1.
Asia
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Asia covers an area of 44,579,000 square kilometres, about 30% of Earths total land area and 8. 7% of the Earths total surface area. The continent, which has long been home to the majority of the population, was the site of many of the first civilizations. Asia is notable for not only its large size and population. In general terms, Asia is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean, the western boundary with Europe is a historical and cultural construct, as there is no clear physical and geographical separation between them. The most commonly accepted boundaries place Asia to the east of the Suez Canal, the Ural River, and the Ural Mountains, and south of the Caucasus Mountains, China and India alternated in being the largest economies in the world from 1 to 1800 A. D. The accidental discovery of America by Columbus in search for India demonstrates this deep fascination, the Silk Road became the main East-West trading route in the Asian hitherland while the Straits of Malacca stood as a major sea route. Asia has exhibited economic dynamism as well as robust population growth during the 20th century, given its size and diversity, the concept of Asia—a name dating back to classical antiquity—may actually have more to do with human geography than physical geography. Asia varies greatly across and within its regions with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties, the boundary between Asia and Africa is the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez, and the Suez Canal. This makes Egypt a transcontinental country, with the Sinai peninsula in Asia, the border between Asia and Europe was historically defined by European academics. In Sweden, five years after Peters death, in 1730 Philip Johan von Strahlenberg published a new atlas proposing the Urals as the border of Asia, the Russians were enthusiastic about the concept, which allowed them to keep their European identity in geography. Tatishchev announced that he had proposed the idea to von Strahlenberg, the latter had suggested the Emba River as the lower boundary. Over the next century various proposals were made until the Ural River prevailed in the mid-19th century, the border had been moved perforce from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea into which the Ural River projects. The border between the Black Sea and the Caspian is usually placed along the crest of the Caucasus Mountains, the border between Asia and the loosely defined region of Oceania is usually placed somewhere in the Malay Archipelago. The terms Southeast Asia and Oceania, devised in the 19th century, have had several different geographic meanings since their inception. The chief factor in determining which islands of the Malay Archipelago are Asian has been the location of the possessions of the various empires there. Lewis and Wigen assert, The narrowing of Southeast Asia to its present boundaries was thus a gradual process, Asia is larger and more culturally diverse than Europe. It does not exactly correspond to the borders of its various types of constituents. From the time of Herodotus a minority of geographers have rejected the three-continent system on the grounds there is no or is no substantial physical separation between them
2.
South Asia
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Topographically, it is dominated by the Indian Plate, which rises above sea level as Nepal and northern parts of India situated south of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush. South Asia is bounded on the south by the Indian Ocean and on land by West Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, the current territories of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka form the countries of South Asia. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is an economic cooperation organisation in the region which was established in 1985, South Asia covers about 5.1 million km², which is 11. 51% of the Asian continent or 3. 4% of the worlds land surface area. The population of South Asia is about 1.749 billion or about one fourth of the worlds population, overall, it accounts for about 39. 49% of Asias population and is home to a vast array of peoples. The area of South Asia and its extent is not clear cut as systemic. Aside from the region of South Asia, formerly part of the British Empire, there is a high degree of variation as to which other countries are included in South Asia. Modern definitions of South Asia are consistent in including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar is included by some scholars in South Asia, but in Southeast Asia by others. Some do not include Afghanistan, others question whether Afghanistan should be considered a part of South Asia or the Middle East, the mountain countries of Nepal and Bhutan, and the island countries of Sri Lanka and Maldives are generally included as well. Myanmar is often added, and by various deviating definitions based on often substantially different reasons, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the common concept of South Asia is largely inherited from the administrative boundaries of the British Raj, with several exceptions. The Aden Colony, British Somaliland and Singapore, though administered at various times under the Raj, have not been proposed as any part of South Asia. Additionally Burma was administered as part of the Raj until 1937, the 562 princely states that were protected by but not directly ruled by the Raj became administrative parts of South Asia upon joining Union of India or Dominion of Pakistan. China and Myanmar have also applied for the status of members of SAARC. This bloc of countries include two independent countries that were not part of the British Raj – Nepal, and Bhutan, Afghanistan was a British protectorate from 1878 until 1919, after the Afghans lost to the British in the Second Anglo-Afghan war. The United Nations Statistics Divisions scheme of sub-regions include all eight members of the SAARC as part of Southern Asia, population Information Network includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as part of South Asia. Maldives, in view of its characteristics, was admitted as a member Pacific POPIN subregional network only in principle, the Hirschman–Herfindahl index of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific for the region includes only the original seven signatories of SAARC. The British Indian Ocean Territory is connected to the region by a publication of Janes for security considerations, the inclusion of Myanmar in South Asia is without consensus, with many considering it a part of southeast Asia and others including it within South Asia. Afghanistan was of importance to the British colonial empire, especially after the Second Anglo-Afghan War over 1878–1880, Afghanistan remained a British protectorate until 1919, when a treaty with Vladimir Lenin included the granting of independence to Afghanistan. Following Indias partition, Afghanistan has generally included in South Asia
3.
China
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China, officially the Peoples Republic of China, is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the worlds most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing, the countrys major urban areas include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hong Kong. China is a power and a major regional power within Asia. Chinas landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes, the Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third and sixth longest in the world, respectively, Chinas coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas. China emerged as one of the worlds earliest civilizations in the basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. For millennia, Chinas political system was based on hereditary monarchies known as dynasties, in 1912, the Republic of China replaced the last dynasty and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949, when it was defeated by the communist Peoples Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party established the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, both the ROC and PRC continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all China, though the latter has more recognition in the world and controls more territory. China had the largest economy in the world for much of the last two years, during which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline. Since the introduction of reforms in 1978, China has become one of the worlds fastest-growing major economies. As of 2016, it is the worlds second-largest economy by nominal GDP, China is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a nuclear weapons state and has the worlds largest standing army. The PRC is a member of the United Nations, as it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council in 1971. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM, the English name China is first attested in Richard Edens 1555 translation of the 1516 journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa. The demonym, that is, the name for the people, Portuguese China is thought to derive from Persian Chīn, and perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit Cīna. Cīna was first used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata, there are, however, other suggestions for the derivation of China. The official name of the state is the Peoples Republic of China. The shorter form is China Zhōngguó, from zhōng and guó and it was then applied to the area around Luoyi during the Eastern Zhou and then to Chinas Central Plain before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the Qing
4.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
5.
Mount Everest
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Mount Everest, also known in Nepal as Sagarmāthā and in China as Chomolungma/珠穆朗玛峰, is Earths highest mountain. Its peak is 8,848 metres above sea level, Mount Everest is in the Mahalangur Range. The international border between China and Nepal runs across Everests summit point and its massif includes neighbouring peaks Lhotse,8,516 m, Nuptse,7,855 m, and Changtse,7,580 m. In 1856, the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India established the first published height of Everest, then known as Peak XV, at 8,840 m. The current official height of 8,848 m as recognised by China and Nepal was established by a 1955 Indian survey, in 2005, China remeasured the height of the mountain and got a result of 8844.43 m. An argument regarding the height between China and Nepal lasted five years from 2005 to 2010, China argued it should be measured by its rock height which is 8,844 m but Nepal said it should be measured by its snow height 8,848 m. In 2010, an agreement was reached by both sides that the height of Everest is 8,848 m and Nepal recognises Chinas claim that the rock height of Everest is 8,844 m. In 1865, Everest was given its official English name by the Royal Geographical Society upon a recommendation by Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India. As there appeared to be several different local names, Waugh chose to name the mountain after his predecessor in the post, Sir George Everest, Mount Everest attracts many climbers, some of them highly experienced mountaineers. There are two main climbing routes, one approaching the summit from the southeast in Nepal and the other from the north in Tibet, as of 2016 there are well over 200 corpses on the mountain, with some of them even serving as landmarks. The first recorded efforts to reach Everests summit were made by British mountaineers, with Nepal not allowing foreigners into the country at the time, the British made several attempts on the north ridge route from the Tibetan side. Tragedy struck on the descent from the North Col when seven porters were killed in an avalanche. They had been spotted high on the mountain that day but disappeared in the clouds, never to be seen again, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first official ascent of Everest in 1953 using the southeast ridge route. Tenzing had reached 8,595 m the previous year as a member of the 1952 Swiss expedition, the Chinese mountaineering team of Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo, and Qu Yinhua made the first reported ascent of the peak from the north ridge on 25 May 1960. In 1802, the British began the Great Trigonometric Survey of India to fix the locations, heights, starting in southern India, the survey teams moved northward using giant theodolites, each weighing 500 kg and requiring 12 men to carry, to measure heights as accurately as possible. They reached the Himalayan foothills by the 1830s, but Nepal was unwilling to allow the British to enter the country due to suspicions of political aggression, several requests by the surveyors to enter Nepal were turned down. The British were forced to continue their observations from Terai, a region south of Nepal which is parallel to the Himalayas, conditions in Terai were difficult because of torrential rains and malaria. Three survey officers died from malaria while two others had to retire because of failing health, nonetheless, in 1847, the British continued the survey and began detailed observations of the Himalayan peaks from observation stations up to 240 km distant
6.
Ghaghara
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Karnali, also called Ghaghara is a perennial trans-boundary river originating on the Tibetan Plateau near Lake Mansarovar. It cuts through the Himalayas in Nepal and joins the Sharda River at Brahmaghat in India, together they form the Ghaghra River, a major left bank tributary of the Ganges. With a length of 507 kilometres it is the longest river in Nepal, the total length of Ghaghara River up to its confluence with the Ganges at Doriganj in Bihar is 1,080 kilometres. It is the largest tributary of the Ganges by volume and the second longest tributary of the Ganges by length after Yamuna, lower Ghaghara is also known as Sarayu river and finds mention in Ramayana. Ayodhya is situated on its right bank and it rises in the southern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet, in the glaciers of Mapchachungo, at an elevation of about 3,962 metres above sea level. The river flows south through one of the most remote and least explored areas of Nepal as the Karnali River, the 202-kilometre Seti River drains the western part of the catchment and joins the Karnali River in Doti District north of Dundras hill. Another tributary, the 264-kilometre long Bheri, rises in the part of Dhaulagiri Himalaya and drains the eastern part of the catchment. Other tributaries originating in Nepal are the West Rapti, the Kali and it flows southeast through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states to join the Ganges downstream of the town of Chhapra, after a course of 1,080 kilometres. Sarayu river is stated to be synonymous with the modern Ghaghara river or as a tributary of it, Karnali River exposes the oldest part of the Sivalik Hills of Nepal. The remnant magnetization of siltstones and sandstones in this group suggests an age of between 16 million and 5.2 million years. The Karnali River Basin lies between the ranges of Dhaulagiri in Nepal and Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand. Dhaulagiri II, elevation 7,751 metres, is the highest point of the entire basin, in the north, it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas. The basin formed by the river has a catchment area of 127,950 square kilometres. The population of the Basin districts in Nepal increased from 1.9 million in 1971 to 4.7 million people in 2001, the average population density of the Basin area increased from 53 persons/km2 in 1981 to 87 persons/km2 in 2001. There is a growth in the economically active population in the basin districts. The average literacy rate has increased from a mere 7. 5% in 1971 to 45% in 2001, the social status of the permanent households increased from 24% in 1991 to 31% in 2001. The basin has a road length of 2,640 kilometres. Chhoti Gandak is a meandering river originating near Dhesopool, Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh
7.
