Nepal

. Introduce the location of Nepal on the map of the world. Point out that Nepal is located in the southern portion of the continent of Asia. Review the hemispheres of the earth pointing out that Asia is located in the Eastern Hemisphere, and the United States is in the Western Hemisphere

Nepal is a small country located in South Asia, and measures 563 miles from east to west and 160 miles north to south, a total of 56,139 square miles (by comparison, the state of New Mexico is 121,598 square miles). It is a landlocked country sandwiched in between India to the east, south, and west, and China to the north. The Himalayan mountain range forms the northern border of Nepal, separating it from China. Eight of the ten highest mountains in the world are found here, including the tallest, Mount Everest (29,035 feet).Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal with a population of 500,000. However, the population of the Kathmandu valley has over 1,000,000 people. There are no other major cities in Nepal other than Kathmandu. The majority of the people living in Nepal reside in villages or small market centers.

Regardless of Nepal's small size, it contains a tremendously diverse terrain. The southern border with India is host to a subtropical climate while the northern border with China ranges from an alpine to an uninhabited climate. This wide variety of weather makes Nepal a fascinating country to study.