World Factbook
Nepal
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
143,351 sq km
water
3,830 sq km
total
147,181 sq km
Climate
varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Terrain
Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south; central hill region with rugged Himalayas in north
Land use
other
27.7% (2023 est.)
forest
43.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
26.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 12.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 12.5% (2023 est.)
Location
Southern Asia, between China and India
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point
Mount Everest (highest peak in Asia and highest point on earth above sea level) 8,849 m
mean elevation
2,565 m
Irrigated land
12,090 sq km (2022)
Major aquifers
Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin
Map references
Asia
Land boundaries
total
3,159 km
border countries
China 1,389 km; India 1,770 km
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
severe thunderstorms; flooding; landslides; drought and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
Geography - note
landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga -- the world's tallest and third-tallest mountains -- on the borders with China and India, respectively
Natural resources
quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Area - comparative
slightly larger than New York State
Geographic coordinates
28 00 N, 84 00 E
Population distribution
most of the population is divided nearly equally between a concentration in the southern-most plains of the Tarai region and the central hilly region; overall density is low
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Indian Ocean drainage
Brahmaputra (651,335 sq km), Ganges (1,016,124 sq km), Indus (1,081,718 sq km)