Rara Lake
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The Rara Lake is the biggest and deepest fresh water lake in the Nepal Himalayas. It is the feature of the Rara National Park, located in the Jumla. In September 2007, the lake was declared a Ramsar site, covering 1,583 ha including the surrounding wetland. Rara Lake lies at an altitude of 2,990 m above sea level, has a surface of 10.8 km2. It drains into the Mugu Karnali River via the Nijar River and its water quality is characterized by high pH, conductivity and total hardness. It was reported to be very slightly polluted and was classified as oligotrophic in limnological terms and it is polluted due to wastes produced during festivals by visiting locals and tourists. Summer is quite pleasant but winter is cold, the best visiting time to the lake is September/October and April to May. From December to March, the temperatures go low below the freezing point, April to June is warm in this region. Monsoon season, which in this region occurs between the months of July to October, is short, the average rainfall during the ten-year period 1994–2003 was 800 mm. The surface temperature of the lake was found to be 7.5 °C to 7.6 °C and was visible below 14 m to 15 m, Rara Lake, being surrounded by Rara National Park, has unique floral and faunal importance with rare and vulnerable species. The park was established in 1976 to preserve the beauty of the lake and protect it from sedimentation, the Park flora consists of 1074 species, of which 16 are endemic to Nepal, the fauna includes 51 species of mammals and 214 species of birds. The lake holds three endemic species and one endemic frog, Rara Lake frog. People also rear goats and extract medicinal herbs and sell them for their living, Thakur society is dominant in the community. Thakur Baba’s Temple is situated in the southeast corner of the lake, local people believe that the god Thakur shot an arrow to open the passage of the lake reducing the damage caused by flooding. Problems, Due to over-grazing and defecation, the park conservation officers are facing a challenge to preserve the lake. Local people are found cutting timber wood and fuel wood, which is a problem for conservation of Rara, also during festivals visitors and local people produce a lot of wastage causing water pollution. Rara lake has been a destination with a very rough route in Western Nepal for trekkers. The glimpses of culture and scenery on the way is quite different from the rest of Nepal, situated in high altitude, you can find the lake surrounded by Rara National Park with pine, spruce and juniper forest
8.
Nepal
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Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked central Himalayan country in South Asia. Nepal is divided into 7 provinces and 75 districts and 744 local units including 4 metropolises,13 sub-metropolises,246 municipal councils and 481 village and it has a population of 26.4 million and is the 93rd largest country by area. Bordering China in the north and India in the south, east, Nepal does not border Bangladesh, which is located within only 27 km of its southeastern tip. It neither borders Bhutan due to the Indian state of Sikkim being located in between, Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the worlds ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. It is a nation with Nepali as the official language. The territory of Nepal has a history since the Neolithic age. The name Nepal is first recorded in texts from the Vedic Age, the era which founded Hinduism, in the middle of the first millennium BCE, Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in southern Nepal. Parts of northern Nepal were intertwined with the culture of Tibet, the Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal became known as Nepal proper because of its complex urban civilization. It was the seat of the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala, the Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by the valleys traders. The cosmopolitan region developed distinct traditional art and architecture, by the 18th century, the Gorkha Kingdom achieved the unification of Nepal. The Shah dynasty established the Kingdom of Nepal and later formed an alliance with the British Empire, the country was never colonized but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and Colonial India. In the 20th century, Nepal ended its isolation and forged ties with regional powers. Parliamentary democracy was introduced in 1951, but was suspended by Nepalese monarchs in 1960 and 2005. The Nepalese Civil War resulted in the proclamation of a republic in 2008, modern Nepal is a federal secular parliamentary republic. Nepal is a nation, ranking 144th on the Human Development Index in 2016. The country struggles with the transition from a monarchy to a republic and it also suffers from high levels of hunger and poverty. Despite these challenges, Nepal is making progress, with the government declaring its commitment to elevate the nation from least developed country status by 2022
9.
Tibet Autonomous Region
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The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, called Tibet or Xizang for short, is a province-level autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China. Within China, Tibet is identified as an autonomous region, the current borders of Tibet were generally established in the eighteenth century and include about half of ethno-cultural Tibet. In 1950, the Peoples Liberation Army defeated the Tibetan army in a battle fought near the city of Chamdo, in 1951, the Tibetan representatives signed a 17-point agreement with the Chinese Central Peoples Government affirming Chinas sovereignty over Tibet and the incorporation of Tibet. The agreement was ratified in Lhasa a few months later, the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 and renounced the 17-point agreement. Tibet Autonomous Region was established in 1965, thus making Tibet an administrative division that is equivalent in status to a Chinese province. The Tibet Autonomous Region is located on the Tibetan Plateau, the highest region on earth, in northern Tibet elevations reach an average of over 4,572 metres. Mount Everest is located on Tibets border with Nepal, Chinas provincial-level areas of Xinjiang, Qinghai and Sichuan lie to the north, northeast, and east, respectively, of the Tibet AR. There is also a border with Yunnan province to the southeast. The PRC has border disputes with the Republic of India over the McMahon Line of Arunachal Pradesh, the disputed territory of Aksai Chin is to the west, and its boundary with that region is not defined. The other countries to the south are Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal. Physically, the Tibet AR may be divided into two parts, the region in the west and north-west, and the river region. On the south the Tibet AR is bounded by the Himalayas, the system at no point narrows to a single range, generally there are three or four across its breadth. Other lakes include Dagze Co, Namtso, and Pagsum Co, the lake region is a wind-swept Alpine grassland. This region is called the Chang Tang or Northern Plateau by the people of Tibet and it is some 1,100 km broad, and covers an area about equal to that of France. Due to its distance from the ocean it is extremely arid. The mountain ranges are spread out, rounded, disconnected, separated by flat valleys. The Tibet AR is dotted over with large and small lakes, generally salt or alkaline, due to the presence of discontinuous permafrost over the Chang Tang, the soil is boggy and covered with tussocks of grass, thus resembling the Siberian tundra. Salt and fresh-water lakes are intermingled, the lakes are generally without outlet, or have only a small effluent
10.
West Bengal
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West Bengal is an Indian state, located in East India on the Bay of Bengal. It is Indias fourth-most populous state, with over 91 million inhabitants and it has a total area of 34,267 sq mi, making it similar in size to Serbia. A part of the ethno-linguistic Bengal region, it borders Bangladesh in the east and Nepal and it also has borders five Indian states, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim and Assam. The state capital is Kolkata, the seventh-largest city in India, the geography of West Bengal includes the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region in its extreme north, the Ganges delta, the Rarh region and the coastal Sundarbans. The main ethnic group are the Bengali people, with Bengali Hindus forming the demographic majority, Ancient Bengal was the site of several major janapadas, including Vanga, Radha, Pundra and Suhma. In the 2nd century BC, the region was conquered by the emperor Ashoka, in the 4th century AD, it was absorbed into the Gupta Empire. From the 13th century onward, the region was ruled by sultans, powerful Hindu states and Baro-Bhuyan landlords. The British East India Company cemented their hold on the following the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Between 1977 and 2011, the state was administered by the worlds longest elected Communist government, a major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to Indias net domestic product. It is noted for its activities and the presence of cultural and educational institutions. The states cultural heritage, besides varied folk traditions, ranges from stalwarts in literature including Nobel-laureate Rabindranath Tagore to scores of musicians, film-makers and artists. West Bengal is also distinct from most other Indian states in its appreciation and practice of playing football besides cricket. The origin of the name Bengal is unknown, one theory suggests that the word derives from Bang, a Dravidian tribe that settled the region around 1000 BC. The word might have derived from the ancient kingdom of Vanga. Although some early Sanskrit literature mentions the name, the early history is obscure. At the end of British Rule over the Indian subcontinent, the Bengal region was partitioned in 1947 along religious lines into east and west, the east came to be known as East Bengal and the west came to known as West Bengal, which continued as an Indian state. In 2011, the Government of West Bengal proposed a change in the name of the state to Poschimbongo. This is the name of the state, literally meaning western Bengal in the native Bengali language
11.
Siliguri Corridor
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The kingdom of Bhutan lies on the northern side of the corridor. The Siliguri Corridor was created in 1947 after the partition of Bengal between India and Pakistan, although the Siliguri Corridor is an especially important and sensitive territory for India, its location has created a political reality that is also important for Bangladesh. The partition of India into India and Pakistan occurred as a result of hostility between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League, from the very beginning, the relationship between these two new states was marked by hostilities and confrontations. The formation of East Pakistan created a barrier to the northeastern part of India. The narrow Siliguri Corridor, which at one point is less than 17 miles wide, wedged between Bangladesh to the south and west and hostile China to the north, the region has no access to the sea closer than Kolkata, on the other side of the corridor. Between Sikkim and Bhutan lies the Chumbi Valley, a slice of Tibetan territory. A Chinese military advance of less than 80 miles would cut off Bhutan, part of West Bengal and all of North-East India and this situation arose during the war between India and China in 1962. As a sensitive area amidst three countries, the strip is heavily patrolled by the Indian Army, the Assam Rifles, the Border Security Force and the West Bengal Police. In recent times, the area has become the focus of illegal crossings by Bangladeshi rebels and Nepali Maoist insurgents, a flourishing narcotics and weapons traffic also takes place in this region. All land transportation between mainland India and its far northeastern states uses this circuitous corridor, as there is no agreement between Bangladesh and India. However, the proposal is still in the stages of negotiation. The route has a broad gauge railway line. Electrification of this corridor is in progress with assistance from CORE. National Highway 31 connects Siliguri to Guwahati in Assam, which is the most critical highway in the region, owing to insurgents operating in the vicinity
12.
Bangladesh
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Bangladesh, officially the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It shares land borders with India and Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and China are located near Bangladesh but do not share a border with it. The countrys maritime territory in the Bay of Bengal is roughly equal to the size of its land area, Bangladesh is the worlds eighth most populous country. Dhaka is its capital and largest city, followed by Chittagong which has the countrys largest port, Bangladesh forms the largest and eastern part of the Bengal region. Bangladeshis include people of different ethnic groups and religions, Bengalis, who speak the official Bengali, make up 98% of the population. The politically dominant Bengali Muslims make the nation the worlds third largest Muslim-majority country, most of Bangladesh is covered by the Bengal delta, the largest delta on Earth. The country has 700 rivers and 8,046 km of inland waterways, highlands with evergreen forests are found in the northeastern and southeastern regions of the country. Bangladesh has many islands and a coral reef and it is home to the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world. The countrys biodiversity includes a vast array of plant and wildlife, including critically endangered Bengal tigers, the Greeks and Romans identified the region as Gangaridai, a powerful kingdom of the historical subcontinent, in the 3rd century BCE. Archaeological research has unearthed several ancient cities in Bangladesh, which had trade links for millennia. The Bengal Sultanate and Mughal Bengal transformed the region into a cosmopolitan Islamic imperial power between the 14th and 18th centuries, the region was home to many principalities which had inland naval prowess. It was also a center of the worldwide muslin and silk trade. As part of British India, the region was influenced by the Bengali renaissance, the Partition of British India made East Bengal a part of the Dominion of Pakistan, and was renamed as East Pakistan. The region witnessed the Bengali Language Movement in 1952 and the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, after independence, a parliamentary republic was established. A presidential government was in place between 1975 and 1990, followed by a return to parliamentary democracy, the country has also been affected by poverty, natural disasters, hunger, dominant party systems and military coups. Bangladesh is a power and a major developing nation. Listed as one of the Next Eleven, it has the 46th largest economy and it is one of the largest textile exporters in the world. Its major trading partners are the European Union, the United States, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, with its strategically vital location between Southern, Eastern and Southeast Asia, Bangladesh is an important promoter of regional connectivity and cooperation
13.
