Nepal

People

Indo-Aryan 79%. 27 peoples. Mainly south and east.
Nepali                                                                                     12 million
Maithili                                                                                   2.85 million
Bhojpuri                                                                                 1.79 million

Tharu(6)                                                                                 1.29 million
Awadhi                                                                                   483,000
Urdu                                                                                       261,000
Hindi                                                                                      220,000
Rajbansi                                                                                 110,000.

Tibeto-Burman 17%. 68 peoples, mainly in north and west…largest are

Tamang                                                                                  1.17 million
Newari                                                                                    892,000
Rai                                                                                           567,000
Magar                                                                                     558,000
Limbu                                                                                     328,000
Gurung                                                                                   294,000
Sherpa                                                                                    158,000.

Munda-Santal 0.3%. 2 peoples.

Other 3.7%.

Bhutan refugees                                                                    150,000
Indians, Tibetans.

Caste groups are important in this largely Hindu society.These are often more important sociologically than is ethnicity. Some groups:

Chhetri                                                                                   3.8 million
Hill Brahman                                                                         3.1 million
Magar                                                                                     1.7 million
Maki/Lohar                                                                            1.2 million
Yadav/Ahir                                                                             1 million
Musalman (Muslim)                                                             850,000
Chamar                                                                                  263,000.

Literacy 40%

Official language Nepali

Religion

Nepal is the world”s only Hindu Kingdom. Hinduism is recognized as the national religion. However, the constitution guarantees some religious freedom for other faiths. People are free to choose their religion, but it is illegal to convert others. Any infringing of this is liable to lead to imprisonment for nationals or expulsion of foreigners.

Religion type:                                     % of population        Approx number

Hindu                                                          74.82                          17,904,793
Buddhist                                                     16.00                          3,828,878
Muslim                                                        5.00                            1,196,525
Christian                                                     1,89                            452,286
Other religious                                          1.70                            406,818
Sikh                                                             0.06                            14,358
Baha’i                                                          0.03                            7,179

Prayer Needs

1. Pray for an honest, balanced, fair government that is ableto seriously tackle the immense economic problems of the country. Thepoverty of most of the population is a fundamental issue.
2. Pray for full religious freedom to be guaranteed in theconstitution and uheld by the authorities.
3. Pray for the church in Nepal…that it will be kept fromdivisions, doctrinal disputes, and error.
4. Pray for the first generation of Nepali leaders, for agood foundation, and for effective transfer of leadership to the secondgeneration.
5. Pray for the least reached and least evangelized.

Geography

Area: 147,181 square kilometers

Nepal is surrounded by mountains and landlocked between China (Tibet) and India. It contains 8 of the 10 highest mountain peaks in the world.

Major Cities:

Kathmandu – capital                                                            1,500,000

Urbanites                                                                                14%

Economy

The terrain is difficult and in regions tat are habitablethere is a high population density with rapid deforestation and ecologicaldamage. The development of roads, agriculture and social projects has beenslow. Main foreign exchange earners are tourism, agriculture and Gurkhasoldiers. There is a heavy dependence on foreign aid and good relations withIndia.