Nepal

"Nepal, cuyo nombre oficial es República Federal Democrática de Nepal (en nepalí: , tr. Sanghiya Loktntrik Ganatantra Nepl), es un país sin salida al mar de Asia meridional. Geográficamente se encuentra ubicado en el Himalaya, rodeado en el norte por la República Popular China y en el sur por la India. Se encuentra separado de Bután por el estado hindú de Sikkim, por el llamado Corredor de Siliguri. Es un país de naturaleza montañosa en cuyo territorio se encuentran, total o parcialmente, algunas de las cumbres más altas de la Tierra, destacando el monte Everest (8848 msnm), así como otros siete de los llamados ochomiles. La moderna nación nepalesa se configura como tal desde la unificación de las regiones bajo la dirección e influencia del rey gurkha Prithvi Narayan, el 25 de septiembre de 1768. Hasta el año 2006 Nepal era el único estado del mundo con el hinduismo como religión oficial. Desde el ocaso de la monarquía, el país se transformó en un estado secular. Su historia reciente ha estado marcada por una sangrienta guerra civil que finalizó con el triunfo de los rebeldes maoístas del PCN-M, el establecimiento de un gobierno de unidad nacional y la convocatoria a una Asamblea Constituyente. Este último órgano proclamó el 28 de mayo de 2008 el establecimiento de una república federal democrática, que puso término a más de 240 años de monarquía. Nepal es considerado un estado multicultural, multilingüe y secular. Pese a ser un pequeño estado, comparado con sus enormes vecinos, el país cuenta con una amplia y diversa variedad de territorios, que se extienden desde las planicies selváticas húmedas del Terai, hasta las más altas y gélidas cumbres de la tierra. El pueblo nepalí es principalmente hinduista, pese a contar con una antigua y profunda tradición budista, centrada en la localidad de Lumbini, lugar de nacimiento de Siddharta Gautama. Buena parte de la población se concentra en el valle y la ciudad de Katmandú, que es la capital del Estado. El idioma oficial es el nepalí, la moneda oficial es la rupia nepalesa, y la bandera tiene la peculiaridad de ser la única de un Estado que no tiene forma de rectángulo ni de cuadrado."

"Nepal (/npl/; Nepali: [nepal]), officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (Nepali: Sanghiya Loktntrik Ganatantra Nepl), is a landlocked country in South Asia with a population of 26.4 million. It is a multiethnic nation with Nepali as the official language. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and largest city. Modern Nepal is a secular parliamentary republic. Nepal is bordered by China to the north and India to the south, east, and west. It is separated from Bangladesh by a narrow Indian corridor and from Bhutan by the Indian state of Sikkim. Nepal is located in the Himalayas and is home to eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Its southern Madhesh region is fertile and humid. The country has an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi), making it the world's 93rd largest country by area. It is also the 41st most populous country. Nepal has a diverse ancient cultural heritage. The name Nepal is first recorded in texts from the Vedic Age, the era that founded Hinduism, the country's predominant religion. Nepal was the world's last Hindu monarchy. Siddharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born in Lumbini in southern Nepal. The main minorities are Tibetan Buddhists, Muslims, Kiratans and Christians. The Nepalese are also known as Gurkhas. They have been reputed for their valour in World War I and World War II. Established in the 18th century, the early modern Kingdom of Nepal was led by the Shah dynasty, after Prithvi Narayan Shah unified many principalities in the region. Nepal is one of the few Asian countries which was never colonized. Following the Anglo-Nepalese War and the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816, Nepal became an ally of the British Empire. A multiparty democracy evolved from 1951 to 1960, when King Mahendra enacted the panchayat system. In 1990, parliamentary government was restored by King Birendra. Nepal faced a decade-long Communist Maoist insurgency and mass protests against the authoritarian King Gyanendra in 2005, which led to the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. Its 2nd constituent assembly promulgated a new constitution in 2015. Today, the main political blocs in Nepal are communists, social democrats and Hindu nationalists. The Nepali government works in the framework of a representative democracy with seven federal provinces. Nepal is a developing nation, ranking 145th on the Human Development Index (HDI) in 2014. The country struggles with the transition from a monarchy to a republic. It also suffers from high levels of hunger and poverty. Despite these challenges, Nepal is making steady progress, with the government declaring its commitment to elevate the nation from least developed country status in 2022. Nepal has friendship treaties with India and the United Kingdom. It is a founding member and hosts the permanent secretariat of SAARC. It is also a member of the United Nations and BIMSTEC. Nepal is strategically important due to its location between Asia's great powers, China and India. It is also important for its hydropower potential."