Bhutan
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Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in Asia and the smallest state located entirely within the Himalaya mountain range. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it is bordered by China in the north, Bhutan lacks a border with nearby Nepal due to the Indian state of Sikkim and with Bangladesh due to the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam. Bhutan is geopolitically in South Asia and is the second least populous nation after the Maldives. Thimphu is its capital and largest city, while Phuntsholing is its financial center, the independence of Bhutan has endured for centuries and the territory was never colonized in its history. Situated on the ancient Silk Road between Tibet, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, the Bhutanese state developed a national identity based on Buddhism. Headed by a leader known as the Zhabdrung Rinpoche, the territory was composed of many fiefdoms. Following a civil war in the 19th century, the House of Wangchuck reunited the country, Bhutan fostered a strategic partnership with India during the rise of Chinese communism and has a disputed border with the Peoples Republic of China. The King of Bhutan is known as the Dragon King, Bhutan is also notable for pioneering the concept of gross national happiness. The countrys landscape ranges from subtropical plains in the south to the sub-alpine Himalayan mountains in the north. The highest mountain in Bhutan is the Gangkhar Puensum, which is also a candidate for the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. There is also diverse wildlife in Bhutan, in South Asia, Bhutan ranks first in economic freedom, ease of doing business and peace, second in per capita income and is the least corrupt country, as of 2016. However, Bhutan continues to be a least developed country, hydroelectricity accounts for the major share of its exports. The government is a parliamentary democracy, Bhutan maintains diplomatic relations with 52 countries and the European Union, but does not have formal ties with the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. It is a member of the United Nations, SAARC, BIMSTEC, the Royal Bhutan Army maintains extensive military relations with the Indian Armed Forces. The precise etymology of Bhutan is unknown, although it is likely to derive from the Tibetan endonym Bod used for Tibet. Traditionally, it is taken to be a transcription of the Sanskrit Bhoṭa-anta end of Tibet, since the 17th century the official name of Bhutan has been Druk yul and Bhutan only appears in English-language official correspondence. Names similar to Bhutan — including Bohtan, Buhtan, Bottanthis, Bottan, jean-Baptiste Taverniers 1676 Six Voyages is the first to record the name Boutan. However, in case, these seem to have been describing not modern Bhutan
14.
Freight transport
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Freight transport is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea, but is extended in American English to refer to transport by land or air as well, logistics, a term borrowed from the military environment, is also fashionably used in the same sense. Land or ground shipping can be by train or by truck, ground transport is typically more affordable than air, but more expensive than sea especially in developing countries like India and Pakistan, where inland infrastructure is not efficient. Shipment of cargo by trucks, directly from the place to the destination, is known as a door to door shipment. Trucks and trains make deliveries to sea and air ports where cargo is moved in bulk, much shipping is done by actual ships. An individual nations fleet and the people that crew it are referred to as its merchant navy or merchant marine, merchant shipping is the lifeblood of the world economy, carrying 90% of international trade with 102,194 commercial ships worldwide. On rivers and canals, barges are used to carry bulk cargo. Cargo was transported by air in specialized cargo aircraft and in the compartments of passenger aircraft. Air freight is typically the fastest mode for long distance freight transport, intermodal freight transport refers to shipments that involve more than one mode. More specifically it refers to the use of intermodal shipping containers that are easily transferred between ship, rail and truck. Common trading terms used in shipping goods internationally include, Free on board –the exporter delivers the goods at the specified location. For example, FOB JNPT means that the exporter delivers the goods to the Jawahar lal Nehru Port, India and this term also declares that where the responsibility of shipper ends and that of buyer starts. The exporter is bound to deliver the goods at his cost, in this case, the freight and other expenses for outbound traffic are borne by the importer. Most of the governments ask their exporters to trade on these terms to promote their exports worldwide such as India, many of the shipping carriers offer guarantees on their delivery times. These are known as GSR guarantees or guaranteed service refunds, if the parcels are not delivered on time, carriage, insurance and freight, Insurance and freight are all paid by the exporter to the specified location. For example, at CIF Los Angeles, the exporter pays the ocean shipping/air freight costs to Los Angeles including the insurance of cargo and this also states that responsibility of the shipper ends at the Los Angeles port. The term best way generally implies that the shipper will choose the carrier who offers the lowest rate for the shipment. In some cases, however, other factors, such as insurance or faster transit time will cause the shipper to choose an option other than the lowest bidder
15.
Indo-Gangetic Plain
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The region is named after the Indus and the Ganges, and encompasses a number of large urban areas. The Indus-Ganga plain is bound on the north by the Himalayas which feed its numerous rivers and are the source of the alluvium deposited across the region by the two river systems. The southern edge of the plain is marked by the Chota Nagpur Plateau, on the west rises the Iranian Plateau. The region is known for the Indus Valley Civilization, which was responsible for the birth of ancient South Asian culture, during the Vedic and Epic eras of Indian history, this region was referred to as Aryavarta. According to Manusmṛti, Aryavarta is the tract between the Himalaya and the Vindhya ranges, from the Eastern Sea to the Western Sea. During the Islamic period, the Turkish, Afghan and Iranian rulers referred to this region as Hindustan, some geographers subdivide the Indo-Gangetic Plain into several parts, the Sindh, Punjab, Doab, and Bengal regions. This divide is only 300 metres above sea level, causing the perception that the Indus-Ganga Plain appears to be continuous between the two drainage basins, the middle Ganga plain extends from the Yamuna River in the west to the state of West Bengal in the east. The lower Ganges plain and the Assam Valley are more verdant than the middle Ganga plain, the lower Ganga is centered in West Bengal, from which it flows into Bangladesh. After joining the Jamuna, a distributary of Brahmaputra, both form the Ganges Delta. The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet as the Yarlung Zangbo River and flows through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, as a large plain, the exact extent can vary from source to source. The fertile Terai region is the Nepalese extension of the Plain, the rivers encompassed are the Beas, the Chambal, the Chenab, the Ganga, the Gomti, the Indus, the Ravi, the Sutlej and the Yamuna. The soil is rich in silt, making the one of the most intensely farmed areas of the world. Even rural areas here are densely populated, the Indus-Ganga plains, also known as the Great Plains, are large floodplains of the Indus and the Ganga–Brahmaputra river systems. They run parallel to the Himalaya mountains, from Jammu and Kashmir in the west to Assam in the east, the plains encompass an area of 700,000 km² and vary in width through their length by several hundred kilometres. The major rivers of this system are the Ganga and the Indus along with their tributaries, Beas, Yamuna, Gomti, Ravi, Chambal, Sutlej, extent of the Indo-Gangetic plain across South Asia. As the porosity of this belt is very high, the streams flow underground, the bhabar is generally narrow about 7–15 km wide. The Terai belt — lies next to the Bhabar region and is composed of newer alluvium, the underground streams reappear in this region. The region is excessively moist and thickly forested and it also receives heavy rainfall throughout the year and is populated with a variety of wildlife
16.
Snow line
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The climatic snow line is the point above which snow and ice cover the ground throughout the year. The actual snow line may seasonally be significantly lower, the interplay of altitude and latitude affects the precise placement of the snow line at a particular location. At or near the equator, it is situated at approximately 4,500 meters above sea level. In addition, the location to the nearest coastline can influence the altitude of the snow line. A higher altitude is necessary to lower the temperature further against the surroundings. Furthermore, large-scale oceanic currents such as the North Atlantic Current can have significant affects over large areas, the highest mountain in the world below the snow line is Ojos del Salado. Compare the usage of snow line indicating the boundary between snow and non-snow, Frost line Frost line Glacier High Alps Ice cap climate Tree line Charlesworth J. K. With special reference to its glaciation, vol. I, london, Edward Arnold Ltd,700 pp. Flint, R. F. New York, xiii+553+555 pp. Kalesnik, S. V, uchpedgiz, Leningrad,328 pp. Tronov, M. V. Voprosy svyazi mezhdu klimatom i oledeneniem, izdatelstvo Tomskogo Universiteta, Tomsk,202 pp. Wilhelm, F. Schnee- und Gletscherkunde, De Gruyter, Berlin,414 pp
17.
Koshi River
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The Koshi or Kosi River drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in the Tibet Autonomous Region and the southern slopes in Nepal. From a major confluence of tributaries north of the Chatra Gorge onwards and these include the Tamur Koshi originating from the Kanchenjunga area in the east, Arun River and Sun Koshi from Tibet. The Sun Koshis tributaries from east to west are Dudh Koshi, Bhote Koshi, Tamba Koshi, the Saptakoshi crosses into northern Bihar where it branches into distributaries before joining the Ganges near Kursela in Katihar district. The Koshi is 720 km long and drains an area of about 74,500 km2 in Tibet, Nepal, in the past, several authors proposed that the river has shifted its course for more than 133 km from east to west during the last 200 years. But a review of 28 historical maps dating 1760 to 1960 revealed a slight shift for a long duration. The river basin is surrounded by ridges which separate it from the Yarlung Tsangpo River in the north, the Gandaki in the west, the river is joined by major tributaries in the Mahabharat Range approximately 48 km north of the Indo-Nepal border. Below the Siwaliks, the river has built up a megafan some 15,000 km2 in extent, breaking more than twelve distinct channels. Kamalā, Bāgmati and Budhi Gandak are major tributaries of Koshi in India and its unstable nature has been attributed to the heavy silt it carries during the monsoon season and flooding in India has extreme effects. Fishing is an important enterprise on the river but fishing resources are being depleted, the Dudh-Kosi sub-basin alone consists of 36 glaciers and 296 glacier lakes. The Kosi River basin borders the Tsangpo River basin in the north, the Mahananda River basin in the east, the Ganges Basin in the south, the three major tributaries meet at Triveni, from where they are called Sapta Kosi meaning Seven Rivers. After flowing through the Chatra Gorge the Sapta Kosi is controlled by the Koshi Barrage before it drains into the Gangetic plain, peaks located in the basin include Mount Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma. The Bagmati river sub-basin forms the south-western portion of the overall Koshi basin, the Dudh Kosi joins the Sun Kosi near the Nepalese village of Harkapur. At Barāhkṣetra in Nepal it emerges from the mountains and becomes the Koshi, after flowing another 58 km it crosses into Bihar, India, near Bhimnagar and after another 260 km joins the Ganges near Kursela. It shows evidence of lateral channel shifting exceeding 120 km during the past 250 years, the river, which flowed near Purnea in the 18th century, now flows west of Saharsa. A satellite image shows old channels with a confluence before 1731 with the Mahananda River north of Lava, the Kosi River is known as the Sorrow of Bihar as the annual floods affect about 21,000 km2 of fertile agricultural lands thereby disturbing the rural economy. The Koshi has a water flow of 2,166 cubic metres per second. During floods, it increases to as much as 18 times the average, the greatest recorded flood was 24,200 m3/s on 24 August 1954. The Kosi Barrage has been designed for a flood of 27,014 m3/s
18.
