One of the most recognizable things about Nepal other than the things mentioned above is the flag. During the Olympics or any international event that shows the slideshow of flags, people see an odd multi-triangular shape that just seems out of place. That is the couple-of-centuries-old flag of Nepal, which has had very few changes since being adopted.
The modern Nepal was formed in the mid-eighteenth century by Shah Dynasty king Prithvi Narayan Shah, who established a monarchy uniting the small kingdoms around him that lasted for 250 years. It was declared a republic in 2008 by already mentioned communists when they took power. Despite the fact that the ruling party is communist Nepal has a multi party system.
The capital of the country is Kathmandu, which is named after kastha-mandapa (temple made by carving a tree). It is the biggest city in the country, with almost a million people in just 20 sq miles.
Nepal in Fiction
- Himalaya is a film about a village in the remote region of Dolpa, and the rivalries that break out after the chief dies unexpectedly.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark has Indiana Jones stopping by Nepal to pick up his old flame Marion.
- Tintin in Tibet
- On the October 23, 1995 episode of WCW Monday Nitro, The Master of the Dungeon of Doom cut a promo where he announced that the Sherpa guides had dug out the "thirteen-ton of ice" "from north of Kathmandu, from the Himalayas and the north face of Mount Everest!" The ice contained the Dungeon's "insurance policy" for The Giant's match with WCW World Heavyweight Champion
Hulk Hogan that Sunday at WCW Halloween Havoc. "Mean" Gene Okerlund interviewed "The Taskmaster" Kevin Sullivan and The Giant, and Sullivan said that the "insurance policy" was The Yeti.
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves spends a good chunk of its plot in Nepal before eventually crossing into Tibet.
- The Action Prologue of The Expendables 2 opens in Nepal as the team rescues a Dr. Zhou from a lot of unsavory types.
- Mystic Peaks, the final non-bonus track of Need for Speed II, is a rollercoaster-like ride going back and forth from Kathmandu to the sanctuaries in the Himalayan mountaintops.
- Overwatch lists Nepal as the home of the Shambali, a Buddhist-like religious sect of Omnics who sought out spiritual enlightenment, partially as atonement for the Omnic Crisis. One of the playable heroes, Tekhartha Zenyatta, came from this sect, and one of the game's maps takes place in the Shambali's monastery/sanctums in the Himalayas.
The Nepali flag
The flag is unusual in being the only non-quadrilateral national flag, being the fusion of two triangular pennants, as well as the only flag with a longer width than length. The red field symbolizes victory, while the blue edges denote peace; in the center are symbolic representations of the moon and the sun, respectively, symbolizing the royal family and the House of Rana, which once produced prime ministers, respectively.note
The Nepali national anthem
सयौं थुँगा फूलका हामी, एउटै माला नेपाली
सार्वभौम भई फैलिएका, मेची-महाकाली।
सयौं थुँगा फूलका हामी, एउटै माला नेपाली
सार्वभौम भई फैलिएका, मेची-महाकाली।
प्रकृतिका कोटि-कोटि सम्पदाको आँचल
वीरहरूका रगतले स्वतन्त्र र अटल।
ज्ञानभूमि, शान्तिभूमि, तराई, पहाड, हिमाल
अखण्ड यो प्यारो हाम्रो मातृभूमि नेपाल।
बहुल जाति, भाषा, धर्म, संस्कृति छन् विशाल
अग्रगामी राष्ट्र हाम्रो, जय जय नेपाल।।
note
—
Woven from hundreds of flowers, we are one garland that's Nepali,
Sovereignly spread across from Mechi to Mahakali.
Woven from hundreds of flowers, we are one garland that's Nepali,
Sovereignly spread across from Mechi to Mahakali.
A shawl of unending natural wealth,
From the blood of the braves, a nation free and immovable.
A land of knowledge and peace, the plains, hills and mountains tall,
Unscathed, this beloved land of ours, O motherland Nepal.
Diverse races, languages, religions, and cultures of incredible sprawl,
This progressive nation of ours, all hail Nepal!
Government
- Federal parliamentary republic
- President: Ram Chandra Poudel
- Prime Minister: Pushpa Kamal Dahal
- House Speaker: Dev Raj Ghimire
- Chief Justice: Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha
Miscellaneous
- Capital and largest city: Kathmandu
- Population: 28,095,714
- Area: 147,516 sq km (56,956 sq mi) (93rd)
- Currency: Nepalese rupee (रु) (NPR)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: NP
- Country calling code: 977
- Highest point: Mount Everest (8,849 m/29,032 ft) (1st; highestnote )
- Lowest point: Mukhiyapatti Musharniya (59 m/194 ft) (49th)
