Diverse Geography and Climate

Nepal is a landlocked country situated in South Asian Region, bordering with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region in the north, and India in the South, East and West. Nepal has 3 different geographic regions which are Mountain, Hill and Terai regions. These three regions are the main reason for Nepal having a diverse climate and geographic structure.

Geography:

Now as we know that there are mainly three different regions in Nepal, let’s know more about them. Basically, Mountain regions are the regions with mountains and difficult geographic structures. The Hilly regions are the central region of Nepal. Finally, Terai is the flat region of Nepal where the lands are fertile and agriculture is the main work.

The Terai Region:

Terai Flat Lands

Terai Region covers about 17% of the total area of Nepal. The Terai stretches from the international border with India in the Far-Western region to the Easter region. The altitude here rises from as low as 59m to 600m above sea level. The soil is alluvial and moist so that various species of food crops can cultured and harvested. Main crops that people cultivate are paddy, wheat, pulses, moong, sugarcane, jute, tobacco and maize. Many agro-based industries like jute factories, sugar mills, are there throughout the region.

Hilly Region (Source: travelnepal)

The Hilly Region

Hilly Region lies in the central part of Nepal. The central geographical region situated north to the Terai is the Hilly Region covering about 68% of the total land area of the country. Its altitude ranges between 600 m to 3299 m. It mainly consists of a sloppy land structure that is made up of the Mahabharat range, valleys, foothills, Tars and river basins. Nevertheless, the valleys and river basins are fertile, developed and densely populated. Some extensive valleys such as Pokhara and Kathmandu are its examples. The Churai Range, though dissected in some parts, runs parallel east to west into the southern part and Mahabharat ranges into the northern part.

Mountain Region

Mountain Region (Source: Yetihome)

Mountain Region is the most attractive region of Nepal. It covers 15% of the whole land and is decorated with the snowcapped mountains for all season where the head of the world. There are are 1310 mountains above 6000 meters above sea level. Also among the 14 mountains above 8000 meters all over the world, eight of them are in Nepal along with the world’s highest peak Mount Everest (8848 m). Life is tough here with the lack of land for plantation of crops and scarcity of food. Thus due to the above factors and lack of the means of survival the density of population is poor.

Climate:

Nepals climate is in influence by the maritime and continental factors, and has four distinct seasons. Spring lasts from March to May, and is warm with rain showers, and temperatures around 22°C. Summer, from June to September, is the monsoon season when the hills turn lush and green. However, climate at same time over Nepal is not similar. The three different regions and their geographic structure also affects the climate condition here in Nepal.

In the northern parts summers are cool and winters severe, while in south, summers are severe and winters are mild. An average temperature drop of 6°C occurs for every 1,000 m gain in altitude. In the Terai, summer temperatures exceed 37° C and higher in some areas, winter temperatures range from 7°C to 23°C in the Terai.

In mountainous regions, hills and valleys summers are moderate temperate while winter temperatures can drop under subzero. The valley of Kathmandu has a pleasant climate with average summer 19°C – 35°C and winter temperatures of 2°C – 12°C.

The Himalayas act as a barrier to the cold winds blowing from Central Asia in winter, and forms the northern boundary of the monsoon wind patterns. Winter rains are more pronounced in the western hills. The average annual rainfall is 1,600 mm, but it varies by eco-climatic zones, such as 3,345 mm in Pokhara and below 300 mm in Mustang. An interesting fact is that there is no seasonal constraint on traveling in and through Nepal. Even in December and January, when winter is at its severest, there are compensating bright sun and brilliant views. As with most of the trekking areas in Nepal, the best time to visit are during spring and autumn. Spring is the time for rhododendrons while the clearest skies are there after the monsoon in October and November. Therefore, Nepal can be visited the whole year round.