9 Interesting facts about Nepal

1. Nepal and Portugal are twins in the world Map. They both have similar rectangular shape. If the map of Nepal is turned 90 degrees clockwise, it looks very similar to the map of Portugal.

2. The Nepali calendar called Bikram Sambhat is approximately 67 years and 8.5 months ahead of Gregorian calendar. The Nepali New Year is celebrated in mid-April.

3. In terms of biodiversity, Nepal is one of the richest countries in the world. It is rightfully called Amazon of Asia due to the unique variety of species found in here. Nepal has more than 900 species of birds, which accounts to 8.9% of the total species of birds all around the world. It has 4.2 % of the world’s butterfly species and 3.96 percent of the world’s mammal species.

4. Nepal has 8 out of 10 of the world’s highest mountains, including the world highest Mount Everest standing 8848 meters high. Mount Everest is called Sagarmatha in Nepali and Chomolungma by the local Sherpas and Tibetans.

5. Nepal is the only country with a non-rectangular flag. Nepal’s flag is maroon in color with two triangular shapes stacked on one another with dark blue border. The upper triangle consists of moon and the lower triangle consists of the sun. The current flag has been in place since 1962, although the basic design has been used for over 2,000 years in Nepal.

6. Nepal was the last Hindu Country in the world when it was declared secular by the parliament in the year 2006. Although many religion harmoniously co-exist in the country, 81.3 percent of the population in the country follows Hinduism. Nepal still has the highest proportion of Hindus in the world.

7. The mysterious creature of the Himalayas called Yeti is said to be spotted in the Nepalese Himalayas by many who have trodden the secluded path in the Himalayas. Sir Edmund Hillary even led an expedition to find the Yeti in 1958.

8. Nepal does not have an independent day because Nepal was never colonized. Nepal is also the oldest country in South Asia.

9. Internet was introduced in Nepal back in 1994, even though surprisingly Nepal stands second after Libya for low internet connection as a country.