Key facts about the Himalayan nation of Nepal

GEOGRAPHY:

Straddles the Himalayas between northern India and China and is home to Mt. Everest, the world's tallest mountain. It rises steeply from the Ganges River Basin in India and contains high fertile valleys and eight of the world's 14 highest peaks.

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PEOPLE:

27.8 million, about 90 per cent Hindu and 5 per cent Buddhist.

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CAPITAL:

Kathmandu, pop. 700,000

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AREA:

147,181 square kilometres

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ECONOMY:

One of the world's poorest countries, more than 80 per cent of the population depends on agriculture. Per capita annual income is US$656 and an estimated 25 per cent of the people live in poverty.

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CLIMBERS:

Some 230,000 people - nearly half of Nepal's yearly foreign visitors - come to trek the Himalayas, with 810 attempting to scale Mt. Everest in 2013. Everest is the centerpiece of the tourism industry, which earns the country $3.3 million each year in climbing fees alone.

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GOVERNMENT:

Political turmoil since the centuries-old monarchy was overthrown in 2008, which also marked the end of a 10-year Maoist insurgency. Political infighting has prevented a deal on a new constitution.