The Kingdom of Nepal is located between the latitude 26 22” N to 30 27” North and
longitude 80 4” E to 88 12” East and elevation ranges from 90 to 8848 kilometres. The
country is bordering between the two most populous giants in the world, India in the east,
south, west and China in the north. The northern range (Himalaya) is covered with snow
throughout the year where the highest peak in the world, the Mount Everest, stands. It
accommodates more than 60 caste/ethnic groups. The system of governance consists of a
constitutional monarchy where people exercise rights of adult franchise. The executive,
legislative and judiciary bodies function and exe rcise their rights independently. There is
a two-tier system of legislation; the upper house, called the Rastriya Sabha, consists of 60
members and the lower house, called the Pratinidhi Sabha, is the house of
representatives; its members are elected from 205 electoral constituencies which cut
across 75 districts of the country and headed by an elected Prime Minister.
Ecologically, the Kingdom is divided into three regions; Mountain, the Hill and the Terai
(plains). The mountain region covers about one-third of the land area but only about 2
percent of its area is suitable for cultivation. According to the 2001 population census, the
region accommodates only 7.3 per cent of the total population. The hill region accounts
for the largest share (42%) of the land area but, again, only one-tenth of the area is
suitable for cultivation. This region’s share of the population is 44.3 percent. The terai
region comprises 23 per cent of the land area and half the population of Nepal. At another
level, specifically for the purpose of socio-economic development, the Kingdom is
divided into 5 development regions: eastern (16 districts), central (19 districts) western
(16 districts), mid-western (15) and far-eastern (9 districts) regions.