INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NEPAL: TOP 10

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Nepal is a landlocked country between India and China, and it is mostly famous for the Himalayas and nature. It is indeed a country with diversity in cultural as well as natural aspects. Here, let’s have a look at these top 10 interesting facts about Nepal that might amuse you.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NEPAL

1 NEPALI HAS 2 CALENDARS

Nepal has two calendars: Bikram Sambat and Nepal Sambat.

Bikram Sambat(B.S) is the historical Hindu calendar. It is the official calendar of Nepal. This calendar is approximately 56 years 8 months ahead of the Gregorian calendar. So when it’s 2020 AD everywhere else, it is 2077 B.S in Nepal.

Nepal Sambat is a lunar calendar mostly used by the Newar community. This calendar was the national calendar of Nepal in the Malla and early Shah era and In 2007, Nepal Sambat was recognized as the national calendar.

2 NO BEEF!! KILLING A COW IS ILLEGAL IN NEPAL

The national animal of Nepal is Cow and they are also considered holy in Hinduism. So, the slaughtering of a cow has been prohibited by the law. The punishment of killing a cow is 12 years in prison and 6 years in prison for being an accomplice in killing.

3 RICH IN CULTURE AND NATURE

UNESCO has listed 4 World Heritage Sites in Nepal

UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites

Chitwan National Park
Sagarmatha National Park

UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Sites

Kathmandu Valley (7 sites including the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Bauddhanath and the Hindu temples of Pashupati and Changu Narayan.
Lumbini – the birthplace of Lord Buddha

4 NEPAL HAS THE WORLD’S HIGHEST MOUNTAIN

Nepal has 8 out of 10 of the world’s highest mountains, including the world’s highest Mount Everest standing 8,848 meters high. The others include Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Annapurna.

5 NEPAL IS THE ONLY COUNTRY TO HAVE A NON-QUADRILATERAL FLAG IN THE WORLD

Nepal has a double-pennon flag that is crimson-red in colour as a symbol of bravery. It consists of blue borders and incorporates stylized symbols of the sun and moon.

6 NEPAL HAS NEVER BEEN COLONIZED

Nepal has never been ruled or colonized by foreigners. So, Nepal does not celebrate Independence day. The Nepalese celebrate Republic day on Jestha 15 (according to the Nepali calendar) when the newly elected Constituent Assembly declared Nepal the Federal Democratic Republic, abolishing the 240-year-old monarchy.

7 NEPAL IS THE LAND OF THE LIVING GODDESS

Nepal has the only living Goddess in the world called “Kumari”. It is the tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy in Hindu and Buddist religious traditions.

8 NEPAL HOLDS SOME OF THE MOST EXTREME PLACES ON THE EARTH

Mount Everest is the world’s highest peak with 8,848m above sea level.
The world’s highest lake on the earth: Tilicho at 4949 meters
The deepest gorges: 1200 meter in Kaligandaki
The tallest grassland in the world in Chitwan
Hotel Everest View is the highest hotel in the whole world.

9 NEPAL HAS 129 LANGUAGES

Nepali is the official language of Nepal. According to the 2011 national census, the percentage of Nepali speaking people is about 44.6%. Maithili is the second most spoken language in Nepal at 11.67%

Most of the languages in Nepal are endangered because out of the 129 languages, only 19 of them have more than 100,000 speakers.

10 NEPAL PROMOTES LOTS OF ADVENTURE SPORTS

Nepal is a perfect country to visit for those who are into sports and adventure. Paragliding, white-water rafting, kayaking, high altitude marathons, bungee jumping, and mountain biking, or mountaineering are some of them.