Gandaki River
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The Gandaki River is one of the major rivers of Nepal and a left bank tributary of the Ganges in India. In Nepal the river is notable for its gorge through the Himalayas. It has a catchment area of 46,300 square kilometers. The basin also contains three of the worlds 14 mountains over 8,000 metres, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Annapurna I, Dhaulagiri is the highest point of the Gandaki basin. It lies between the similar Kosi system to the east and the Karnali system to the west, the Kali Gandaki river source is at the border with Tibet at an elevation of 6,268 metres at the Nhubine Himal Glacier in the Mustang region of Nepal. The headwaters stream on some maps is named the Chhuama Khola and then, nearing Lo Manthang, in Kagbeni a major tributary named Johng Khola, Kak Khola or Krishnaa descends from Muktinath. If one measures the depth of a canyon by the difference between the height and the heights of the highest peaks on either side, this gorge is the worlds deepest. The portion of the river directly between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna I,7 kilometres downstream from Tukuche), is at an elevation of 2,520 metres, the river is older than the Himalayas. As tectonic activity forces the mountains higher, the river has cut through the uplift, south of the gorge, the river is joined by Rahughat Khola at Galeshwor, Myagdi Khola at Beni, Modi Khola near Kushma and Badigaad at Rudrabeni above Ridi Bazaar. The river then turns east to run along the edge of the Mahabharat Range. The largest hydroelectricity project in Nepal is located along this stretch of the river, the Gandaki then crosses the outermost foothills of the Himalayas—Sivalik Hills—into the Terai plains of Nepal. From Devighat, the river flows southwest of Gaindakot town, the river later curves back towards the southeast as it enters India where it is called the Gandak. Below Gaindakot the river is known as the Narayani or Sapt Gandaki and these are the Kali Gandaki, the Trishuli River, and the five main tributaries of the Trishuli known as the Daraudi, Seti, Madi, Marsyandi and Budhi. The entry point of the river at the Indo–Nepal border is also the confluence called Triveni with rivers Pachnad, pandai river flows into Bihar from Nepal in the eastern end of the Valmiki Sanctuary and meets Masan. The Gandak flows southeast 300 kilometres across the Gangetic plain of Bihar state through West Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran and it joins the Ganges near Patna just downstream of Hajipur at Sonepur. Its drainage area in India is 7,620 square kilometres, from its exit from the outermost Siwaliks foothills to the Ganges, the Gandak has built an immense megafan comprising Eastern Uttar Pradesh and North Western Bihar in the Middle Gangetic Plains. The megafan consists of sediments eroded from the rapidly uplifting Himalaya, the rivers course over this structure is constantly shifting. It is said that the river has shifted 80 kilometres to the east due to tectonic tilting in the last 5,000 years, the Gandaki river basin is reported to contain 1025 glaciers and 338 lakes
19.
Sharda River
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The Sharda River or Mahakali River is also called Kali Gad or Kali Ganga in Uttarakhand where the river demarcates Nepals western border with India. This boundary was established by the 1816 Sugauli treaty, the name is sometimes written Sarda. The river descends from 3,600 metres at Kalapani to 200 metres as it enters the Terai plains, the river is also proposed as source for one of the many projects in the Himalayan component of the Indian Rivers Inter-link project. Below the Nepal-Uttarakhand border the river enters Uttar Pradesh state and flows southeast across the plains to join the Ghaghra river, the traditional source of the Kali is the pond of the Kali temple at Kalapani. The geographic sources, however, are some five kilometers north and some thousand metres higher. Indias border with Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region follows this watershed, below Kalapani the river has been Nepals western border with India since the Sugauli Treaty concluding the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814–16. The Kali receives the right-bank Dhauliganga—not to be confused with the Alaknanda tributary—at Tawaghat and it passes a town Dharchula and receives Gori Ganga at Jauljibi, exiting the high mountains that reach into the alpine zone. At 29º36N, 80º24E the first important left-bank tributary from Nepal, a bazaar town Jhulaghat is on both sides of the river. Then the Kali receives the Sarju River at 29º27N, 80º15E, the area around Pancheshwar is called Kali Kumaon. The Kali exits the Hill Region at Jogbudha Valley and receives two tributaries, Ladhiya at 29º12N, 80º14E and Ramgun at 29º9N, 80º16E, then it enters the lower Shivalik Hills. Tanakpur town is just above Dam of Sharda Reservoir at 29º3N, the river exits the last hills into the Terai plains, passing towns Banbasa and Mahendranagar. At 29º0N, 80º7E the Iran-Indonesia AH2 Asian highway route crosses as Nepals east-west Mahendra Highway connects with Indias National Highway 125, the international border then turns west of the river to follow a previous channel for some 10 km. Here the river leaves Uttarakhand and crosses into Uttar Pradesh, then the international border bends east, recrossing and leaving the river after following it for 223 km. Now the rivers name changes to Sharda and it flows southeast another 100 km inside Uttar Pradesh to join the Ghaghra as a right-bank tributary at 27º39N, 81º17E, some 30 km. The river attracted media attention in 2007, over the Kali river goonch attacks that cost three lives, probably by a large catfish of the Bagarius yarrelli species. Efforts to capture the fish were shown in episodes of a documentary television program River Monsters. The Pancheshwar Dam, a joint venture of India and Nepal for irrigation and hydro-electric power generation was proposed on this river, in 1995, named as Sarayu or Kali River. However, Nepal and India have been unable to reach a decision on the 5, 600-MW Pancheshwar multipurpose dam project, the project became a priority again in 2013, and negotiations restarted
20.
Ganges
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The Ganges, also Ganga is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through the nations of India and Bangladesh. It is the third largest river in the world by discharge, the Ganges is the most sacred river to Hindus. It is also a lifeline to millions of Indians who live along its course and it is worshipped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. It has also important historically, with many former provincial or imperial capitals located on its banks. The Ganges was ranked as the fifth most polluted river of the world in 2007, pollution threatens not only humans, but also more than 140 fish species,90 amphibian species and the endangered Ganges river dolphin. The levels of fecal coliform from human waste in the waters of the river near Varanasi are more than 100 times the Indian governments official limit. The main stem of the Ganges begins at the confluence of the Bhagirathi, the Bhagirathi is considered to be the source in Hindu culture and mythology, although the Alaknanda is longer, and, therefore, hydrologically the source stream. The headwaters of the Alakananda are formed by snowmelt from such peaks as Nanda Devi, Trisul, although many small streams comprise the headwaters of the Ganges, the six longest and their five confluences are considered sacred. The six headstreams are the Alaknanda, Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini, the five confluences, known as the Panch Prayag, are all along the Alaknanda. After flowing 250 km through its narrow Himalayan valley, the Ganges emerges from the mountains at Rishikesh, the Ganges follows an 800 km arching course passing through the cities of Kannauj, Farukhabad, and Kanpur. Along the way it is joined by the Ramganga, which contributes an annual flow of about 500 m3/s. The Ganges joins the Yamuna at the Triveni Sangam at Allahabad, at their confluence the Yamuna is larger than the Ganges, contributing about 2,950 m3/s, or about 58. 5% of the combined flow. Now flowing east, the river meets the Tamsa River, which flows north from the Kaimur Range, after the Tamsa the Gomti River joins, flowing south from the Himalayas. The Gomti contributes an annual flow of about 234 m3/s. Then the Ghaghara River, also flowing south from the Himalayas of Nepal, the Ghaghara, with its average annual flow of about 2,990 m3/s, is the largest tributary of the Ganges. After the Ghaghara confluence the Ganges is joined from the south by the Son River, the Gandaki River, then the Kosi River, join from the north flowing from Nepal, contributing about 1,654 m3/s and 2,166 m3/s, respectively. The Kosi is the third largest tributary of the Ganges, after the Ghaghara and Yamuna. Along the way between Allahabad and Malda, West Bengal, the Ganges passes the towns of Chunar, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Patna, Bhagalpur, Ballia, Buxar, Simaria, Sultanganj, and Saidpur
21.
Yarlung Tsangpo River
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It is the upper stream of the Brahmaputra River. Downstream from Arunachal Pradesh the river becomes wider and is called the Siang. After reaching Assam, the river is known as Brahmaputra, from Assam, the river enters Bangladesh at Ramnabazar. From there until about 200 years ago it used to flow eastward and this old channel has been gradually dying now. At present the channel of the river is called Jamuna River, which flows southward to meet Ganges. When leaving the Tibetan Plateau, the River forms the worlds largest and deepest canyon, the Yarlung Tsangpo River is the highest major river in the world. Its longest tributary is the Nyang River, major tributaries of Yarlung Tsangpo include Nyangchu River, Lhasa River, Nyang River, and Parlung Tsangpo. In Tibet the river flows through the South Tibet Valley, which is approximately 1,200 kilometres long and 300 kilometres wide, the valley descends from 4,500 metres above sea level to 3,000 metres. As it descends, the vegetation changes from cold desert to arid steppe to deciduous scrub vegetation. It ultimately changes into a conifer and rhododendron forest, the tree line is approximately 3,200 metres. Sedimentary sandstone rocks found near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa contain grains of minerals that record the Earths alternating magnetic field current. The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, formed by a bend in the river where it leaves the Tibetan Plateau and flows around Namcha Barwa, is the deepest. The Yarlung Tsangpo River has three waterfalls in its entire course. The largest waterfall of the river, the Hidden Falls, was not publicized in the West until 1998, when its sighting by Westerners was briefly hailed as a discovery. The Chinese authorities protested, however, saying that Chinese geographers, since the 1990s the Yarlung Tsangpo River has been the destination of a number of teams that engage in exploration and whitewater kayaking. The river has been called the “Everest of Rivers” because of the conditions of the river. The first attempt to run was made in 1993 by a Japanese group who lost one member on the river. The river has been a challenge to whitewater kayakers because of the conditions of the river. In October 1998, an expedition sponsored by the National Geographic Society attempted to navigate the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon
22.
Brahmaputra River
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The Brahmaputra (/ˌbrɑːməˈpuːtrə/ is one of the major rivers of Asia, a trans-boundary river which flows through China, India and Bangladesh. As such, it is known by names in the region. It is also called Tsangpo-Brahaputra, and the Jamuna River in Bangladesh, the Manas River that runs through Bhutan joins it at Jogighopa, in India. It is the tenth largest river in the world by discharge, and it flows southwest through the Assam Valley as Brahmaputra and south through Bangladesh as the Jamuna. About 1,800 mi long, the Brahmaputra is an important river for irrigation and transportation, the average depth of the river is 124 ft and maximum depth is 380 ft. The river is prone to flooding in spring when the Himalayan snows melt. The average discharge of the river is about 19,300 m3/s and it is a classic example of a braided river and is highly susceptible to channel migration and avulsion. It is also one of the few rivers in the world exhibit a tidal bore. It is navigable for most of its length, the basin, especially south of Tibet, is characterized by high levels of rainfall. Kangchenjunga is the peak above 8,000 m, hence is the highest point within the Brahmaputra basin. The Brahmaputras upper course was long unknown, and its identity with the Yarlung Tsangpo was only established by exploration in 1884–86 and this river is often called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra river. The lower reaches are sacred to Hindus, while most rivers on the Indian subcontinent have female names, this river has a rare male name, as it means son of Brahma in Sanskrit. Assam govt is set to celebrate the beauty of the mighty river as Namami Brahmaputra- this international event will be organised across 21 districts of Assam from 31 March to April 42017. The Brahmaputra River, called Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan language, originates on the Chemayungdung Glacier located on the side of the Himalayas in Burang County of Tibet.73 million km2. From its source, the runs for nearly 1,100 km in a generally easterly direction between the main range of the Himalayas to the south and the Kailas Range to the north. Throughout its upper course, the river is known as the Tsangpo, it is also known by its Chinese name. In Tibet, the Tsangpo receives a number of tributaries, the most important left-bank tributaries are the Raka Zangbo, which joins the river west of Xigazê, and the Lhasa, which flows past the Tibetan capital of Lhasa and joins the Tsangpo at Qüxü. The Nyang Qu River joins the river from the north at Zela, on the right bank, a second river called the Nyang Qu meets the Tsangpo at Xigazê
23.
