Geography Of A Himalayan Kingdom

Locked within rugged mountain ranges, Nepal was cut off from most of the world for centuries. It was in the mid-1950s that Nepal took its first concrete steps towards development, and in this book the authors describe the growth and change that have occurred in this Himalayan kingdom from that time until the present. Emphasizing Nepal's land-locked situation, the authors point to the particular development challenges posed by a small, resource-poor, mountainous and land-locked country. The discussion covers geographical aspects (envirnoment and natural resources, land use, forests, agriculture), the human dimension (human resources, cultural patterns, demography and urbanization), and issues related to industrial development, communications, and tourism. The concluding chapters take up three specific development challenges Nepal faces: (1) sustainability and conservation, (2) poverty alleviation, and (3) population planning. Nepal is presently experiencing a period of major changes in its economy, society, and environment. This book sheds light on some of the most crucial issues facing the Kingdom as it continues its development efforts, and, in addition, offers insight to scholars and planners interested in the development of other small, land-locked countries.

The Himalayan Kingdom is home to some of the most spectacular mountains in the world. Fascinating civilisations with long and glorious histories have sprung-up amidst the dizzying snow-capped heights and the dry, windswept plains beyond them. Sandwiched between China and India, the rich cultures of Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh have nonetheless developed their own unique place in human history, and continue to flourish into the 21st century. Visitors often remark how everything in the Himalayas is tinged with the divine, how the mountains are a fitting backdrop to the teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, all of which converge in the Himalayas. Here, where mountain meets man, and man God, eternal dramas are played out: dramas in which the seasons bring rain, the earth yields produce, and man celebrates nature's bounty: dramas in which good and evil clash: dramas of birth, death, reincarnation, enlightenment and spiritual release.