Gandaki zone

The Gandaki zone lies in the western administrative region of Nepal. It is named as Sapta Ganadaki after the seven tributaries (Kali Gandaki, Trishuli, Budhi Gandaki, Marsyangdi, Madi, Seti Gandaki, and Daraudi) that make up the Gandaki River. Pokhara serves as its regional and zonal capital. It is also the birthplace of Bhanubhakta Acharya, first poet of Nepal. The Gandaki zone is home to multiple cultures which are unique in themselves. Some, like the Magar, Gurung, have made themselves famous as Gurkha people.

Gandaki is divided into 6 districts, listed below with the headquarters in parentheses:

Gorkha District (Gorkha)

Kaski District (Pokhara)

Lamjung District (Besisahar)

Manang District (Chame)

Syangja District (Syangja)

Tanahu District (Damauli)

Gorkha District a part of Gandaki Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country of South Asia. The district, with Pokharithok, later known as Prithivi Narayan Nagarpalika as its district headquarters, covers an area of 3,610km² and has a population (2001) of 288,134. It is the location of the Manakamana Temple.

Kaski District covers an area of 2,017 km² and has a population (2001) of 380,527 with Pokhara as its district headquarter. The district covers parts of the Annapurna mountain range, and the picturesque scene of the mountains can be observed from most parts of the district. It is one of the best tourist destinations of Nepal.

Lamjung District covers an area of 1,692 km² and has a population (2001) of 177,149 Besisahar as its district headquarter. Lamjung mainly consists of agricultural villages. The picture on the right is a scene taken in a village called "Kapur Gaun".

Manang District covers an area of 2,246 km² and has a population (2001) of 9,587 Chame as its district headquarter. The pass of Thorung La at 5415 meters above the sea connects the district to Mustang District by providing a route between the towns of Manang and Muktinath.

Syangja District covers an area of 1,164 km² and has a population (2001) of 317,320 with Syangja as its district headquarter. Syangja lies at the height of about 1088 meters (3572 feet) above the sea level.

Tanahun District, covers an area of 1,546 km² and has a population (2001) of 315,237 with Damauli as its district headquarter. Previously the town of Bandipur was its district headquarters.

Koshi Zone

Koshi Zone is one of fourteen Zones of Nepal, comprising six districts, namely, Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Morang, Sankhuwasabha, Sunsari, and Terhathum. The headquarters of Koshi zone is Biratnagar and is also its largest city. Other cities of Koshi zone are Inaruwa, Dharan, Dhankuta and Itahari. Its main rivers are the Arun, Tamar and Sapta Koshi. There are 275 Village Development Committees. and 6 Municipalities in Koshi Zone.

Koshi Zone is divided into six districts:

Bhojpur District

Dhankuta District

Morang District

Sankhuwasabha District

Sunsari District

Terhathum District

Bhojpur district, a part of Kosi Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal, a landlocked country in South AsiaThe district, with Bhojpur as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,507 km² and has a population (2001) of 203,018. Traditionally, the inhabitants of this area have been the indigenous Rai ethnic group; the Newar ethnic group being the main people in the Bhojpur town.

Dhankuta District covers an area of 891 km² and has a population (2001) of 166,479., Dhankuta is the district headquarters and a major administrative region in the Eastern region.

Morang District covers an area of 1,855 km² and has a population (2001) of 843,220 with Biratnagar as its district headquarter.

Morang is a district on the southern Tarai, or plains, of Eastern Nepal. Most of the land is taken up by rice and jute cultivation, though areas of sal forest remain along the northern part of the district where the plains meet the hills.

Sankhuwasabha District covers an area of 3,480 km² and has a population (2001) of 159,203 with Khandbari as its district headquarter. Indigenous ethnics Yakkhas, Rais, Limbus, and other hill castes (e.g. Chhetri, Bahuns) and ethnic groups (e.g. Newars, Sherpas) live in this district.