Terai
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The Terai is a lowland region in southern Nepal and northwestern India that lies south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by tall grasslands, scrub savannah, sal forests, in northern India, the Terai spreads from the Yamuna River eastward across Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Terai is part the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion, the corresponding lowland region in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Assam in the Brahmaputra River basin is called Dooars. In Nepal, the Terai lies at an altitude of between 67 and 300 m and comprises more than 50 wetlands, north of the Terai rises the Bhabhar, a narrow but continuous belt of forest about 8–12 km wide. In Hindi the region is called तराई, tarāī meaning foot-hill, in Nepali, the region is called तराइ tarāi meaning the low-lying land, plain and especially the low-lying land at the foot of the Himālayas. The regions name in Urdu is ترائي tarāʼī meaning lands lying at the foot of a watershed or on the banks of a river, low ground flooded with water, valley, basin, marshy ground, marsh, swamp, meadow. Medium rivers such as the Rapti rise in the Mahabharat Range, the geological structure of the region consists of old and new alluvium, both of which constitute alluvial deposits of mainly sand, clay, silt, gravels and coarse fragments. The new alluvium is renewed every year by fresh deposits brought down by active streams, old alluvium is found rather away from river courses, especially on uplands of the plain where silting is a rare phenomenon. A large number of small and usually seasonal rivers flow through the Terai, the soil in the Terai is alluvial and fine to medium textured. Forest cover in the Terai and hill areas has decreased at a rate of 1. 3% between 1978 and 1979, and 2. 3% between 1990 and 1991. With deforestation and cultivation increasing, a mixture of gravel, boulders and sand evolves. The reduction in slope as rivers exit the hills and then transition from the sloping Bhabhar to the nearly level Terai causes current to slow and this deposition process creates multiple channels with shallow beds, enabling massive floods as monsoon-swollen rivers overflow their low banks and shift channels. Many areas show erosion such as gullies, there are several differences between the climate on the western edge of the Terai at Chandigarh in India and at Biratnagar in Nepal near the eastern edge. Moving inland and away from sources in the Bay of Bengal. In the far western Terai, which is five degrees latitude further north, total rainfall markedly diminishes from east to west. The monsoon arrives later, is less intense and ends sooner. However, winters are wetter in the west, in India, the Terai extends over the states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Inner Terai refers to the valleys in the lowlands of southern Nepal located between the Mahabharat and Shivalik ranges
24.
Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal
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The Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal comprise several elongated river valleys in the southern lowland Terai part of the country. These tropical valleys are enclosed by the Himalayan foothills, viz the Mahabharat Range, the Inner Terai is called bhitri Terai in Nepali language. The Inner Terai Valleys are part of the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion and they are filled up with coarse to fine alluvial sediments. The Chitwan Valley and the Dang and Deukhuri Valleys are some of the largest Inner Terai Valleys, malaria was prevalent in this region until the late 1950s. Since its eradication, the became a viable destination for large-scale migration of people from the hills. The Himalayas were formed by the collision of the Indian sub-continent with Eurasia, the oceanic crust in front of India slid under Eurasia, pushing up the Tibetan plateau. The Himalayas have four subdivisions, The Indus Suture Zone. They are bounded on the south by the HFT elevating them about 500 meters above the Gangetic plain, the Inner Terai valleys lie between the Siwalik and Mahabharat ranges or sometimes between different ranges in the Siwaliks. Usually there is difference in elevation between the Inner Terai valley floors and the plains of the Outer Terai. The Terai has a humid, subtropical climate, the mean annual rainfall at the Rampur weatherstation in Chitwan was 2,214 mm between 1995 and 2006. More than 80% of the annual rainfall occurs during the monsoon season from June to September. Average temperatures ranged from 8.08 °C in January to 34.91 °C in June, until the mid 18th century, the Terai was divided into several smaller kingdoms, and the forests were little disturbed. The beneficiaries of these grants had the right to revenues from cultivated land. They appointed tax collectors who were responsible for reclamation of land. In the late 1920s, the Rana rulers ordered the clearing of forests, cleared areas were subsequently used for agriculture. Tharu people have living in the Terai for many centuries. After malaria was eradicated using DDT in the mid 1950s, people from the hills migrated to the Terai. In 1970, the granted land to loyal ex-army personnel in the districts of Jhapa, Sunsari, Rupandehi and Banke
25.
Madhesh
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Madhesh is a fertile and humid region of southern Nepal in the Terai belt. The Nepali people who have cultural and demographic connection to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh of India, the eastern part of Madhesh, which along with northern part of Bihar was part of the Mithila region, has been separate from Nepal historically. It was gifted to Nepal by the British as a reward for helping to suppress the 1857 rebellion of India, there is an ongoing movement for a Free Mithila state in Nepal. The Alliance for Independent Madhesh is a led by CK Raut that aims to gain secession for the region from Nepal. Nepal Government has differentiated some Terai region into Outer Madhesh and Inner Madhesh Valleys of Nepal, the 2011 national census counted 2.3 million population lives in the inner Terai and 10.3 million population lives in the Outer Terai. Madhesh is a Nepali morphological derivative of Madhyapradesh or Majjhimapradesh and means the Middle Country signifying its location between the Himalayas and the plains, Terai is presumed to be derived from Persian, meaning “damp”, and denotes the land at the foothills of mountains, often damp and swampy. Some people also believe that madesh is named after the people from Madhya Pradesh, India, mass migrated into these areas and were called madeshi, Inner Madhesh valleys historically were agriculturally productive but endemic to malaria. Some parts were left forested by official decree during the Rana dynasty as a defensive perimeter, the British believed that plainsmen generally die if they sleep in the malaria-infested zone before November 1 or after June 1. British travelers to Kathmandu went as fast as possible from the border at Raxaul in order to reach the hills before nightfall, until 1958, Madhesh residents as well as Indians were required to stop at the border town of Birgunj to obtain passports before proceeding to Kathmandu. Passports were then checked at Chisapani Garhi on the route to Kathmandu, before 1951, ones nationality appears to have been determined primarily on linguistic basis. Nepalese subjects were the “hill folks” who spoke Nepali or hill languages such as Newari, Magar, thus, in early 1950s language was the major factor for separating as well as discriminating Madheshi as outsiders. Acquisition of land assets was linked to citizenship issues, after the fall of the Shah Dynasty and promulgation of the Interim Constitution of 2063, many Madheshi people received citizenship. Due to loose regulations, it is said that even many Indian nationals were able to get citizenship and he occupied the Tirhut region and made a bold thrust through the Terai plains into the Kathmandu Valley. His army sacked the temple of Svayambhunath and he did not annex any part of Nepal and instead returned to Bengal with an immense booty. After Tirhut kingdom was destroyed, the King and people of Tirhut Kingdom escaped to Kathmandu Valley and they have been living in the Terai for millennia, and reputedly have innate resistance to malaria. Tharu people are scattered over most of the Terai, with several subgroups in the far-western and western Terai, a large Tharu populations resides in the central Terai. Kochila Tharus live foremost in the eastern Terai, maithils inhabit eastern Madhesh, Bhojpuris are found in the centre and Awadhis inhabit the western part. The Eastern part of Madhesh was part of the Mithila region and has always been home to Maithili speaking people which is why some are proposing to rejoin Mithila in India
26.
Jute
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Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced primarily from plants in the genus Corchorus, which was classified with the family Tiliaceae. The primary source of the fiber is Corchorus olitorius, but it is considered inferior to Corchorus capsularis, Jute is the name of the plant or fiber that is used to make burlap, hessian or gunny cloth. The word jute is probably coined from the word jhuta or jota, Jute is one of the most affordable natural fibers and it is second only to cotton in amount produced and variety of uses of vegetable fibers. Jute fibers are composed primarily of the plant materials cellulose and lignin and it falls into the bast fiber category along with kenaf, industrial hemp, flax, ramie, etc. The industrial term for jute fiber is raw jute, the fibers are off-white to brown, and 1–4 metres long. Jute is also called the fiber for its color and high cash value. Jute needs a plain alluvial soil and standing water, the suitable climate for growing jute is offered by the monsoon climate, during the monsoon season. Temperatures from 20˚C to 40˚C and relative humidity of 70%–80% are favourable for successful cultivation, Jute requires 5–8 cm of rainfall weekly, and more during the sowing time. Soft water is necessary for the jute production, historical documents state that the poor villagers of India used to wear clothes made of jute. Simple handlooms and hand spinning wheels were used by the weavers, history also suggests that Indians, especially Bengalis, used ropes and twines made of white jute from ancient times for household and other uses. It is highly functional in carrying grains or other agricultural products, tossa jute is a variety thought to be native to India, and is also the worlds top producer. It is grown for fiber and culinary purposes. The leaves are used as an ingredient in a mucilaginous potherb called molokhiya and it is very popular in some Arabian countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Syria as a soup-based dish, sometimes with meat over rice or lentils. The Book of Job, in the King James translation of the Hebrew Bible מלוח MaLOo-aĤ salty, giving rise to the term Jews Mallow It is high in protein, vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium, and iron. On the other hand, it is used mainly for its fiber in Bangladesh, in countries in Southeast Asia. Tossa jute fiber is softer, silkier, and stronger than white jute and this variety astonishingly shows good sustainability in the climate of the Ganges Delta. Along with white jute, tossa jute has also cultivated in the soil of Bengal where it is known as paat from the start of the 19th century
27.
Biharis
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The Biharis is a demonym given to the people who live in the Indian state of Bihar and the adjoining regions of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and the Terai region of Nepal. Bihari people can be separated into three ethnic groups, Bhojpuris, Maithils and Magahis with other smaller groups also being present. The main languages spoken are Bhojpuri, Maithili, Magahi, Angika, Bajjika, besides the state of Bihar, Biharis can be found throughout Purvanchal, North India, West Bengal, Assam, Maharashtra, and in the neighbouring countries of Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. During the partition of India in 1947, many Bihari Muslims migrated to East Bengal, Bihari people are also well represented in Pakistans Muhajir people as a result of the partition of India, as well as the recent relocation of some Bihari refugees from Bangladesh to Pakistan. Mythological stories claim that Bihar was the place where Manu resided after the great flood, a king of the Yadus nicknamed Mahabali ruled over this last in ancient times. Mahabali had many wives and so Maharishi Dirghatamas with the permission of his king impregnated Mahabalis chief queen Sudeshna, queen Sudeshna bore five children or Kshetrajas, one of them was King Anga, which is modern-day Bihar. According to the historian Asim Maitra, the history of Magadha from the earliest times to the dawn of the Buddhist era is not well known. The Vedas display open hostility and disgust towards Magadha because it was a stronghold of the non-Aryans. Before the discovery of the ruins of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa, modern Bihar is a combination of two great ancient kingdoms, Magadha and Mithila. From Magadha arose two traditions, Jainism and Buddhism, the first Indian empires, the Nanda Empire, and the Maurya Empire, originated from Magadha, with their capital at Pataliputra in 325 BCE. Mithila is known for its traditions, education and culture. Four of the schools of Indian philosophy - Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mīmāṃsā. Vidyapati and his work shaped the language and culture of the entirety of eastern India, comprising Bengal, Assam, Odisha and it is believed that Mithila became the power centre of India in the later Vedic Period under the rule of Janaks. Sita, the daughter of one of the Janaks of Mithila is mentioned as the consort of Lord Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana, the Maurya emperor Ashoka is believed to be one of the greatest rulers in the history of India and the world. According to indologist Arthur Llewellyn Basham, The age in which true history appeared in India was one of intellectual and spiritual ferment. It produced not only philosophers and ascetics, but also merchant princes, Bihar remained an important place of power, culture and education during the next one thousand years. The Gupta Empire, which originated from Magadha in 240, is referred to as the Golden Age of India in science, mathematics, astronomy, religion. The peace and prosperity created under leadership of Guptas enabled the pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavours, historians place the Gupta dynasty alongside the Han and China and the Roman Empire as a model of a classical civilisation
28.
