Country · Asia
Nepal
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
Nepal is a country in Southern Asia. About 28.1 million people live there, in an area of 147 181 square kilometres. Its capital city is Kathmandu.
Picture credit: Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Lakhindra (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Sumitbhatt222 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Nepal?
Nepal lies in Southern Asia, on the continent of Asia.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 3 117 km from the equator.
Nepal is landlocked: it has no coast at all, so you cannot reach the sea without crossing another country.
It shares a border with 2 countries: China and India.
How big is Nepal?
Nepal covers 147 181 square kilometres.
That is about 3.6 times the size of Switzerland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 93rd largest.
If everybody spread out evenly, there would be about 190.8 people on every square kilometre.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Nepal?
About 28.1 million people live in Nepal.
That is the 50th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Nepali.
They pay with the Nepalese rupee (₨).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 58 years.
The land of Nepal
The land of Nepal sits on average 3 265 metres above sea level — high enough that much of it counts as mountain country.
Because it is landlocked, anything that comes by ship has to cross one of its 2 neighbours to get here.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Nepal different?
A dish the country is known for: Dal bhat.
Websites from here often end in .np.
Nepal and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 4 live in Nepal.
It takes up about 0.11 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Asia the country ranks 27th of 46 by size, and 20th by population.
Nepal and its neighbours
China, its largest neighbour, is about 66 times bigger.
China has more people: 1.4 billion against 28.1 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 11 live wild in Nepal: Tiger, Snow leopard, Yak, Indian peafowl, Red panda, Leopard gecko and more. The highest mountain in the country is Mount Everest, at 8 849 metres. The longest river in the country is the Karnali. The largest lake in the country is Rara Lake.
Tiger
Snow leopard
Yak
Indian peafowl
Red panda
Leopard gecko
Gharial
Water buffalo
Gaur
Sloth bear
Indian flying fox
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
Where this country lands in the record lists
How big is Nepal compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 64 times as big as Nepal: 9 372 610 km² against 147 181 km². See both on one map
- The United Kingdom is about 1.7 times as big as Nepal: 242 900 km² against 147 181 km².
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Nepal?
The capital of Nepal is Kathmandu. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Nepal?
About 28.1 million people live in Nepal, which makes it the 50th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
How big is Nepal?
Nepal covers 147 181 square kilometres, making it the 93rd largest country in the world. That is about 3.6 times the size of Switzerland.
What is the highest mountain in Nepal?
The highest mountain in Nepal is Mount Everest, 8 849 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Nepal?
The longest river in Nepal is the Karnali. Of its 1 080 kilometres, about 507 run through the country.
What is the largest lake in Nepal?
The largest lake in Nepal is Rara Lake. It covers about 11 km².
Which continent is Nepal in?
Nepal is in Asia, in the part called Southern Asia.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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