PHYSICAL FEATURES OF NEPAL

THE HIMALAYAN REGION:

      The Himalayan Region lies to the north of the country which covers the mountainous area of the country. 15% of the total land area has been encompassed by this region.  Only 2% is arable as the land is very cold, covered with rugged surface and snow. The altitude ranges between 4,877 meter to 8,848 meter above sea levels. In this region there are many pastures, gorges, passes, small lakes, glaciers and falls. So this region is suitable for animal rearing and tourism. Due to geographical situation and climatic conditions, this region has a very less density of population. In 2001 AD, this region accommodated 7.3% the population of the country but at a decreasing rate. Almost all big rivers running through the country originate from this region. In this region people die due to starvation. The fruits produced in Hilly and Himalayan region decay before reaching Terai region people. The people leave the place of their origin of difficult living and migrate to the place of the destination of possible easy living. So density of the people increases in the Terai region. So their appear a big gap between the places of easy and difficult living within the country. The Terai, valleys, river basins, tars and gentle slopes become much more developed than other parts. So, regional disparity occurs, and local resources cannot be utilized properly, administration cannot be carried out smoothly and national dis-integrity may occur. To overcome such problem, there is the need of development regions. However,  there  is  a  diversity  in  ecosystem  and  human  activities  according  to  geographical  belts.

  

    Eco-System  Of  Mountain  Belt  And  Its  Related  Aspects

PHYSICAL ASPECTS:

The  land  topography,  rivers,  streams,  climate,  etc  constitute  the  physical  aspects  of  mountain  belt.  About  35%  of  the  total  land  of  the  country  makes  the  mountain  region  but  only  2%  of  the  land  is  cultivable.  The climate of this region is moist, cold and dry.  Even the snowfall takes in this region. The  highest  and  the  most  luring  mountains  lie  in  this  region  such  as  Sagarmatha  i.e. Mt. Everest Kanchanjunga, Lantang, Mahalangar, Ganesh, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Kangiroba, etc.  Out  of  75  districts  16  districts  lie  in  this  region  some  of  which  are  Taplejung,  Dolkha,  Mustang, Darchula,  etc.  It  can  be  divided  into  three  sub-regions  which  are  Main  Himalayas,  Inner  Himalayas  and  Marginal  Himalayas.  The  status  of  diversity  of  ecosystem  can  be  known  from  the  study  of  these  three  sub-regions.

BIOLOGIAL ASPECTS:

This  region  can  also  be  considered  as     the  shelter  of  vegetations,  agricultural  crops,  different  kinds  of  birds  and  animals.  Cultivation  of  millet,  barley,  wheat,  maize,  buckwheat,  etc  are  done  in  this  region.  Cultivation  of  green  vegetable,  potato,  radish,  etc  and  fruits  like  apple,  lemon,  peach,  etc  are  common  in  this  region.  In some ditches and valleys, cultivation of paddy is  done.  Besides,  there  are  alpine  forests  and  grass  fields  in  some  places.  Oaks,  maples,  pines,  birches,  rhododendron,  blue  pine,  etc  are  also  found  in  this  belt.  Small plants and bushes are found above 4000 meters.   Birds  and  animals  like  ghoral,  snow  leopard,  bog,  black  bear,  pygmy,  pheasant,  Munal,  Kalij,  etc  are  available  in  this   region. 

SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS:

Due  to  hard  and  cold  climate  and  difficult  land  topography,  farming  is  very  difficult.  However,  the  farming  of  Yak  and  sheep  is  done  on  a  large  scale.  But  due  to  snowfall  from  time  to  time,  vegetation  cannot  grow  and  develop.  The  chief  occupation  of  the  people  living  in Himalayan  region  is  animal  husbandry.  The  settlement  zone  is  up to  the  height  of  about  4572  meters.  Tribes  like  Mugal,  Managi,  Thakalis,  Sherpa’s,  etc  live  in  this  region. The  lifestyle,  fooding,  clothing,  occupation  of  the  people  of  Himalayan  region  is  different  from  that  of  other  regions.  Houses  are  built  with  beaten  stone  and  wood  with  doors  and  windows  small.  People wear thick woolen garments.  According  to  the  census  of  2058 B.S,  the  population  of  Himalayan  region  was  7.3%  out  of  the  total  population  of  the  country.  The  chief  source  of  income  is  animal  husbandry  and  small  closed  trades.  Due  to  the  limitations  of  physical  facilities  such  as  transport ,  communication,  electricity,  etc,  the  life  of  people  has  turned  out  to  become  very  difficult.