Culture of Uttar Pradesh
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The Culture of Uttar Pradesh is an Indian Culture which has its roots in the Hindi and Urdu literature, music, fine arts, drama and cinema. Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, has several historical monuments such as Bara Imambara. It has also preserved the damaged complex of the Oudh-period British Residents quarters, there are two regions in the state where a majority of the tourists go, viz. the Agra circuit and the Hindu pilgrimage circuit. The city of Agra, gives access to three World Heritage Sites, Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and the nearby Fatehpur Sikri, Taj Mahal is a mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is cited as the jewel of Muslim art in India, Agra Fort is about 2.5 km northwest of its much more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be accurately described as a walled palatial city. Fatehpur Sikri was the world famous 16th century capital city near Agra, built by the Mughal emperor Akbar the Great, dayal Bagh in Agra is a modern-day temple and popular tourist sight. Its lifelike sculptures in marble are unique in India, agras dubious modern attractions include Asias largest Spa as well as Asias second 6D theatre. The pilgrimage circuit includes the holiest of the Hindu holy cities on the banks of sacred rivers Ganges and the Yamuna, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura, Vrindavan, Varanasi is widely considered to be one of the oldest cities in the world. It is famous for its ghats, full of pilgrims year round who come to bathe in the sacred Ganges River, thousands gather at Allahabad to take part in the Magh Mela festival, which is held on the banks of the Ganges. Budaun is also a city which attracts thousands of tourists annually and its religious city with many historical monuments and tombs of many famous people. The historically important towns of Sarnath and Kushinagar are located not far from Varanasi, gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath after his enlightenment and died at Kushinagar, both are important pilgrimage sites for Buddhists. Also at Sarnath are the Pillars of Ashoka and the Lion Capital of Ashoka, at a distance of 80 km from Varanasi, Ghazipur is famous not only for its Ganges Ghats but also for the Tomb of British potentate Lord Cornwallis, maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The state is home to an old tradition in dance. During the eras of Guptas and Harsh Vardhan, Uttar Pradesh was a centre for musical innovation. Swami Haridas was a great saint-musician who championed Hindustani Classical Music, tansen, the great musician in Mughal Emperor Akbars court, was a disciple of Swami Haridas. Kathak, a dance form, involving gracefully coordinated movements of feet along with entire body, grew. Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh, was a great patron, today, the state is home to two prominent schools of this dance form, namely, Lucknow Gharana and Banaras Gharana
29.
Nepali language
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Nepali, originally known as Khas Kura, Parbate Bhasa or Gorkhali, is an Indo-Aryan language. It is the language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal. It is also spoken in parts of India, particularly by Indian Gorkha. In India, Nepali language is listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India having a status in the Indian state of Sikkim. Nepali developed in proximity to a number of Indo-Aryan languages, most notably the Pahari languages and Magahi, however, owing to Nepals geographical area, it has also been influenced by Tibeto-Burman languages. Nepali is mainly differentiated from Central Pahari, both in grammar and vocabulary, by Tibeto-Burman idioms owing to close contact with the language group. Nepali language shares 40% lexical similarity with the Bengali language, in the nineteenth century, the British resident at Kathmandu Brian Houghton Hodgson observed that it was, in eight-tenths of its vocabulary, substantially Hindi. Historically, the language was first called the Khas language, then Gorkhali or Gurkhali before the term Nepali was adopted, in 1920, during Rana regime in Nepal, the term Nepal which resembled the Nepal Mandala was taken from its people. Soon after that, Nepal Bhasa was renamed into Newari and Parbate/Khas language took over as Nepali language, other names include Parbatiya and Dzongkha Lhotshammikha. It is also known as the Khey language or Partya language among the Newar people and Pahari language among Madhesi, however, due to protests for identity, Newars have restored their languages name as Nepal Bhasa and voices have been raise to re-instate Parbate language in its original name. Nepali developed a significant literature within a period of a hundred years in the 19th century. This literary explosion was fueled by Adhyatma Ramayana, Sundarananda Bara, Birsikka, a collection of folk tales. The contribution of trio-laureates Lekhnath Paudyal, Laxmi Prasad Devkota, the contribution of expatriate writers outside Nepal, especially in Darjeeling and Varanasi in India, is also notable. In the past decade, there have been many contributions to Nepali literature from the Nepali diaspora in Asia, Europe, America, according to the 2011 national census,44.6 percent of the population of Nepal speaks Nepali as a first language. The Ethnologue website reports 12,300,000 speakers within Nepal, Nepali is traditionally spoken in the Hill Region of Nepal, especially in the western part of the country. Although the Newar language dominated the Kathmandu valley, Nepali is currently the most dominant, Nepali is used in government and as the everyday language of a growing portion of the local population. Nevertheless, the use of Nepali in the courts and government of Nepal is being challenged. Recognition of other languages in Nepal was one of the objectives of the Communist Party of Nepals long war
30.
Maithils
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The Maithil homeland forms an important part of Hindu mythology as it is said to be the birthplace of Sita, the wife of Ram. Pure Maithil culture is said to be found in the villages of Madhubani district in Bihar, Mithila first gained prominence after being settled by Indo-Aryan peoples who established the Videha kingdom. During the late Vedic period, Videha became one of the political and cultural centers of South Asia, along with Kuru. The Kings of the Videha Kingdom where called Janakas, the Videha Kingdom later became incorporated into the Vajji confederacy which was based in Mithila. From the 11th century to the 20th century, Mithila was ruled by various indigenous dynasties, the first of these where the Karnatas who where of Parmar Rajput origin, the Oinwar dynasty who where Maithil Brahmins and the Khandavalas of Raj Darbhanga who where also Maithil Brahmins. It was during this period that the capital of Mithila was shifted to Darbhanga, Maithils are those who reside of North of the Ganges, based around Darbhanga and the rest of North Bihar. Maithili speaking districts that are inhabited by Maithils in India are Muzzafarpur, Sitamarhi, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Purnea, Madhepura, Supaul, Madhubani, Darbhanga in particular played an important role in the history of Mithila and is considered one of its core centers. It was the center of Raj Darbhanga who ruled most of the region, Madhubani was also where Madhubani paintings originated from which is a major part of Maithil culture. Sitamarhi is claimed by many to be the birthplace of Goddess Sita with Sitakund being a pilgrimage site. Most of the region from Jhapa to Parsa in Nepal form Nepalese Mithila and this area was part of the kingdom of Videha, with its capital at Janakpur. The kingdom appears in the Ramayana, according to it and other ancient texts, it is the birthplace of Janaka, many people claim Janakpur to be the birthplace of Goddess Sita also but this is disputed as many consider Sitamarhi as Her birthplace. Maithils in Nepal have been working towards a Free Maithil state, many ethnic groups and castes inhabit the Mithila region, these include Maithil Brahmins, Rajputs, Bhumihars, Karan Kayasthas, Ahirs, Kurmis, Koeris, Baniyas and many more. Maithil Brahmins are the Hindu Brahmin community of the Mithila region and they are one of the five Pancha-Gauda Brahmin communities. They are also noted for panjis, the genealogical records maintained for the last twenty-four generations. Rajputs are scattered throughout the region and are divided into various sub-clans with the most prominent being the Gandhawarias who ruled estates mainly in Saharsa, the Rajputs of Mithila maintain social and marital relations with Rajputs in other states. It is an ancient language, from which Nepali, Bengali, the script of the inscription is little different from modern Maithili script. However, during the 20th century most Maithili writers gradually adopted Devanagari script for Maithili, some traditional pandits still use Tirhutā or Mithilākshara script for pātā. Fonts for this script were developed in 2003, historically most Maithils never left their homeland – a life that kept them isolated in their own localities
31.
Bhojpuri language
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Bhojpuri is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand region of North India and in Terai region of Nepal. It is chiefly spoken in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh, in the part of Bihar state. Bhojpuri is one of the national languages of Nepal and has official status in Fiji as Fiji Hindi. It is also a language in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Pakistan, Jamaica, Belize, other parts of the Caribbean, more Indians in Suriname know Bhojpuri. In Mauritius a dialect of Bhojpuri remains in use, and it is locally called Bojpury, the day-to-day usage of the language in Mauritius is dropping and today, it is spoken by less than 5% of the population, according to latest census. Bhojpuri was historically written in Kaithi scripts, but since 1894, Government gazetteers report that Kaithi was used in a few districts of Bihar through the 1960s. By 1894, official texts in Bihar were written in Kaithi, at present almost all Bhojpuri texts are written in Devanagari even in the overseas islands where Bhojpuri is spoken. For example, in Mauritius, both Kaithi and Devanagari scripts have been in use since the arrival of Bhojpuri people from India, the Kathi script was considered informal in Mauritius, with the structure of Kaithi similar to Devanagari. In modern Mauritius, Bhojpuri script is Devanagari, Bhojpuri is, sociolinguistically, one of the seven Hindi languages. Of these seven, Bhojpuri has the most allophonic variations in vowels, robert Trammell has published the phonology of Bhojpuri. Bhojpuri has six vowel phonemes, and ten vocoids, the higher vowels are relatively tense, while lower vowels are relatively lax. The language has 31 consonant phonemes and 34 contoids, according to Trammell, the syllable system is peak type, every syllable has the vowel phoneme as the highest point of sonority. Codas may consist of one, two or three consonants, vowels occur as simple peaks or as peak nuclei in diphthongs. The intonation system involves four pitch levels and three terminal contours, the United Nations has published the universal declaration of human rights in Bhojpuri and Sarnámi, one of 154 languages of the world. Ohi djanne ke lage sab ke samadj-boedj aur hierdaai hai aur doesare se sab soemmat sè, article 1, All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood, Bhojpuri syntax and vocabulary reflect a three-tier system of politeness. Any verb can be conjugated as per these tiers, for example, the verb to come in Bhojpuri is aana and the verb to speak is bolna
32.
Sivalik Hills
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The Sivalik Hills is a mountain range of the outer Himalayas identified as Manak Parbat in some Sanskrit texts. Shivalik literally means tresses of Shiva’, the width of the Sivalik Hills varies from 10 to 50 km, their average elevation is 1,500 to 2,000 m. Other spelling variations used include Shivalik and Siwalik, originating from the Hindi, other names include Churia hills, Chure hills, and Margalla hills. Geologically, the Sivalik Hills belong to the deposits of the outer Himalayas. They are chiefly composed of sandstone and conglomerate formations, which are the solidified detritus of the great mountain range to their north. The remnant magnetization of siltstones and sandstones suggests an age of 16-5.2 million years with Karnali River exposing the oldest part of the Sivalik Hills in Nepal. They are the southernmost and geologically youngest east-west mountain chain of the Himalayas and they have many sub-ranges and extend west from Arunachal Pradesh through Bhutan to West Bengal, and further westward through Nepal and Uttarakhand, continuing into Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. The hills are cut through at wide intervals by numerous rivers flowing south from the Himalayas. They are bounded on the south by a system called the Main Frontal Thrust. Below this, the coarse alluvial Bhabar zone makes the transition to the level plains. North of the Sivalik Hills the 1, 500-3,000 meter Lesser Himalayas also known as the Mahabharat Range rise steeply along fault lines, in many places the two ranges are adjacent but in other places structural valleys 10–20 km wide separate them. Sivapithecus is among many fossil finds in the Siwalik region, the Siwalik Hills are also among the richest fossil sites for large animals anywhere in Asia. The Hills had revealed that all kinds of animals lived there and they were early ancestors to the sloth bear, Sivatherium, an ancient giraffe, Colossochelys atlas, a giant tortoise named the Siwaliks giant tortoise Megalochelys atlas amongst other creatures. The remains of the Lower Paleolithic Soanian culture have found in the Siwalik region. Contemporary to the Acheulean, the Soanian culture is named after the Soan Valley in the Siwalik Hills of Pakistan, the bearers of this culture were Homo erectus. People of the Lepcha tribe inhabit the Sikkim and Darjeeling areas, the Indian Navys Shivalik class frigate is named after these ranges
33.
