Nepal is a landlocked country sandwiched between two neighboring giants, India in the South and China in the North. Nepal, with an area of 56,827 square miles (147,181 square kilometers), is a small country nestled in the heart of the Himalayan mountains where the famous Mt. Everest is located. To put the numbers in perspective, Nepal is about five times smaller than Texas. For such a small country, Nepal is home to the 8 out of 10 highest mountains in the world.
Here goes the list of top 10 highest mountains in the world:
- Mount Everest (8848 m / 29029 ft) NEPAL (AND CHINA)
- Mount K2 (8611 m / 28251 ft) PAKISTAN
- Mount Kanchenjunga (8586 m / 28169 ft) NEPAL (AND INDIA)
- Lhotse (8516 m / 27940 ft) NEPAL
- Mount Makalu (8481 m / 27825 ft) NEPAL
- Cho Oyu (8201m / 26906 ft) NEPAL
- Mount Dhaulagiri (8167 m / 26795 ft) NEPAL
- Mount Manaslu (8163 m / 26781 ft) NEPAL
- Nanga Parbat (8126 m / 26660 ft) PAKISTAN
- Annapurna I (8091 m / 26545 ft) NEPAL
Here are more facts about Nepal that will surprise and intrigue you:
- From 1768, when it became a unified country, until 2008, Nepal was a kingdom.
- Namaste is the standard greeting in Nepal. Depending on when you use it, it can mean Hello, Goodbye, or Thank You.
- The Nepali flag is the only national flag that is not quadrilateral in shape.
- The Nepalese calendar is 56.7 years ahead of ours. It is the year 2075 in Nepal.
- The population comprises of about 101 ethnic groups speaking over 92 languages.
Mt. Everest Fact File (Source: Guinness World Records):
- Name English: Mount Everest; Tibetan: Chomolungma (“Goddess Mother of Mountains”); Nepalese: Sagarmatha (“Goddess of the Sky”).
- Elevation 8,848 m (29,029 ft) above sea level.
- Location Himalayas, Nepal-China border.
- Coordinates 27°58’60N, 86°55’60E.
- Summit temperature -20°C to -35°C (-4°F to -31°F).
- Summit wind speed Up to 280 km/h (174 mi/h); average of one hurricane every four days.
- Cost: Government of Nepal issues about 300 foreign permits each year. While climbing Everest is extremely challenging, it also comes with a hefty price tag. It costs anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 or more. The Everest climbing permit alone cost $11,000. The Ministry of Tourism reported collecting $5.2 million in 2018 permit fees.