Geography of Nepal
Nepal is located in Southern Asia, between China and India. In southern Nepal the land is made up of a flat river plain, or a Terai. Central Nepal is very hilly, which can also be considered foothills for the Himalayas which lie in northern Nepal. Nepal is home to eight of the ten highest mountains in the world, including the highest, Mount Everest.
The climate in Nepal is also varied. In the south, the temperature is very subtropical, while in the north it is considered alpine. Most of Nepal is forested, and the country receives heavy monsoon rains in the summer.
Nepal is home to many special and unique animals. Some of these include tigers, leopards, rhinoceroses, wild sheep and goats, snow leopards, and yaks.
A Little About Mount Everest
Mount Everest, which is known as Sagarmatha in Nepali, and Qomolangma in Chinese, is 8, 848 metres high, and growing. It was first climbed by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa on May 29, 1953. More then 150 climbers have been killed following their footsteps. Mount Everest also has a serious problem - more then 50 tons of garbage has accumulated on this giant landmark over the years. 680 people had climbed this mountain, and many of them now feel ashamed to have left garbage on the ‘top of the world.’
World Heritage Sites and National Parks
Nepal has a very rich environment, one which includes both rolling valleys and the highest mountains in the world. The country knows this, and has many national parks, and ten World Heritage Sites.
They include:
Sagarmatha National Park (Mount Everest), Lumbini (the birthplace of Budda), Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patcan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur, Chitwan National Park, Pashupatinath, Boudha, Swayambhunath, Changu Nararyan
The National Parks of Nepal are:
Khaptad National Park, Rara National Park, Royal Bardia National Park, Shey Phoksundo National Park, Royan Chitwan National Park, Landtan National Park, Sagarmantha National Park, Makdu Barun National Park
The Wildlife Reserves in Nepal are:
Royal Swklaphanta, Parsa, Koshi Dappu
Environmental Problems and Tourism
Nepal is experiencing environmental problems due to the increasing number of tourists. One of the biggest problems Nepal faces with tourism is the garbage accumulation on Mount Everest. The mountain, especially at the base camp is piled with a huge amount of pollution, including old tents, crashed helicopters, dead bodies, and small appliances. As a result, garbage disposal units have been brought the mountain to help keep it clean.
Another problem is that Nepal is slowly become deforested, due to Nepalese people needing more space to live. This is a problem, especially because Nepal is home to many endangered animals.
