cultureNepali culture is different in every part of the country, depending on ethnic group, caste, urban or rural setting, and age. In general, Nepalis are incredibly kind and hospitable. Invitations to tea are frequent, and hosts love to feed their guests with their best foods.
Within the country there are 249 separate people groups (96% unreached) speaking 123 different languages. The majority are Hindu (81%) with a significant minority of Tibetan Buddhists (9%). Only 1.4% of Nepal's 31.5 million are Christian. Nepal is a "sensitive" country because it is illegal to change one's faith and it is illegal to be an M-worker here. The staple food for most Nepalis is daal bhaat--rice, lentil soup, and a combination of curries and pickled vegetables. Daal bhaat is eaten every day twice per day. Each ethnic group makes daal bhaat differently, ranging from very spicy and very Indian in the Southern part of the country, to mild and nourishing in the Northern mountainous regions. |
geographyUntil the earthquake of 2015, a lot of Americans had never heard of Nepal! Ours is a small country sandwiched between India and China. Despite its superpower neighbors, Nepali people pride themselves on never having been colonized. There are three main geographic regions: swampy Terai in the South, the middle hilly region, and the high Himalayas. Elevations in Nepal can be as low as 230 ft above sea level, up to 29,029 ft at the top of Everest. Temperatures vary by region. In Kathmandu, summer temperatures get up to 73°F and winter lows down to 49°F.
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For more information about Nepal, check out the links to the right. For more day-to-day life photos and updates, check out our instagram and twitter accounts.
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