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Nepal is a small mountainous kingdom 550 miles long by 90 to 15 miles wide, with a population of around 18 million people. Roughly rectangular in shape, the country follows the line of the Himalayas from south-east to north-west. Nepal is bordered on the north by China and on the east, south and west by India, which makes it one of the few landlocked countries in the world. This precarious position between two of the worlds political giants has dictated Nepals history for centuries.
The Himalayas, the highest mountain range on earth, comprise approximately one-third of Nepals landmass. Nearly 90% of the population claims to be Hindu, though in Nepal there is a fine line between Hinduism and Buddhism. From a global perspective, the most significant event in Nepals history was the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, around 566 BC in the Shakya kingdom of Kapilvastu in the lowlands of Nepal. Many temples and shrines that are ostensibly dedicated to Hindu deities are frequented by Buddhist as well. Overlaying both of these religions is the practice of Tantrism.
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