State of Nepal (also Nepaul) (), is a landlocked Himalayan country in South Asia, bordered by the People's Republic of China to the north and India to the south, east and west. More than 80% of its people follow Hinduism. For a relatively small country, the Nepali landscape is uncommonly diverse, ranging from the humid Terai in the south to the lofty Himalayas in the north. It is notable that within a very small width the elevation of Nepal increases from the plain terrain to the tallest Himalayas leading to great vegetation. Nepal boasts eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest on the border with Tibet. Kathmandu is the capital and largest city. The other main cities include Biratnagar, Birgunj, Janakpur, Pokhara, Nepalgunj, Mahendranagar etc. The origin of the name Nepal is uncertain, but the most popular understanding is that it derived from Ne (holy) and pal (cave).

After a long and rich history, during which the region splintered and coalesced under a variety of absolute rulers, Nepal became a constitutional monarchy in 1990. However, the monarchy retained many important and ill-defined powers. This arrangement was marked by increasing instability, both in the parliament and, since 1996, in large swathes of the country that have been fought over by Maoist insurgents. The Maoists, alienated from mainstream political parties, went underground and started a guerilla war against both monarchy and mainstream political parties. They have sought to overthrow feudal institutions, including the monarchy, and establish a republic. This has led to the ongoing Nepalese Civil War in which more than 13,000 people have died. On the pretext of quashing the insurgents, who now control about 70% of the country, the king closed down the parliament and sacked the elected prime minister in 2002 and started ruling through prime ministers appointed by him. He then unilaterally declared a "state of emergency" early in 2005, and assumed all executive powers. Following the Loktantra Andolan, the king agreed to relinquish the sovereign power back to the people and reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives on April 24, 2006. Using its newly acquired sovereign authority, in May 19 2006, the newly resumed House of Representatives unanimously passed a motion to curtail the power of the king and declared Nepal a Secular state. An eventual and total rewrite of the realm's constitution is expected to happen in the near future.

History

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Nepalese riot policemen stand guard on the second day of the three-day strike in Katmandu, N http://tinyurl.com/ye2qpwe #police #2central
2central_police (2central_police) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:11:03 -0000
Nepalese riot policemen stand guard on the second day of the three-day strike in Katmandu, N http://tinyurl.com/ye2qpwe #police #2central
New York Times Nepalese Police Arrest 70 in Clash With Maoists: The violence was a new sign that a stalled peace pr... http://bit.ly/8merpJ
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New York Times Nepalese Police Arrest 70 in Clash With Maoists: The violence was a new sign that a stalled peace pr... http://bit.ly/8merpJ
Nepalese Police Arrest 70 in Clash With Maoists: The violence was a new sign that a stalled peace process was unrav... http://bit.ly/4tt72V
tweetermagic (learn how to tweet) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:05:41 -0000
Nepalese Police Arrest 70 in Clash With Maoists: The violence was a new sign that a stalled peace process was unrav... http://bit.ly/4tt72V
Nepalese Police Arrest 70 in Clash With Maoists: The violence was a new sign that a stalled peace process was unrav... http://bit.ly/4tt72V
DioneSants (Dione Sants) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:05:41 -0000
Nepalese Police Arrest 70 in Clash With Maoists: The violence was a new sign that a stalled peace process was unrav... http://bit.ly/4tt72V
[NYTIMES] Nepalese Police Arrest 70 in Clash With Maoists: The violence was a new sign that a stalled pea... http://bit.ly/4tt72V [NYTIMES]
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[NYTIMES] Nepalese Police Arrest 70 in Clash With Maoists: The violence was a new sign that a stalled pea... http://bit.ly/4tt72V [NYTIMES]
Nepalese Police Arrest 70 in Clash With Maoists: The violence was a new sign that a stalled peace process was... http://tinyurl.com/yezs37b
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