Southern Asia · NPL
Nepal
The story · 9 chapters
How it was drawn
Small Himalayan kingdoms united by the Gorkha kings in the eighteenth century, who fought Tibet, China and Britain; the war of 1814 to 1816 fixed most of Nepal's borders, and a republic replaced the monarchy in 2008.
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Rivals in history
The kingdoms, empires and states Nepal fought or stood against, from the first to today.
Sultan Shamsuddin Ilyas of Bengal raids the Kathmandu Valley in 1349. His troops plunder the valley and damage its great shrines, including Swayambhunath and Pashupati, before withdrawing.
- Malla kingdoms of the Kathmandu Valley1744 to 1769
The Gorkha king Prithvi Narayan Shah blockades the valley's three Malla kingdoms for years, takes Kirtipur in 1767 and conquers Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur in 1768 and 1769.
- Qing China and Tibet1788 to 1792
Quarrels with Tibet over trade and coinage lead Nepal into war from 1788. In 1792 a Qing army marches to within reach of Kathmandu, and Nepal agrees to send tribute missions to Beijing.
- Sikh Empire1806 to 1809
Gorkha armies besiege the Kangra fort in the western hills from 1806. Its ruler calls in the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh, whose troops force the Gorkhas to withdraw in 1809, ending their advance beyond the Sutlej.
- British East India Company1814 to 1816
Border disputes in the Terai lead to the Anglo-Nepalese War. After hard fighting, the Treaty of Sugauli of 1816 costs Nepal about a third of its territory, including Sikkim, Kumaon and Garhwal, but leaves it independent.
- Tibet1855 to 1856
Nepal invades Tibet in 1855 over trade and the treatment of Nepali merchants. The Treaty of Thapathali of 1856 gives Nepal trading rights in Lhasa and a yearly payment from Tibet.
- Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)1996 to 2006
The Maoists launch a 'people's war' in 1996 to overthrow the monarchy. About 17,000 people die before a peace accord in November 2006 brings them into politics.
In 2015 Nepal accuses India of backing a months long border blockade during protests over its new constitution. In 2020 Nepal adds Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura, areas India controls, to its official map; the dispute is unresolved.
Today
Nepal now
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the principality of Gorkha united many of the other principalities and states of the sub-Himalayan region into a Nepali Kingdom. Nepal retained its independence after the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814-16, and the subsequent peace treaty laid the foundations for two centuries of amicable relations between Britain and Nepal.
- Capital
- Kathmandu
- Government
- federal parliamentary republic
- Head of government
- Pushpa Kamal Dahal
- Head of state
- Ram Chandra Poudel
- Languages
- Nepali
- Area
- 147,181 km²
Through time
Then and now
- Population29.7 million2023 · 8.4 million in 1950
- Life expectancy70.4 years2023 · 37.6 years in 1950
- GDP per person$3,0132022 · $802 in 1950
- Living in cities67%2025 · 3% in 1950
- Literacy69%2019 · 3% in 1950
- Political regimeElectoral democracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
- Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
- Military spending1.0% of GDP2025
- War deathsNone2025
Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.
Relations
Close partners and tensions
Close partners
- India
- United States
Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 24 October 2026.