๐ณ๐ต Kathmandu is the capital and largest city of Nepal. Also known as the city of temples, 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 was historically called the "Nepal Mandala" and has been the home of the Newar people, a cosmopolitan urban civilisation in the Himalayan foothills. The city was the royal capital of the Kingdom of Nepal and hosts palaces, mansions and gardens of the Nepalese aristocracy. It has been home to the headquarters of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation since 1985. Today, it is the seat of government of the Nepalese republic, established in 2008, and is part of the Bagmati Province.
Kathmandu 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 the city. In 2013, Kathmandu 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 is home to several World Heritage Sites: the Durbar Square, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath and Pashupatinath. Kathmandu valley is growing at 4 percent per year according to the World Bank in 2010, making it one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in South Asia, and the first region in Nepal to face the unprecedented challenges of rapid urbanisation and modernisation at a metropolitan scale.
1Economy The location and terrain of Kathmandu have played a significant role in the development of a stable economy which spans millennia. The city is in an ancient lake basin, with fertile soil and flat terrain. This geography helped form a society based on agriculture. This, combined with its location between India and China, helped establish Kathmandu as an important trading centre over the centuries. Kathmandu's trade is an ancient profession that flourished along an offshoot of the Silk Road which linked India and Tibet. From centuries past, Lhasa Newar merchants of Kathmandu have conducted trade across the Himalaya and contributed to spreading art styles and Buddhism across Central Asia. Other traditional occupations are farming, metal casting, woodcarving, painting, weaving, and pottery.
Kathmandu is the most important industrial and commercial centre in Nepal. The Nepal Stock Exchange, the head office of the national bank, the chamber of commerce, as well as head offices of national and international banks, telecommunication companies, the electricity authority, and various other national and international organizations are in Kathmandu. The major economic hubs are the New Road, Durbar Marg, Ason and Putalisadak.
The economic output of the metropolitan area of around Rs. 550ย billion approximately per year alone is worth more than one third of national GDP (nominal), while the per capita income of $2200 is approximately three times the national average. Kathmandu exports handicrafts, artworks, garments, carpets, pashmina, paper; trade accounts for 21% of its revenues. Manufacturing is also important and accounts for 19% of the revenue that Kathmandu generates. Garments and woolen carpets are the most notable manufactured products. Other economic sectors in Kathmandu include agriculture (9%), education (6%), transport (6%), and hotels and restaurants (5%). Kathmandu is famous for lokta paper and pashmina shawls.
1Tourist Industry Tourism is considered another important industry in Nepal. This industry started around 1950, as the country's political makeup changed and ended the country's isolation from the rest of the world. In 1956, air transportation was established and the Tribhuvan Highway, between Kathmandu and Raxaul (at India's border), was started. Separate organizations were created in Kathmandu to promote this activity; some of these include the Tourism Development Board, the Department of Tourism and the Civil Aviation Department. Furthermore, Nepal became a member of several international tourist associations. Establishing diplomatic relations with other nations further accentuated this activity. The hotel industry, travel agencies, training of tourist guides, and targeted publicity campaigns are the chief reasons for the remarkable growth of this industry in Nepal, and in Kathmandu in particular. Since then, tourism in Nepal has thrived. It is the country's most important industry. Tourism is a major source of income for most of the people in the city, with several hundred thousand visitors annually. Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world visit Kathmandu's religious sites such as Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Changunarayan and Budhanilkantha. From a mere 6,179 tourists in 1961/62, the number increased to 491,504 in 1999/2000. In economic terms, the foreign exchange registered 3.8% of the GDP in 1995/96 but then started declining. Following the end of the Maoist insurgency, there was a significant rise in the number of tourist arrivals, with 509,956 tourists recorded in 2009. Since then, tourism has improved as the country transitioned into a republic. The high level of tourism is attributed to the natural grandeur of the Himalayas and the rich cultural heritage of the country.
The neighbourhood of Thamel is Kathmandu's primary "traveller's ghetto", packed with guest houses, restaurants, shops, and bookstores, catering to tourists. Another neighbourhood of growing popularity is Jhamel, a name for Jhamsikhel that was coined to rhyme with Thamel. Jhochhen Tol, also known as Freak Street, is Kathmandu's original traveller's haunt, made popular by the hippies of the 1960s and 1970s; it remains a popular alternative to Thamel. Ason is a bazaar and ceremonial square on the old trade route to Tibet, and provides a fine example of a traditional neighbourhood.
