Nepal - NP - NPL - NEP - South Asia

Despite sharing a common name and a love of bamboo, red pandas (aka lesser pandas) and giant pandas are not closely related. The name “panda” is believed to come from the Nepali word “ponya,”meaning “bamboo eater.” Red pandas live in the rainy mountain forests of Nepal, India, Bhutan, northern Burma, and central China where they spend most of their lives in trees sleeping, eating, and sunbathing. The diet of a red panda is 95% bamboo, but while the giant panda feeds on nearly every above-ground portion of bamboo, the red panda feeds on the most nutritious leaf tips and, when available, tender shoots. They live solitary lives except during breeding season. Red Pandas are considered endangered as they are threatened by habitat loss, fur trapping, or capture for the illegal pet trade. (Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian National Zoo.)

Aerial view of some of the Himalayas with Mount Everest in the distance.

Dramatic aerial view of a valley in the Himalayas. Note the terracing on the hillsides.

The capital and largest city of Nepal, Kathmandu, occupies much of the valley located near the center of the country. Nepal is home to much of the Himalaya mountain range between Tibet (China) to the north and India to the south. Geological and fossil evidence indicates that the Kathmandu Valley was covered by a large lake between approximately 2.8 million and 10,000 years ago. Paleo-Kathmandu Lake is thought to have drained in phases due to the drying of the regional climate; continuing mountain building-tectonic uplift and faulting-in the region; and the formation of an integrated drainage system, as river channels cut through previous rock ridge dams. The green, vegetated slopes that ring the Kathmandu metro area (light gray, image center) include both forest reserves and national parks. The metropolitan area is relatively flat compared to the surrounding mountains. Tribhuvan International Airport, near the eastern margin of the city, is the only international airport in Nepal. Archeological evidence suggests that the human development of Kathmandu, together with the nearby "sister cities" of Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, began almost 2,000 years ago. Today, the three cities form the governmental, cultural, and-as a main access point to the Himalayas for tourism-economic center of the country. Photo courtesy of NASA.

A view of temples in the area of Durbar Square in the historic center of Kathmandu, capital of Nepal. This photograph was taken before the devastating earthquake of 2015, during which many of these buildings were severely damaged or destroyed.

A building and statue in Durbar Square, Kathmandu.

A shrine to Shiva and Parvati in Durbar Square, Kathmandu.

Kumari Ghar building that houses the Kumari Devi, a pre-pubescent girl considered a living goddess, next to Durbar Square, Kathmandu (2005).

Boudha is a stupa (dome shaped Buddhist shrine) in Kathmandu. Its massive mandala symbolizes the Buddhist cosmos. Four of the Dhyani Buddhas mark the cardinal points, with the fifth, Vairocana, enshrined in the center. The five Buddhas also personify the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether), which are represented in the stupa's architecture. The Boudha Stupa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The eyes of Buddha gaze out over the dome of the Boudha in Kathmandu.

A mask shop in Kathmandu.

Carved wooden exterior facades are common on Kathmandu buildings and homes.

A street scene in Kathmandu.

A busy street scene in Kathmandu.

A brass god figure in a shop in Kathmandu.

Wood gatherers on a street in Kathmandu.

A pedal taxi stand in Kathmandu.

Mountainside village terracing with the Himalayas in the background.

Farming community outside of the city of Pokhara in Nepal.

Village scene in the Helambu region.

A toddler gazes at the plants on a simple village window sill.

A hiking shelter in the Helambu region.

Aerial view of Mount Everest on a clear day. The mountain falls on the Nepal-China border and is shared by both countries.

The Bengal tiger is native to the Indian subcontinent and is one of the biggest wild cats alive. It is threatened by poaching, habitat destruction, and habitat fragmentation. Nepal hosts a valuable tiger conservation program.

In Buddhism, symbolic offerings are made to increase contemplative gratitude and inspiration, and often act as preparation for meditation. Typical material offerings involve simple objects such as a lit candle or oil lamp, burning incense, flowers, food, fruit, water, or drinks. Within the traditional Buddhist framework of karma and rebirth, offerings contribute to the accumulation of merit, which leads to a better rebirth and eventual release from suffering. Candles mark respect or deference, and evoke the state of impermanence and change; these are cornerstones of the Buddhist philosophy. The light from a humble candle is also said to symbolize the enlightenment of the Buddha.

