This paper will make and attempt to analyze the people and land of Nepal. More specifically it will examine the people of the Kathmandu Valley. This paper will show the relationship between the land and the population and how they have affected one another. First lets look at the general physical aspects of the entire nation of Nepal and then narrow it down to the characteristics of the valley. Seventy-five percent of Nepal is covered in mountains, some of the most rugged terrain in the world. The Himalayas and its foothills are what cover most of the nation. These mountains rise to heights greater than 29,000 feet making it naturally isolated and difficult to habitate. Less than one quarter of Nepal is covered in forests which makes timber a valuable commodity. The Kathmandu Valley is a lofty but flat basin which is enclosed by the Mahabharat Range. Its elevation ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 feet and it has a width of up to ten miles and a length of twenty to forty miles. It sits on land that was formerly covered by lakes and was formed by the deposition of fluvial material brought down by the rivers and glaciers from the enclosing ranges between 1,600,000 and 10,000 years ago. The area is drained by the Baghmati River which flows south across the valley and cuts a deep gorge. Although the Baghmati River is strong, many of the smaller rivers of the areas dry up for parts of the year. The gorge exposes layers of water bearing strata of permeable rock, sand and gravel. There are also a few remnant lakes left on the valley. The valley was once forested but much of the land has now been cleared. The average temperature of the area is fifty degrees farenheight and with lows of dropping to twenty-seven degrees and highs reaching up to ninety degrees. The average rainfall is fifty-five inches a year. These are the temperatures of the Kathmandu Valley, the temperatures and conditions would be much different at the higher elevation...
