Nepal

Nepal lies along the southern slopes of the Himalayas. This landlocked country is situated between India to the east, south and west and China's Tibet Autonomous Region to the north. It extends for about 800 kilometers east-west and 90-150 kilometers north-south. Years of geographical and self-imposed isolation have made Nepal one of the world's least developed countries. The country has the most rugged and difficult mountainous terrain in the world, with around 75 percent of its territory covered by mountains. Nepal has a vast flora and fauna compared to its size, and is entirely in the western part of the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, with a remarkable biocultural diversity. The drastic sea level differences in Nepal, from 60 m sea level in the Terai Plain to the 8848 m high Mount Everest, result in different biomes. Nepal's eastern half is wealthier in biodiversity, because it receives more rainfall, in contrast to the western half, where arctic desert-type circumstances are more frequent in higher altitude areas. The Tarai's forested areas are the habitat of tigers and leopards, gaurs, sometimes elephants and buffalo, and many species of deer. Located in the south-central part of Nepal, the Lesser Rāpti Valley is one of the last remaining homes of the great Indian Rhinoceros. In the central zone there is little wildlife due to deforestation. From time to time, leopards, bears and small predators live in the forests and ravines and muntjacs are also found in the forests. The Alpine zone is home to Musk Deer, goral and wild sheep, which are hunted by wolves and Snow Leopards.