With the opening of the tourist industry after the change in the political scenario of Nepal in 1950, the hotel industry drastically improved. Now Kathmandu boasts several luxuries such as the Hyatt Regency, Dwarika's, Hotel Yak & Yeti, The Everest Hotel, Hotel Radisson, Hotel De L'Annapurna, The Malla Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel (not operated by the Shangri-La Hotel Group) and Hotel Shanker. There are several four-star hotels such as Akama Hotel, Hotel Vaishali, Hotel Narayani, The Blue Star and Grand Hotel. The Garden Hotel, Hotel Ambassador, and Aloha Inn are among the three-star hotels in Kathmandu. Hotels like Hyatt Regency, De L'Annapurna, and Yak & Yeti are among the five-star hotels with casinos as well.
1Kathmandu was ranked #163 by the Nomad List which evaluates and ranks remote work hubs by cost, internet, fun and safety. Kathmandu has a population of over 1,472,000 people. Kathmandu also forms part of the wider Nepal state which has a population of over 28,095,714 people. Kathmandu is ranked #457 for startups with a score of 0.427.
To set up a UBI Lab for Kathmandu see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork
Kathmandu is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for Film see: https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities
Twin Towns, Sister Cities Kathmandu has links with:
๐ณ๐ต Amargadhi, Nepal ๐น๐ญ Bangkok, Thailand ๐บ๐ธ Boulder, USA ๐ณ๐ต Chandannath, Nepal ๐จ๐ณ Chengdu, China ๐ช๐ธ Coslada, Spain ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Edinburgh, Scotland ๐บ๐ธ Eugene, USA ๐บ๐ธ Fredericksburg, USA ๐ซ๐ท Gap, France ๐จ๐ณ Lhasa, China ๐ช๐ธ Madrid, Spain ๐ฏ๐ต Matsumoto, Japan ๐ณ๐ต Melamchi, Nepal ๐ณ๐ต Pakhribas, Nepal ๐ฐ๐ต Pyongyang, North Korea ๐ณ๐ต Ramgram, Nepal ๐บ๐ธ Rochester, USA ๐บ๐ธ Rochester, USA ๐ฎ๐ณ Varanasi, India ๐จ๐ณ Xi'an, China ๐ฒ๐ฒ Yangon, MyanmarUNESCO Creative Cities for Film include: ๐ณ๐ฌ Asaba ๐ฒ๐ฐ Bitola ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Bradford ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Bristol ๐ฐ๐ท Busan ๐ฎ๐ช Galway ๐ณ๐ต Kathmandu ๐ฎ๐ณ Mumbai ๐ฒ๐ฆ Ouarzazate ๐ง๐ท Penedo ๐ฉ๐ช Potsdam ๐จ๐ณ Qingdao ๐ฎ๐น Rome ๐ง๐ท Santos ๐ง๐ฆ Sarajevo ๐ง๐ฌ Sofia ๐ฆ๐บ Sydney ๐ช๐ธ Terrassa ๐ช๐ธ Valladolid ๐ฆ๐ท Vicente Lรณpez ๐ณ๐ฟ Wellington ๐ฏ๐ต Yamagata ๐ต๐ฑ ลรณdลบ
๐บ๐ธ St. Petersburg 27.771
๐บ๐ธ Corpus Christi 27.796
๐จ๐ณ Xiajiang County 27.617
๐ง๐ท Florianรณpolis 27.592
๐ฎ๐ณ Samastipur 85.781
๐ฎ๐ณ Khandagiri 85.786
Locations Near: Kathmandu 85.3143,27.7078
๐ณ๐ต Lalitpur 85.35,27.703 d: 3.5
๐ณ๐ต Bhaktapur 85.417,27.667 d: 11.1
๐ณ๐ต Chautara 85.7,27.767 d: 38.5
๐ณ๐ต Hetauda 85.033,27.417 d: 42.6
๐ณ๐ต Gorkha 84.633,28 d: 74.4
๐ณ๐ต Gorkha Municipality 84.628,27.996 d: 74.7
๐ณ๐ต Malangwa 85.567,26.867 d: 96.8
๐ณ๐ต Bharatpur 84.433,27.683 d: 86.8
Antipodal to: Kathmandu -94.686,-27.708
๐ต๐ช Pisco -76.2,-13.717 d: 17548
๐ต๐ช Ica -75.733,-14.067 d: 17535.9
๐ต๐ช Chincha Alta -76.133,-13.45 d: 17522.7
๐จ๐ฑ San Pedro de la Paz -73.1,-36.833 d: 17753.4
๐จ๐ฑ Concepciรณn -73.05,-36.817 d: 17749.9
๐ต๐ช Callao -77.15,-12.067 d: 17494.2
๐จ๐ฑ La Serena -71.25,-29.909 d: 17722.6
๐จ๐ฑ Chiguayante -73.017,-36.917 d: 17743.2
๐ต๐ช San Isidro -77.033,-12.083 d: 17486.8