National Bird : Danfe

Flower: Rhododendron (Lali Gurans in Nepali).

One of the few countries in the world where Seven World Heritage Sites are situated within 20 kms. of radius

Endangered Species: Tiger, Rhino, Snow - leopard, Red Panda, Brown bear, Gangeticdolphin, Wolf, Wild elephant , Giant horn-bill,Swamp deer, Wild yak, Tibetan antelope, Blackbuck, Four horned antelope, Musk deer, Pigmyhog, Haspid hare, Pangolin, Gharial, Indian bustard, Saras crane, Impean pheasant,PythonWildlife. One horned Rhino, Royal Bengal tiger,Snow-leopard, Clouded-leopard, Red panda,Blue-sheep, Long snouted fish eating Gharial,wild elephant , buffaloes, bisons, blue bull,brown bear, leopard, crocodiles and manyvarieties of cat, dog, deer and antelope fmiliesand 840 different species of wet-land,migratory and residential birds.

A Living Cultural Heritage : Our heritage is alive and dynamic. Shamanism,Pan-animism & Witch-craft are still practisedin remote regions.Temples, shrines, monuments and monasteriesare extremely active with devotees burning butter-lamps, singing hymns, chiming templebells and playing drums.

Nepalese Lifestyle :-

Food: Daal Bhaat—Tarkari, is regularly eaten twice daily, with the right hand, by most Nepalese people. It consists of a heaping plate of boiled rice with a large portion of lentil gravy along with fried curried seasonal vegetables and a pickle relish. Fruits are enjoyed between meals. There is variety, but daal-bhaat is the basic food which many enjoy. Most of the food eaten by a large part of the population is home grown.

Education: More and more children are being educated in Nepal. While primary government schools are essentially free of cost, many children live long distances away, and even the low cost for supplies and uniforms is beyond the reach of too many families. Consequently the literacy rate is still very low in rural areas, especially among girls, who are not always sent to school.

Health: Medical service is still difficult to get in hill and mountain villages. It is not uncommon for people to have to walk for as many as five hours to get to a rural Health Post. Even then, a doctor, nurse, or necessary medicine may not be available there. Costs are a major issue as well.

Dress: Most Nepalese ethnic groups have their own unique style of dress according to region and culture. In the cities particularly, men often dress in western clothing, while women, for the most part, wear saris (wrapped and folded dresses over tight blouses) or kurta (tunic dresses over ankle length full pants). Many other styles are seen made from beautiful hand loomed fabrics like the Dhaka cloth used for men’s Topi hats. Visitors should always dress conservatively and modestly.

Population : Current population of Nepal is 2,34,00,000 ( 2001 AD).

Social Conditions: Each of Nepal’s ethnic and religious groups also establishes their own rules about social conduct. In general, men and women socialize separately, or in large family gatherings. This is true both before and after marriage, which is normally arranged by parents.Showing physical affection in public is definately frowned upon.

Communication: All communication services are now available in Nepal’s cities. Public offices featuring telephone, FAX, postal servive,DHL, Email, and the Internet are very easy to find.

Telephone: IDD is available to all major cities. Country code: 977. Outgoing international code: 00. The Telecommunication Office, Tripureshwar, deals with telephone calls and cables. The International Telephone Office is open 1000-1700 Sunday to Friday. Hotels and private communication centres provide long-distance telephone services (ISD, STD)·

Mobile Telephone: The Nepalese Mobile Network uses PDC (Personal Digital Cellular System) technology, which is not compatible with GSM or other mobile services.·

Fax: Services are available in most hotels, travel agencies and communications centres. The Nepal Telecommunications Corporation booth at the airport has fax facilities.·

Telegram: The Central Telegraph Office offers a 24-hour international telephone and telegram service seven days a week.·

Internet/E-mail: There are cyber cafés in Kathmandu, Patan and Pokhara. Internet services are also provided by hotels.·

Post: Postal services are available in most centres. Make sure that letters are hand-cancelled at the post office (post boxes should not be used for important communications). The General Post Office in Kathmandu (near the Dharahara Tower) is open 1000-1700 Monday to Friday. Poste restante services are available from 1000-1600. Express post services are also available. Main hotels will also handle post.·

Press: English-language dailies available in Nepal are: The Kathmandu Post and The Rising Nepal. The International Herald Tribune, Time, and Newsweek can all be found in Kathmandu. Himal is a magazine published six times a year. It is devoted to issues related to the South Asian region. At certain times of day there are radio and television news broadcasts in English.