Nepal is a roughly rectangular country with an associated with 147,181 square miles (381,200 square kilometers). To the south, west, and east it is bordered by Indian states; to its northern border lies Tibet. Nepal is home to the Himalayan Mountains, including Mount Everest. From the summit of Everest, the topography plunges to just above sea level in the Gangetic Plain on the southern border. This drop divides the country into three horizontal zones: the high mountains, the lush central hills, and the flat, arid Terai region on the inside south. Fast-moving, snow-fed rivers cut through the hills and mountains from north to south, carving deep valleys and steep side. The rugged topography has created numerous ecological niches to which different ethnic groups have adapted. Although trade has taken distinct ethnic groups into contact, the geography developed diversity in language and subsistence practices. The outcome is a country with over thirty-six ethnic groups plus fifty languages.
Demography. The population in 1997 was just over 22.6 million. Although infant mortality rates are extremely high, fertility rates are higher. High birth rates in rural areas have led to land shortages, forcing immigration to the Terai, where farmland a lot more plentiful, and to urban areas, where jobs are available. Migration into cities has contributed to over-crowding and pollution. The Kathmandu Valley has a population of approximately 700,000.
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