilly, and Terai-based on the east-west belt division. Though small in size, the natural beauty and diversities it possesses are tremendous.

Is Mount Everest in India?

Nepal has Mount Everest.

Talking about the natural beauty of Nepal is known to the world because of the presence of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, which is 8848 meters. However, this is not the only mountain that takes your breath away. The Himalayan (mountainous) region in the northern part of the country has 7 other peaks along with Mt. Everest, which is among the world’s highest mountain peaks. As such, Nepal contains 8 of the world’s 10 highest peaks. These are Mt. Kanchanjunga (8586m), Mt. Lhotse (8516m), Mt. Makalu (8462m), Mt. Cho Oyu (8201m), Mt Dhaulagiri (8167m), Mt. Manaslu (8156m) and Mt. Annapurna (8091m). If the mountains are calling for you, Nepal is a perfect destination for you.

Conclusion about Nepal

All these diversities, natural beauty, culture, and customs of Nepalese and the uniqueness it carries are what make Nepal. Nepal would be incomplete in the absence of any of these. This tiny country has a lot to offer. Nepal is truly a magical place, and it would surely stand out as an exotic destination for all travel lovers. We will be adding this page with more information on Nepal. If you have any more information, we would like to have it in the comment below so that we can update it with more appropriate information on Nepal.