Located as a thin strip of land between China and India, Nepal is bordered to the north by the Himalayas. Eight of the world's ten tallest mountain peaks are located here. Its southerly border lies upon the flat plains of the Ganges River. Although the country covers an area of less than 55,000 square miles, its climate is noted for northerly cool summers and harsh winters, contrasting with the south's subtropical, humid summers and mild winters. This is of course a result of the marked change in elevations from one part of the country to the other. Elevations range from 230 feet above sea level (Kanchan Kalan) to 29,000 feet (Mount Everest).

The exact origin of the name Nepal is uncertain, but the most popular understanding is that it is derived from Ne (holy) and pal (cave).

Earliest signs of settlement in the Kathmandu Valley date back to Neolithic artifacts, 9,000 years ago. People of the Tibeto-Burman language group apparently made this region their home at least by 2,500 years ago. Kingdoms and confederations arose around 1000 years BC. Siddharta Gautama (563–483 BC), the Buddha, was a member of the royalty associated with one of these confederations -- he renounced his riches and lived the life of an ascetic, becoming a focus for the religious philosophy of Buddhism.

The Mauryan empire of northern India brought the inhabitants of the Kathmandu region under its influence, by circa 250 BC. In the 4th century AD, it became a puppet state of the Indian Gupta Dynasty. The Licchavis (Lichchhavi, Lichavi), apparently a Newar group, took control in the 5th century until the 8th, when they were succeeded by the Newari rulers in 879 AD. The Malla Dynasty came to power approximately 1200 AD. These Newar people are of mixed descent, and make up approximately half the population of the current Kathmandu Valley. While linguistically they belong to the Tibeto-Burman langauge family, culturally they owe a lot to the Indian Hindu contacts made over the centuries. Southern Nepal came under the influence of India's Chalukaya Empire by the late 11th century, and Nepalese royalty converted to Hinduism around that time.

By the late 14th century, most of the country was unified. However, in 1482 the kingdom broke into the kingdoms of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhadgaon.

Newar control of Nepal ended in 1768, with Prithvi Narayan Shah (1723? - 1775) founding the Gorkhali Shah dynasty. He was the founder of the modern state of Nepal. He united the various Malla kingdoms and annexed territory in northern India, as well as large portions of the plateau of Tibet and of the valleys of the Inner Himalayas. Some of this territory was eventually conquered back by Tibet.

The major city of Nepal is Kathmandu. Other cities include: Dhangarhi, Nepalganj, Butwal, Pokhara, Birganj, Hetauda, Patan, Janakpur, Dharan, Bazar and Biratnagar

Nepalese Geography

Painting by Tiago Pereira@flickr; picture is under this Creative Commons license