The diversity of Nepal's environment is matched by its diversity of people, cultures, and languages. Nepal has a unique culture influenced by migrations from India, Tibet, Burma, and Yunnan. Nepali is the official language, and English is widely understood and spoken in urban areas. The population of Nepal is around 29 million, with 1.5 million living in the Kathmandu metropolitan area. Until 2006, Nepal was the world's officially Hindu state. Most people, though, practice a blend of Hinduism and Buddhism. The Newars, the ethnic group indigenous to the Kathmandu Valley, have their own language and traditions.

Most Nepali eat relatively simply; the main staples are rice and dal, a type of lentil soup. Food is spiced to be very flavorful, though; many of the same spices and curries are used as in Indian cuisine.

Nepali music relies heavily on percussion and wind instruments. Traditional music and dances are often performed for Hindu festivals or other important events. Music and dance are also used to enact folktales.

The caste system is still very important in Nepali society. Castes are broadly divided into the four traditional Hindu classifications: Brahman (priests and scholars), Chhetri (rulers and warriors), Vaisya (merchants and traders), and Sudra (farmers, artisans, and labors). A fifth class of persons forms the Dalits, or untouchables. Many international and national groups in Nepal are working to end caste discrimination, particularly against the Dalits.

Websites with information about Nepali culture are not hard to find. A couple of particular interests are:

• This Wikipedia article provides a summary of some salient aspects of Nepali culture, with links to many other articles and websites.

• Nepal: Caste and Ethnicity

  This article provides a somewhat detailed description of Nepali caste and ethnicity subdivisions.

• Human Rights Watch: Discrimination against Dalits in Nepal

  This article from Human Rights Watch summarizes the state of Dalits in Nepal.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world; per capita income is less than $300. Life expectancy at birth is about 60 years. About 40% of the population lives below the poverty line. Its Human Development Index was .534 in 2005, making it the 36th poorest country in the world out of those ranked.

Nepal was an isolated, traditional agrarian society until 1951, and until that time did not have modern roads, electricity, telecommunications, schools, or hospitals. Nepal's relatively rugged terrain has made infrastructure development difficult. Most Nepali do not have electricity or telephones, especially in rural areas.

Agriculture accounts for almost 40% of GDP and employs about 76% of Nepal's workforce; many of these are subsistence farmers. Nearly half of the working-age population is unemployed or underemployed. Remittances are an important source of income for many families; Nepali workers working abroad send to Nepal about $1 billion annually, (about 2.5% of Nepal's GDP).

Nepal remains heavily dependent on foreign aid. Literally hundreds of thousands of non-governmental organizations are registered in Nepal. These organizations work for Nepali development in almost every way imaginable, from developing ecotourism to promoting women-owned businesses to combating adult illiteracy.

Tourism is a potentially very lucrative industry in Nepal, with its friendly people and breathtaking landscapes. Unfortunately civil conflict in recent years has limited development of this field. Now that peace has been restored, though, the tourist industry is on the rise once again.

Efforts have been made to develop Nepal's vast hydroelectric potential, with some plants already operational. Besides providing electricity to the Nepali people, future hydroelectric projects may allow Nepal to export electricity to India. Hydroelectricity in Nepal has been relatively environmentally friendly to date, since most plants are run-of-river plants that do not create sizable reservoirs.

For more information about economic development in Nepal, we recommend these sites:

• This World Health Organization country profile has extensive information about the current state of Nepal's health care system.

• World Bank: Nepal: Priorities for Agriculture and Rural Development

  This World Bank website summarizes the state of the agricultural system in Nepal, and priorities for future developments.

• Government of Nepal: Ministry of Education and Sports

  The Ministry of Education and Sports in Nepal has a lot of information about Nepal's education system, including Nepal education statistics.

• UN Food and Agricultural Organization

  This is a very detailed report by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations: "Nepal: Agricultural Policy and Strategies for Poverty Alleviation and Food Security."

Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy. Since constitutional reforms in 1991, Nepal has been a democratic country with a multiparty party parliamentary system and a constitutional monarch. In 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) initiated the Nepal Civil War, with the stated goal of replacing the parliamentary system with a people's socialist republic. On June 1, 2001, there was a massacre in the royal palace, leaving the King, Queen, and Heir Apparent dead; it is still not known who was responsible. The late King's brother Gyanendra assumed the throne, and in February 2005 dismissed the government and assumed full executive power in order to quell the Maoist movement. In September 2005, the Maoists declared a ceasefire to negotiate their demands.

In April, 2006, the king agreed to relinquish his power to the people and reestablish the House of Representatives. In May 2006, the House of Representatives passed a bill making Nepal a secular state (previously, it was the world's only officially Hindu state). In December 2007, a bill was passed to make Nepal a "federal democratic republic," with the Prime Minister as head of state, abolishing the monarchy; this bill is to go into effect once it is approved by an elected Constituent Assembly parliamentary body formed in April, 2008.

• This is the official website of the government of Nepal.

Like any country, Nepal has its share of social inequality. Two groups which face particularly challenging hurdles in Nepali society are Dalits, or untouchables, and women. Dalits fall outside the main divisions of the Hindu caste system, and traditionally may hold only very menial jobs. Traditionally, they are forbidden from using the same water sources as higher castes, and even from allowing their shadow to fall upon someone not a Dalit. There lot has steadily improved in all Hindu regions, including Nepal, but caste-based discrimination still permeates Nepali society, often in ways that are not obvious to Westerners.

Though the Nepali Constitution officially forbids gender discrimination, women are often de facto considered subordinate to men in Nepali society; in rural areas, different gender roles are very clearly demarcated. Women have lower literacy rates and are less likely to vote or have professional jobs than men.

Child labor remains a serious, though highly publicized, problem in Nepal. According to the International Labour Organization, 26.6% of children ages 5-14 in Nepal are economically active.

These websites have information about the promotion of social justice in Nepal:

• This report, prepared for the Nepal National Planning Commission, is an in-depth analysis of the situation of Dalits in Nepal.

• The Mainstreaming Gender Equity Programme

  The Mainstreaming Gender Equity Programme, sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme, is a program to promote gender equity in Nepal through awareness initiatives.

• International Labour Organization: Nepal

  This International Labour Organization website has some information about child labor in Nepal.