The Truth About Nepal and Four Common Misconceptions

Written By: Imogene Asa
Geography- Period 4

The Truth About Nepal and Four Common Misconceptions

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Map of Nepal

When people do not have a lot of knowledge regarding a country, they tend to form stereotypes and have preconceived opinions without actually researching the region and the people that live there. One country in particular that a lot of Americans are unfamiliar with is Nepal. Many people are not even able to point Nepal out on a map, so naturally, a few misconceptions have formed. Some major misconceptions are that Nepal is only made up of mountains, Nepal is a completely undeveloped country, Nepal is just the same thing as Tibet, and Nepal is very violent. However, I believe that even though Nepal is often forgotten or misunderstood, it is an interesting and important developing nation.

1.     Nepal is only made up of mountains.

When people first think of Nepal, they usually think of lots of mountains, and particularly Mount Everest. While it is true that Nepal is very mountainous and contains much of the Himalayas, the whole country is not completely covered in mountains. There are four main regions of Nepal: a mountain region next to the border with China, a hill region next to that containing low mountains and hills, the Sawalik region which contains more highlands, and then lastly, the Terai Region. The Terai region is a mostly flat, marsh and grassland with lots of savannas and forests (Gill). The word Terai directly translates to “moist land”. Even though the Terai region covers around a third of the country, people usually think of cold, dry mountains in Nepal, not large areas of marshy plains at all.

Nepal Major Natural Divisions

Also, people tend to think that a majority of the Himalaya Range runs through the country, and that Mount Everest is entirely located somewhere in the center. However, most of this mountain chain is actually in China and India, since both of those nations are much larger than Nepal, and Mount Everest is not somewhere in the middle of Nepal, but actually directly on the border between Nepal and Tibet. If you decide to hike up this mountain you could climb to the top without ever technically being within Nepal’s borders.

2.     Nepal is completely undeveloped.

A common perception of Nepal is that the country is just full of Buddhist nomads that roam the mountains all of their life, and that there is not a lot of development in the country. First of all, even though Buddhism is very important to Nepal’s history, less than 11% of Nepalese people consider themselves to be Buddhist. The main religion, containing a vast majority of the population (approximately 81%), is Hinduism. For a very long time, Nepal was the only Hindu kingdom in the world, until they became the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal in 2007 after a long-lasting civil war. Secondly, as discussed before, not all of Nepal is mountainous, and hardly anyone is nomadic anymore. The Nepalese people have created settlements long ago, and use a lot of the land for farming still to this day, so there is almost no one just “roaming the mountains”. But besides farming, there are a lot of urban areas in Nepal too. In Kathmandu, the capital city, there is a population of around 1.3million people, which is almost half of the current population in Chicago. Other large cities in Nepal include Nepalganj, Pokhara, Butwal, Lalitpur, Lumbini, Birganj, Bhaktapur, Dharan Bazaar, and Biratnagar ("Nepal Map and Information, World Atlas.com). 

Though Nepal is definitely still a developing country, they have a system of government and a fair economy. Nepal is currently a democratic state with multiple political parties. Though the country is beginning to become much more modern, the main industry is agriculture, because of the rich soil and good farming opportunities in the Terai region. Also, even though Nepal is a landlocked country, it has three major rivers that run through it: the Kali River, the Narayani River, and the Kosi River. Nepal is beginning to take advantage of these resources and is building dams to create hydroelectric power.

Kathmandu, Nepal

3. Nepal is just the same thing as Tibet.

            Another misconception commonly believed by a lot of Americans is that Nepal is the same thing as Tibet, or that Nepal is an area inside Tibet. This is a reasonable mistake, since the two regions are adjacent to each other, and share much of the Himalaya Mountain Range, as well as many similar customs and cultures. However, they are very different nations. Nepal is a sovereign state and nation located at about 28 degrees north latitude, and 84 degrees east longitude with Kathmandu as its capital. It became an independent country in the late 1700’s. Tibet is a large region of China northeast of Nepal with Lhasa as its capital. Tibet declared itself as an independent state in 1913, but lost its political power and became part of The People’s Republic of China in the 1950’s ("Differences Between Nepal and Tibet"). It remains a part of the state of China to this day. Physically, these two nations are completely separate; they are not part of the same country, they do not overlap, and Nepal is definitely not just another name for Tibet.

Map of Nepal and Tibet

            Nepal and Tibet are also very different in other ways than just physically and politically; they vary greatly in culture despite their close proximity to each other and their long shared border. In Nepal, Nepali is primarily spoken, while the Tibetan language and Chinese are spoken in Tibet. Tibet has a large number of Tibetan Buddhists, but most Nepalese people follow the religion of Hinduism. Both countries have an economy based off of agriculture, but Tibet is more nomadic and less developed than Nepal. Nepal has higher levels of economic activity such as services, and is more populous with larger cities and universities.

4. Nepal is a very violent country.

Maoist Demonstration in Kathmandu, Nepal

            Finally, thanks to the media, many Americans think that Nepal is a very violent country and is not safe at all. Stories involving Nepal are rarely in the news unless they are talking about the Nepali Civil War or Maoist communists. For about ten years, the country had a civil war that happened between the Government of Nepal and the Communist (Maoist) Party, where the Maoist communists tried to overthrow the monarchy in Nepal. It ended in a comprehensive peace agreement in 2006, which there have been few problems with. The cease-fire has been generally upheld since its creation. Though there is still a lot of tension in Nepal, the country is beginning to improve. Currently, there are 46 Peace-building organizations in Nepal, including Alliance for Peace, Chetana Club, Sansthagat Bikash Sanjal, SUPPORT Nepal, and the Videh Foundation, ("Nepal", Insight on Conflict). 

            Also, some people are scared to visit Nepal, or convinced that it is unsafe. This is also not the whole truth. It is true that there are riots and demonstrations that occur in Nepal on occasion, but a majority of the tourist destinations in Nepal are safe to go to. They are heavily policed and patrolled, with a specific branch of law enforcement to assist travelers known as tourist police. Nepali people also generally treat guests with a lot of respect, so they are very welcoming to visitors. There are not as many problems with kidnapping, pick pocketing, and robbery as other parts of the world. Overall, Americans should not be scared to go to Nepal because, other than a few past governmental conflicts, Nepal is a safe country.

Young People in Mugu

All in all, the true Nepal is often very different from how it is perceived by most Americans. Nepal is not a violent, underdeveloped region that is sometimes known as Tibet, possibly located in India or China with tons of Buddhist nomads roaming its never-ending mountain ranges. It is an independent country bordering India and Tibetan China that is very mountainous, but also contains marshy lowlands and populous cities. Nepal is mostly Hindu, and has a growing government and economy. Though the country recently ended a brutal civil war, it is generally peaceful and very safe, and is working through its internal conflicts. Nepal is an underestimated and unrecognized country, even though it contains beautiful regions, a rich culture, and great potential for economic and political growth. I hope that as Americans, we can try to understand the country a little better in the future, and that we can all get past our preconceived opinions and our misconceptions.

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