Kathmandu
Kathmandu is the capital and largest city of Nepal, with a population of around 2.5 million. Also known as the city of temples, with one of the oldest pagoda design. This district is also known with Pashupatinath Temple, the city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres above sea level in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal.
The valley is historically called the “Nepal Mandala” and has been the home of Newar people, a cosmopolitan urban civilization in the Himalayas foothills. The city was the royal capital of the Kingdom of Nepal and hosts palaces, mansions and gardens of the Nepalese aristocracy.
This district has been home to the headquarters of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) since 1985. Today, it is the seat of government of the Nepalese republic, established in 2008, and is part of the Bagmati Pradesh.
This district is and has been for many years the centre of Nepal’s history, art, culture, and economy. It has a multiethnic population within a Hindu and Buddhist majority. Religious and cultural festivities form a major part of the lives of people residing in Kathmandu.
Tourism is an important part of the economy. In 2013, this city was ranked third among the top ten upcoming travel destinations in the world by TripAdvisor and ranked first in Asia.
The city is considered the gateway to the Nepalese Himalayas and home to several world heritage sites: Durbar Square, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath and Pashupatinath. Kathmandu valley is growing at 4 per cent per year according to World Bank in 2010, making it one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in South Asia.
The ancient history of Kathmandu is described in its traditional myths and legends. According to Swayambhu Purana, present-day Kathmandu was once a huge and deep lake named “Nagdaha”, as it was full of snakes. The lake was cut drained by Bodhisatwa Manjusri with his sword, and the water was evacuated out from there.
The valley is in the northwestern part of the Kathmandu Valley to the north of the Bagmati River and covers an area of 50.7 km2. The average elevation is 1,400 metres above sea level. The city is bounded by several other municipalities of the Kathmandu valley: south of the Bagmati by Lalitpur Metropolitan City (Patan), with which it forms one urban area surrounded by a ring road, to the southwest by Kirtipur Municipality and to the east by Madyapur Thimi Municipality.
Healthcare in Kathmandu is the most developed in Nepal, and the city and surrounding valley is home to some of the best hospitals and clinics in the country. Bir Hospital is the oldest, established in July 1889 by Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana. Notable hospitals include Bir Hospital, Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital (Jorpati), Tribhuwan University Institute of Medicine (Teaching Hospital), Patan Hospital, Kathmandu Model Hospital, Scheer Memorial Hospital, Om Hospital, Norvic Hospital, Grande International Hospital, Nobel Hospital and many more.
The total length of roads in Nepal is recorded to be (17,182 km), as of 2003–04. This fairly large network has helped the economic development of the country, particularly in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, vegetable farming, industry and also tourism. In view of the hilly terrain, transportation takes place in Kathmandu are mainly by road and air.
Kathmandu is the television hub of Nepal. Nepal Television, established in 1985, is the oldest and most-watched television channel in Nepal, as is government-owned NTV 2 Metro, Channel Nepal, Image Channel, Kantipur Television, Sagarmatha TV, Himalayan Television and other channels.
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