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
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Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane is a colorless, crystalline, tasteless, and almost odorless organochlorine known for its insecticidal properties and environmental impacts. First synthesized in 1874, DDTs insecticidal action was discovered by the Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Müller in 1939 and it was used in the second half of World War II to control malaria and typhus among civilians and troops. After the war, DDT was also used as an insecticide and its production. Müller was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the efficiency of DDT as a contact poison against several arthropods in 1948. In 1962, Rachel Carsons book Silent Spring was published, the book claimed that DDT and other pesticides had been shown to cause cancer and that their agricultural use was a threat to wildlife, particularly birds. Its publication was an event for the environmental movement and resulted in a large public outcry that eventually led, in 1972. DDT is similar in structure to the insecticide methoxychlor and the acaricide dicofol and it is highly hydrophobic and nearly insoluble in water but has good solubility in most organic solvents, fats and oils. It is produced by the reaction of chloral with chlorobenzene in the presence of an acid catalyst. DDT has been marketed under names including Anofex, Cezarex, Chlorophenothane, Clofenotane, Dicophane, Dinocide, Gesarol, Guesapon, Guesarol, Gyron, Ixodex, Neocid, Neocidol. Commercial DDT is a mixture of several closely–related compounds, the major component is the p, p isomer. The o, p isomer is present in significant amounts. Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane make up the balance, DDE and DDD are the major metabolites and environmental breakdown products. In the United States, it was manufactured by some 15 companies, including Monsanto, Ciba, Montrose Chemical Company, Pennwalt, production peaked in 1963 at 82,000 tonnes per year. More than 600,000 tonnes were applied in the US before the 1972 ban, usage peaked in 1959 at about 36,000 tonnes. In 2009,3,314 tonnes were produced for malaria control, India is the only country still manufacturing DDT and is the largest consumer. In insects it opens sodium ion channels in neurons, causing them to fire spontaneously, insects with certain mutations in their sodium channel gene are resistant to DDT and similar insecticides. Genomic studies in the model genetic organism Drosophila melanogaster revealed that high level DDT resistance is polygenic, DDT was first synthesized in 1874 by Othmar Zeidler under the supervision of Adolf von Baeyer. It was further described in 1929 in a dissertation by W. Bausch, the insecticide properties of multiple chlorinated aliphatic or fat-aromatic alcohols with at least one trichloromethane group were described in a patent in 1934 by Wolfgang von Leuthold
34.
Doon Valley
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The Doon Valley is an unusually wide, long valley within the Shivalik Hills in the Lower Himalayas, in the state of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, India. Within the valley lies the city of Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand state, Doon or Dun is a local word for valley, particularly an open valley in the Shivaliks or between the Shivaliks and higher Himalayan foothills. Other valleys in this region have names like Patli Dun, Kothri Dun, such valleys are termed Inner Terai in Nepal. IT IS75 KM LONG The Doon valley lies between two intermittent ranges of the Himalayas. It is bounded on all sides by mountains, with one running from the west to the east in a semi-circular arc. The valley also forms a watershed between the Yamuna and Ganges river systems, in fact the Yamuna and Ganges are closest to each other as they pass the Doon valley, with the Yamuna forming the western boundary and the Ganges the east. Kalesar National Park and Jaunsar-Bawar region lie within the valley as well, Dehradun Narendra Nagar Paonta Sahib List of valleys of India Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal The Doon valley across the years, by Ganesh Saili. This article incorporates text from a now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh
35.
Adivasi
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Adivasi are the tribal groups population of South Asia. Adivasi make up 8. 6% of Indias population or 104 million, according to the 2011 census, and they comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India and Nepal. The same term Adivasi is used for the minorities of Bangladesh, Pakistan, the native Tharu people of Nepal. The word is used in the same sense in Nepal, as is another word, janajati, although the political context differed historically under the Shah. Many smaller tribal groups are sensitive to ecological degradation caused by modernisation. Both commercial forestry and intensive agriculture have proved destructive to the forests that had endured swidden agriculture for many centuries, Adivasis in central part of India have been victims of the Salwa Judum campaign by the Government against the Naxalite insurgency. Although terms such as atavika, vanavāsi, or girijan are also used for the tribes of India, adivāsi carries the meaning of being the original. It was specifically coined for that purpose in the 1930s, over time, unlike the terms aborigines or tribes, the word adivasi has developed a connotation of past autonomy disrupted during the British colonial period in India and not yet having been restored. In India, opposition to usage of the term is varied, critics argue that the original inhabitant contention is based on the fact that they have no land and are therefore asking for a land reform. The adivasis argue that they have been oppressed by the superior group, in Northeast India, the term adivāsi applies only to the Tea-tribes imported from Central India during colonial times. All tribal groups refer collectively to themselves by using the English word tribes, in Article 342, the procedure to be followed for specification of a scheduled tribe is prescribed. However, it not contain the criterion for the specification of any community as scheduled tribe. An often-used criterion is based on such as, Geographical isolation – they live in cloistered, exclusive, remote and inhospitable areas such as hills. Backwardness – their livelihood is based on agriculture, a low-value closed economy with a low level of technology that leads to their poverty. They have low levels of literacy and health, distinctive culture, language and religion – communities have developed their own distinctive culture, language and religion. Shyness of contact – they have a degree of contact with other cultures. So far seventy-five tribal communities have been identified as particularly vulnerable tribal groups in different States of India, the tribes are awakening and demanding their rights for special reservation quota for them. A substantial list of Scheduled Tribes in India are recognised as tribal under the Constitution of India, Tribal people constitute 8. 6% of the nations total population, over 104 million people according to the 2011 census
36.
Tharu people
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The Tharu people are an ethnic group indigenous to the southern foothills of the Himalayas, most of the Tharu people live in the Nepal Terai. Some Tharu groups also live in the Indian Terai, foremost in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, the Tharus are recognized as an official nationality by the Government of Nepal. The Government of India recognizes the Tharu people as a scheduled tribe, as of 2011, the Tharu population of Nepal was censused at 1,737,470 people, or 6. 6% of the total population. In 2009, the majority of Tharu people were estimated to live in Nepal, in 2001, Tharu people were the largest of five scheduled tribes in Uttarakhand, with a population of 256,129 accounting for 33. 4% of all scheduled tribes. In the same year, they constituted 77. 4% of the tribal population of Uttar Pradesh with a population of 83,544. The Tharu people themselves say that they are a people of the forest, in Chitwan, they have lived in the forests for hundreds of years practicing a short fallow shifting cultivation. The Tharus never went abroad for employment – a life that kept them isolated in their own localities, in this isolation they developed a unique culture free from the influence of adjacent India, or from the mountain groups of Nepal. Much of the design is rooted in devotional activities and passed on from one generation to the next. The Deukheri Tharu are known for their colorful, shell and/or feather decorated basketry, in the western Terai, most Rana Tharu prefer living in Badaghar called longhouses with big families of many generations, sometimes 40-50 people. All household members pool their labor force, contribute their income, share the expenditure, Tharus from the mid west and far west of Nepal have been practicing the Badghar system, where a Badghar is elected chief of a village or a small group of villages for a year. The election generally takes place in the month of Magh, after celebrating the Maghi Festival, in most cases, each household in the village which engages in farming has one voting right for electing a Badghar. Thus the election is based on a count of households count rather than a headcount, the role of the Badghar is to work for the welfare of the village. The Badghar direct the villagers to repair canals or streets when needed and they also oversee and manages the cultural traditions of the villages. They have an authority of punishing those who do not follow their orders or who go against the welfare of the village, generally the Badghar has a Chaukidar to help him. With the consent of the villagers the Badghar may appoint aGuruwa who is the medic, as Tharus society is mainly involved in farming, irrigation is one of the most important aspects of the community. Tharus in western Nepal built canals that irrigate thousands of hectares of land, hundreds of years ago, without using any sophisticated tools, they built hundreds of kilometers of irrigation canals in the Kailali and Bardiya districts of Nepal. An irrigation canal could be used by several villages and its water and diversion works need to be managed fairly. For this purpose, the Badghars of different villages elect a person for the position of Chaudhary to manage a canal system, when needed, the Chaudhary orders the Badghars to send people to repair or build the canals
37.
Hindu
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Hindu refers to any person who regards themselves as culturally, ethnically, or religiously adhering to aspects of Hinduism. It has historically used as a geographical, cultural, or religious identifier for people indigenous to South Asia. The historical meaning of the term Hindu has evolved with time, by the 16th century, the term began to refer to residents of India who were not Turks or Muslims. The historical development of Hindu self-identity within the Indian population, in a religious or cultural sense, is unclear, competing theories state that Hindu identity developed in the British colonial era, or that it developed post-8th century CE after the Islamic invasion and medieval Hindu-Muslim wars. A sense of Hindu identity and the term Hindu appears in texts dated between the 13th and 18th century in Sanskrit and regional languages. The 14th- and 18th-century Indian poets such as Vidyapati, Kabir and Eknath used the phrase Hindu dharma, the Christian friar Sebastiao Manrique used the term Hindu in religious context in 1649. In the 18th century, the European merchants and colonists began to refer to the followers of Indian religions collectively as Hindus, in contrast to Mohamedans for Mughals, scholars state that the custom of distinguishing between Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs is a modern phenomenon. Hindoo is a spelling variant, whose use today may be considered derogatory. At more than 1.03 billion, Hindus are the third largest group after Christians. The vast majority of Hindus, approximately 966 million, live in India, according to Indias 2011 census. After India, the next 9 countries with the largest Hindu populations are, in decreasing order, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United States, Malaysia, United Kingdom and Myanmar. These together accounted for 99% of the worlds Hindu population, the word Hindu is derived from the Indo-Aryan and Sanskrit word Sindhu, which means a large body of water, covering river, ocean. It was used as the name of the Indus river and also referred to its tributaries, the Punjab region, called Sapta Sindhava in the Vedas, is called Hapta Hindu in Zend Avesta. The 6th-century BCE inscription of Darius I mentions the province of Hidush, the people of India were referred to as Hinduvān and hindavī was used as the adjective for Indian in the 8th century text Chachnama. The term Hindu in these ancient records is an ethno-geographical term, the Arabic equivalent Al-Hind likewise referred to the country of India. Among the earliest known records of Hindu with connotations of religion may be in the 7th-century CE Chinese text Record of the Western Regions by the Buddhist scholar Xuanzang, Xuanzang uses the transliterated term In-tu whose connotation overflows in the religious according to Arvind Sharma. The Hindu community occurs as the amorphous Other of the Muslim community in the court chronicles, wilfred Cantwell Smith notes that Hindu retained its geographical reference initially, Indian, indigenous, local, virtually native. Slowly, the Indian groups themselves started using the term, differentiating themselves, the poet Vidyapatis poem Kirtilata contrasts the cultures of Hindus and Turks in a city and concludes The Hindus and the Turks live close together, Each makes fun of the others religion
38.
