People & Language Of Nepal

Nepalese People

Nepal is one of the richest countries in terms of cultural diversities of the world. Its population of more than 28 million, contains a complex mixture of different ethnic groups, each with their own distinctive lifestyle and cultural flavour.The Gurungs and Magars live mainly in the west and on the southern slopes of Annapurna, Himalchuli and Ganesh Himal. The Rais, Limbus and Sunwars inhabit the eastern mountains. The Sherpas, “the Tigers of the Snow” live in the Himalayan region up to an altitude of 1 5,000 ft. The Newars constitute the most important ethinic group in the Kathmandu Valley. There are Tharus, Yadavas, Satars, Rajvamsis and Dhimals in the Tarai region. The Brahmins, Kshetriyas and Thakuris inhabit the most parts of the Kingdom. All these races and tribes live together peacefully to form and integral whole. They are tied up together by their common ideals of peace, democracy and nationalism.

Language

The last census (2001) recorded 100 ethnic and caste categories and 92 languages. There are 59 officially identified ethnic groups, of whom only 42 are covered by the census report. Nepali, which is written in Devnagari script is recognized as ‘the language of nation’ as well as the official language, is spoken by nearly half of the population (48.61%) and is also a lingua franca among various communities of Nepal.