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ABOUT NEPAL
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OUTSIDE NEPAL
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INTRODUCTION
Nepal is a land of extreme contrasts in climate and geography, It has a unique topography ranges from lowlands with sub-tropical jungles to arctic conditions in the Himalayan highlands. Within a mere 150 kilometres the land rises from near sea level in the south to over 8,000 meters in the North. As a result, Nepal has been endowed with a diversity of life zones providing a home for a large variety of plants, birds and animals.
The Terai lowlands are defined by a belt of well-watered flood plains stretching from Indian border northward to the first slopes of the 'Bhabhar' and the Siwalik Range. This is the richest habitat in the land with tall grasslands interspersed with riverine and hardwood Sal forest. Here one can see wildlife such as the swamp deer, musk deer, black buck, blue bull, the Royal Bengal Tiger, Gharial and mugger crocodiles, and the wild buffalo. This area is also rich in birdlife with a variety of Babbles and Orioles, Koels and Drongos, Peacocks and Frolics, and a multitude of winter wildfowl. There are five protected areas in Nepal, - Koshi Tappu and Parsa in the east, Sukla Phanta and Dhorpatan for hunting in the west and Shivapuri in the mid-mountain region. The Churia, also known as the Siwalik, is the southern most range of the Himalayas. No where do they rise above 1,220 meters. This range is famous for fossil deposits of Pleistocene mammals. Among them 10 species of elephants, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, sabre-toothed cats various antelopes and primates such as the Orang-utan. Situated north of the Churia are broad, low valleys of the inner Terai known as the Doons. These valleys are not unlike the outer plains with tall elephant grass, swamps and ox-bow lakes where the last of the one-homed rhinoceros survive. Royal Chitwan National Park in the Inner Terai of central Nepal is the first and best-protected area in the kingdom. Once one of the most famous big game hunting areas in Asia. Chitwan now offers protection to a large array of mammals such as the one-horned rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, sloth bear and the Gaur (wild bison) as well as more than 400 species of birds.
Higher in the north between 2,000 and 3,500 meters lies the Mahabharat Range with its oak crowned crests. The hills of this midland are covered by a moist temperate forest of Deodar, oak, maple and birch in which are found deer, Ghoral Serow, leopard and monkey, The gorgeous multi-coloured Lmpeyan Pheasant (Nepal's national bird) is also found here with other endangered birds like the koklas and Cheer Pheasants. Protected areas in this zone include Khapted National Park in the Far-West, Dhorpatan Hunting reserve, Northwest of Pokhara and Shivapuri Wildlife Sanctuary near Kathmandu.
Higher still, near the snow line, are the alpine mountain flanks. Snow leopard, Himalayan Tahr, the rarely seen wolf, black and brown bears and lynx are found here. The Sherpas, Manabga, and Dolpa-bas are some of those who farm and graze their livestock on the high mountain pastures. Langtang, Sagarmatha(Everest), Shey-Phoksundo and Rara National Parks are the protected high altitude areas of Nepal.
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