Paddy field
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A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing semiaquatic rice. Paddy cultivation should not be confused with cultivation of deep water rice, Paddy fields are the typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Fields can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such as rivers or marshes and they can require a great deal of labor and materials to create, and need large quantities of water for irrigation. Oxen and water buffalo, adapted for life in wetlands, are important working animals used extensively in paddy field farming, during the 20th century, paddy-field farming became the dominant form of growing rice. Hill tribes of Thailand still cultivate dry-soil varieties called upland rice, Paddy fields are a major source of atmospheric methane and have been estimated to contribute in the range of 50 to 100 million tonnes of the gas per annum. Studies have shown that this can be reduced while also boosting crop yield by draining the paddies to allow the soil to aerate to interrupt methane production. Studies have also shown the variability in assessment of methane emission using local, regional and global factors, the word paddy is derived from the Malay word padi, rice plant. Archaeologists generally accept that wet-field cultivation originated in China, the earliest paddy field found, dates to 4330 BC, based on carbon dating of grains of rice and soil organic matter found at the Chaodun site in Kunshan County. At Caoxieshan, a site of the Neolithic Majiabang culture, archaeologists excavated paddy fields, some archaeologists claim that Caoxieshan may date to 4000–3000 BC. There is archaeological evidence, that unhusked rice was stored for the military and for burial with the deceased, there are ten archaeologically excavated rice paddy fields in Korea. The two oldest are the Okhyun and Yaumdong sites, found in Ulsan, dating to the early Mumun pottery period, Paddy field farming goes back thousands of years in Korea. Ancient paddy fields have been unearthed in Korea by institutes such as Kyungnam University Museum of Masan. They excavated paddy field features at the Geumcheon-ni Site near Miryang, the paddy field feature was found next to a pit-house that is dated to the latter part of the Early Mumun Pottery Period. KUM has conducted excavations, that have revealed similarly dated paddy field features, at Yaeum-dong and Okhyeon, the earliest Mumun features were usually located in low-lying narrow gullies, that were naturally swampy and fed by the local stream system. Mumun Period rice farmers used all of the elements that are present in todays paddy fields, such as terracing, bunds, canals and we can grasp some paddy-field farming techniques of the Middle Mumun, from the well-preserved wooden tools excavated from archaeological rice fields at the Majeon-ni Site. However, iron tools for farming were not introduced until sometime after 200 BC. The spatial scale of paddy-fields increased, with the use of iron tools. The first paddy fields in Japan date to the Early Yayoi period, the Early Yayoi has been re-dated, and it appears that wet-field agriculture developed at about the same time as in the Korean peninsula
39.
Wheat
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Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region but now cultivated worldwide. In 2016, world production of wheat was 749 million tonnes, making it the second most-produced cereal after maize, since 1960, world production of wheat and other grain crops has tripled and is expected to grow further through the middle of the 21st Century. This grain is grown on land area than any other commercial food. World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined, globally, wheat is the leading source of vegetal protein in human food, having a protein content of about 13%, which is relatively high compared to other major cereals and staple foods. The archaeological record suggests that wheat was first cultivated in the regions of the Fertile Crescent around 9600 BCE. In a small part of the population, gluten – the major part of wheat protein – can trigger coeliac disease, non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, gluten ataxia. Cultivation and repeated harvesting and sowing of the grains of wild grasses led to the creation of domestic strains, in domesticated wheat, grains are larger, and the seeds remain attached to the ear by a toughened rachis during harvesting. In wild strains, a more fragile rachis allows the ear to easily shatter, as the traits that improve wheat as a food source also involve the loss of the plants natural seed dispersal mechanisms, highly domesticated strains of wheat cannot survive in the wild. Cultivation of wheat began to spread beyond the Fertile Crescent after about 8000 BCE, jared Diamond traces the spread of cultivated emmer wheat starting in the Fertile Crescent sometime before 8800 BCE. Archaeological analysis of wild emmer indicates that it was first cultivated in the southern Levant with finds dating back as far as 9600 BCE, Genetic analysis of wild einkorn wheat suggests that it was first grown in the Karacadag Mountains in southeastern Turkey. Dated archeological remains of wheat in settlement sites near this region, including those at Abu Hureyra in Syria. With the anomalous exception of two grains from Iraq ed-Dubb, the earliest carbon-14 date for einkorn wheat remains at Abu Hureyra is 7800 to 7500 years BCE. Remains of harvested emmer from several sites near the Karacadag Range have been dated to between 8600 and 8400 BCE, that is, in the Neolithic period and these remains were dated by Willem van Zeist and his assistant Johanna Bakker-Heeres to 8800 BCE. They also concluded that the settlers of Tell Aswad did not develop this form of emmer themselves, the cultivation of emmer reached Greece, Cyprus and India by 6500 BCE, Egypt shortly after 6000 BCE, and Germany and Spain by 5000 BCE. The early Egyptians were developers of bread and the use of the oven, by 3000 BCE, wheat had reached the British Isles and Scandinavia. A millennium later it reached China, the oldest evidence for hexaploid wheat has been confirmed through DNA analysis of wheat seeds, dating to around 6400-6200 BCE, recovered from Çatalhöyük. The first identifiable bread wheat with sufficient gluten for yeasted breads has been identified using DNA analysis in samples from a dating to approximately 1350 BCE at Assiros in Macedonia. From Asia, wheat continued to spread throughout Europe, in the British Isles, wheat straw was used for roofing in the Bronze Age, and was in common use until the late 19th century
40.
Potato
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The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial nightshade Solanum tuberosum. The word potato may refer either to the plant itself or to the edible tuber, in the Andes, where the species is indigenous, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes were introduced to Europe in the half of the 16th century by the Spanish. It is the worlds fourth-largest food crop, following maize, wheat, the green leaves and green skins of tubers exposed to the light are toxic. Wild potato species can be throughout the Americas from the United States to southern Chile. Following centuries of breeding, there are now over a thousand different types of potatoes. However, the importance of the potato is variable and changing rapidly. As of 2007 China led the world in production, and nearly a third of the worlds potatoes were harvested in China. The English word potato comes from Spanish patata, the Spanish Royal Academy says the Spanish word is a compound of the Taíno batata and the Quechua papa. The 16th-century English herbalist John Gerard used the terms bastard potatoes and Virginia potatoes for this species, potatoes are occasionally referred to as Irish potatoes or white potatoes in the United States, to distinguish them from sweet potatoes. The name spud for a small potato comes from the digging of soil prior to the planting of potatoes, the word spud traces back to the 16th century. It subsequently transferred over to a variety of digging tools, around 1845, the name transferred to the tuber itself. It was Mario Peis 1949 The Story of Language that can be blamed for the false origin. Pei writes, the potato, for its part, was in disrepute some centuries ago, some Englishmen who did not fancy potatoes formed a Society for the Prevention of Unwholesome Diet. The initials of the words in this title gave rise to spud. Like most other pre-20th century acronymic origins, this is false, Potato plants are herbaceous perennials that grow about 60 cm high, depending on variety, with the leaves dying back after flowering, fruiting and tuber formation. They bear white, pink, red, blue, or purple flowers with yellow stamens, in general, the tubers of varieties with white flowers have white skins, while those of varieties with colored flowers tend to have pinkish skins. Potatoes are mostly cross-pollinated by insects such as bumblebees, which carry pollen from other potato plants, tubers form in response to decreasing day length, although this tendency has been minimized in commercial varieties
41.
Kathmandu Valley
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The Kathmandu Valley, located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Buddhists. There are seven World Heritage Sites within the valley, historically, the valley and adjoining areas made up a confederation known as the Nepal Mandala. Until the 15th century, Bhaktapur was its capital, when two other capitals, Kathmandu and Lalitpur, were established. After the annexation of the valley by the Gorkha Kingdom, and subsequent conversion of the valley as the capital of their empire, the Kathmandu Valley is the most developed and populated place in Nepal. The majority of offices and headquarters are located in the valley and it is popular with tourists for its unique architecture, and rich culture that includes the highest number of jatras in Nepal. The valley itself was referred to as Nepal Proper by British historians, thousands of people died and tens of thousands of buildings and structures collapsed in Kathmandu Valley in the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. The city of Kathmandu is named after a structure in Durbar Square called by the Sanskrit name Kāsṣtha mandapa Wooden shelter and it was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. This unique temple, also known as the Maru Sattal, was built in 1596 by King Lakshminarasimha Malla, the entire structure contained no iron nails or supports and was made entirely from wood. Legend has it that the used for this two-story pagoda was obtained from a single tree. The Kathmandu Valley may have been inhabited as early as 300 BCE, the earliest known inscription is dated 185 CE. The oldest firmly dated building in the valley is almost 1,992 years old. As with the tales of the Buddhas visit, there is no evidence supporting Ashoks visit, the Licchavis, whose earliest inscriptions date to 464, were the next rulers of the valley and had close ties with the Gupta Empire of India. His victory in the Battle of Kirtipur was the beginning of his conquest of the valley, the Newars are the indigenous inhabitants and the creators of the historic civilization of the valley. The language is known as Nepal Bhasa. They are understood to be the descendants of the various ethnic, scholars have also described the Newars as a nation. They have developed a division of labour and an urban civilization not seen elsewhere in the Himalayan foothills. They are known for their contributions to art, sculpture, architecture, culture, literature, music, industry, trade, agriculture and cuisine, newa architecture consists of the pagoda, stupa, shikhara, chaitya and other styles. The valleys trademark is the pagoda which may have originated in this area and spread to India, China, Indochina
42.
Pokhara Valley
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Pokhara Valley is the second-largest valley in the hilly region of Nepal. It lies in the part of the Nepal. The cities of Pokhara and Lekhnath are in the valley and it is located in the Gandaki zone,203 kilometres west of Kathmandu Valley. The city of Pokhara is one of the cities of Nepal. Pokhara is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal, many tourists visit Pokhara Valley to see the Himalayan range and lakes. Pokhara is also famous for boating, trekking, rafting and extreme sports like rafting, canoying, among the many lakes in Pokhara Valley, Phewa Lake is the largest. Phewa Lake is also the second largest lake of Nepal and it includes the parts of Pokhara Valley, Sarangkot, the reflection of Mount Macchapucchre can be seen on this lake. Many tourists come to enjoy boating and fishing on Phewa lake, another main attraction of Phewa Lake is the two-storied temple of Barahi Bhagwati Temple, situated on the middle of the lake, like an island. In addition to Phewa Lake, Begnas lake is another lake in Pokhara Valley. Begnas Lake is situated at an elevation of 650 m and it covers 3 km2, extreme sports also play a role in tourism. Recently, in Pokhara, the longest and fastest zip line in the world was built, the zip line can reach a maximum speed of 140 km/h and it has a vertical drop of almost 2000 feet. Riders can see views of 23000-foot Machapuchare mountain, Annapurna range, paragliding, which is also done from Sarangkot, is another extreme sport available in Pokhara Valley. Annapurna Base Camp trekking, also known as ABC trekking, is main attraction of Pokhara Valley. Trekking starts from Pokhara following Nayapul, Ghorepani, Tadapani, Sinuwa, Deurali, many hotels and lodges are available throughout the journey. Visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenes of forests, hills, rhododendron, ABC trekking has played a vital role in the economic status of people around this area, as well as, it is a milestone for the development of tourism industry in Nepal. Mahendra Cave is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Pokhara Valley and this cave is located in a small town called Batulechaur which is a ten-minute drive from the main city. The name Mahendra Cave is given after the Late King of Nepal Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, the cave is a natural tunnel where one can walk inside and see different kinds of rocks around the wall, such as limestone, which sparkles when light strikes it. As one of the sights in Nepal, Mahendra Cave gives visitors the opportunity to explore the darker territory inside the tunnel
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This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress Country Studies website http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/.
This article incorporates 