A view of a Nepali village in the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA). Established in 1992, this first conservation area in Nepal is 7,629 sq km in extent and is the largest protected area in the country. The ACA contains the world’s deepest river gorge, Gandaki Gorge; one of the world’s largest rhododendron forests in Ghorepani; and Tilicho Lake in Manang, the world’s highest-altitude freshwater lake.

A Tibetan prayer flag is a colorful rectangular cloth, often found strung along streets and trails in the Himalayan mountains and its surroundings. Traditionally, prayer flags come in sets of five colors representing sky, wind, fire, water, and earth. According to traditional Tibetan medicine, health and harmony are produced through the balance of the five natural elements.

Buddhist monasticism is one of the earliest surviving forms of organized monasticism and one of the fundamental institutions of Buddhism. Monks and nuns, called bhikkhu, are responsible for the preservation and dissemination of the Buddha's teaching and the guidance of lay people. The disciplinary regulations for monks and nuns are intended to create a life that is simple and focused. Buddhist practices include sacrificial offerings.

The Himalayas are a mountain range in South and East Asia that separates the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has many of Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest, at the border between Nepal and China. The Himalayas have a profound effect on the climate of the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan Plateau, generally restricting the moisture laden winds of the monsoon to the south and creating the cooler, drier conditions found to the north in Tibet.

One of the many Indian Rhinoceros (aka Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros) found at the Chitwan National Park (CNP) in Kasara, Chitwan. The CNP is Nepal's first national park. Established in 1973 and granted World Heritage Site status in 1984, the park lies in the subtropical Inner Terai lowlands of south-central Nepal and covers an area of 953 sq km (368 sq mi). CNP is home to over 700 wildlife species and is renowned for its protection of the threatened One-Horned Rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tiger, and Gharial Crocodile.

Tal Bahari Temple is located on a small island in the southeast section of Phewa Lake, Nepal’s second largest. The two-storied pagoda-style temple, built in 1416, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Goddess Durga (Barahi), the protector of the gods from demons.

The south face of the Annapurna Massif in the Annapurna Conservation Area. The highest peak of the massif, Annapurna I Main, is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 m above sea level.

Another view of the peak of Annapurna South in the Annapurna Conservation Area.

Established in 1976, Sagarmatha National Park covers an area of 1,148 sq km in the Solukhumbu district in the Eastern Development Region of Nepal and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sagarmatha (Nepali for “forehead of the sky”) National Park conserves the Everest Ecosystem along with its endangered wildlife (rare animals such as snow leopards and red pandas) and rich Sherpa culture. Namche Bazaar, often called a gateway to Everest, is one of the most renowned and popular sherpa towns in the Everest region. Namche is built in a semi-circle along multi-leveled terraces on the mountainside. The town is home to Sagarmatha National Park Museum, the Sherpa Museum, luxury hotels, stores, restaurants, and trekking gear shops. Hikers generally spend at least two nights here before ascending up the mountains.

A view of Mount Thamserku from the north. Thamserku is a mountain in the Himalayas east of Namche Bazaar.

Mt. Everest (in the middle), behind the two peaks of Mt. Nuptse as seen from Kala Pathar in Sagarmatha National Park. The glacier in front of the two peaks of Mt. Nuptse is the Khumbu Glacier. The mountain to the far left is Mt. Changtse located in Tibet. In front of Mt. Changtse is the Khumbu Icefall, which those who want to summit Everest must climb.

The clouded leopard is native to Southeast Asia with one of the largest populations found in Nepal's Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. These shy, nocturnal animals spend most of their time in trees. Clouded leopards are listed as vulnerable with fewer than 10,000 living in the wild due to poaching for their unique fur and loss of their natural habitat. Photo courtesy of Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

Despite sharing a common name and a love of bamboo, red pandas (aka lesser pandas) and giant pandas are not closely related. The name “panda” is believed to come from the Nepali word “ponya,”meaning “bamboo eater.” Red pandas live in the rainy mountain forests of Nepal, India, Bhutan, northern Burma, and central China where they spend most of their lives in trees sleeping, eating, and sunbathing. The diet of a red panda is 95% bamboo, but while the giant panda feeds on nearly every above-ground portion of bamboo, the red panda feeds on the most nutritious leaf tips and, when available, tender shoots. They live solitary lives except during breeding season. Red Pandas are considered endangered as they are threatened by habitat loss, fur trapping, or capture for the illegal pet trade. (Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian National Zoo.)