Nepal

               Nepal is set between China and India, with China to the north of it and India to the south.  It has a population of about 23 million people. The capital city is Kathmandu. It is made up of many different ethnic groups. These groups consist of Hindus, Newars, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Rais, Limbus, and Sherpas. The national language is Nepali, although the different ethnic groups have their own different language. The Government is a Parliamentary Democracy. This seems to me to be like the British government, although it seems that the King in Nepal may wield more power.  Their Prime Minister is Sher Bahadur Deuba and the King is His Majesty Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. The major industries for Nepal include tourism, hanidcrafts, agriculture, and water resources. The two major religions you will find in Nepal are Hinduism and Buddhism, although you will also find other religions such as Islam and Christianity. Hinduism took over Buddhism in 200 AD when the Licchavis invaded from North India. The two religions coincide peacefully with each other.

                From my researching, it does not appear that the women in Nepal are treated fairly. There is a 58% illiteracy rate in Nepal, with 72% of that being women. I read that this is the only country where men outlive women in age expectancy. I would definitely be interested in looking further into it as that is quite telling of how women are treated if that is a fact. Girls are looked as being less worthy than boys and they get thrown into the work force at an early age. The median age of marriage is 16yrs old and the median age for first child is 20 years old. These ages are even younger in rural areas where girls are even less educated. Trafficking is a huge problem. I read that more than 10,000 are trafficked every year. I do not know how true this statement is, but even just one is horrific number.

                I read that Nepal is slowly working on improving their education system. For the longest time they followed a system that imitated the Indian system which was incorporated during their British occupation. This was the 16 year, three tier system. Nepal has now taken on a system that is similar to the United States of America with a 12 year school system where kids start at age 5 and graduate around age 18. Unfortunately, a lot of children in rural areas do not get access to education and still suffer from it. Nepal is a very poor nation. I read that it is the poorest country in Asia. Nepal people in rural areas are extremely poor due to their lack of access to resources.

                It was heartbreaking reading about how difficult life in Nepal is, especially for women and children. It is also tragic, that the people of Nepal live in such horrific conditions when they are surrounded by so much natural beauty that they are unable to enjoy.