Sunsari District covers an area of 1,257 km² and has a population (as of the 2001 census) of 625,633 with Inaruwa as its district headquarter. Major cities in Sunsari district are Dharan (the third largest city in Nepal), Itahari, Tarahara, Duhabi, and Inaruwa.

Terhathum District  covers an area of 679 km² and has a population (2001) of 113,111 Myanglung as its district headquarte. The word Tehrathum is constructed from thirteen ("tehra") and "thum" (castle or fort). This can be spelled as Terathum, Tehrathum or Terhathum. The town supposedly is the site of one of a series of guard posts once protecting the territory of the Limbus (Limbuwan).

Bagmati zone

Bagmati Zone is one of the zones out of 14 zones, which falls in central Development Region out of five development regions of Nepal. Its total area is 9428 square K.M. Eight districts fall in Bagmati Zone are Rasuwa, Dhading, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchok, Kavrepalanchok, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and Kathmandu. There are 409 Village Development Committees. and 8 Municipalities, a sub metropolitan and metropolitan city in Bagmati Zone. The zone contains the Kathmandu Valley with its conurbation of 1.5 million inhabitants.

Katmandu, city, capital of Nepal, central Nepal, c.4,500 ft (1,370 m) above sea level, is located in a fertile valley of the E Himalayas. The other famous towns in Bagmati Zone are Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.

Kathmandu is really two cities: a fabled capital of convivial pilgrims and carved rose-brick temples and an amazing urban sprawl including monks and beggars. The sights are heavily clustered in the old part of town. Creativity and patience are required to navigate the city's narrow, often unmarked streets, but if you lose your way, simply ask a passerby for directions. Durbar Square, home to the old Royal Palace and the centre of the old town, lies between the river and Kantipath on Ganga Path, the city's busiest road. To its south is Freak Street, once the centre of hippy Kathmandu but now a bit of a backwater. Thamel, the new tourist epicentre, is about 20 minutes walk north of Durbar Square. Bagmati Zone is a zone of Nepal which is named after the Bagmati River.

Dhawalagiri zone

Dhawalagiri (or Dhaulagiri) is one of the fourteen zones of Nepal. It comes under the Western division of Nepal. Baglung is the headquarters of this zone. Famous trekking areas like Mustang, Muktinath, Kali Gandaki valley and Mt Dhaulagiri fall in this zone. Mt. Dhaulagiri 8167m. is the 7th highest mountain in the world and its located in the Dhaulagiri Himal. Mt. Dhaulagiri lies in the Dhaulagiri Zone of north-central Nepal, northwest of Pokhara.  Its name is derived from Sanskrit “Dhavala" means "White" and Giri is "Mountain".

Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, the only hunting reserve in Nepal is spread over Baglung and Myagdi districts of this Zone.

Dhaulagiri Zone falls in Western Development Region out of five development regions of Nepal. Its total area is 8148 square K.M. Four districts fall in Dhaulagiri Zone are Mustang, Myagdi, Baglung and Parbat. There are 159 Village Development Committees. and 1 Municipalities in Dhaulagiri zone.

Dhawalagiri is divided into 4 districts, listed below with the headquarters in parentheses:

Baglung District (Baglung)

Mustang District (Jomsom)

Myagdi District (Beni)

Parbat District (Kusma)

Janakpur Zone

Janakpur Zone (Nepali: जनकपुर) is one of the 14 zones of Nepal, reaching from the Indian border in the south to the Tibetan border in the north and Sagarmatha zone in east and Bagmati and Naryani zones in west.

The headquarters of Janakpur zone and its main city is Janakpur. Close to the Indian border, it is a historic city of Hinduism. The city was believed to be the capital city of the King Janak, the father in law of Lord Rama, the son of the then King of Ayodhya, Dasharatha. The city was then called 'Mithila Nagari'. The name of this zone is related to the historic king Janak and his capital Janakpur. Janakpur, more commonly Janakpurdham, is a city in Nepal. Janakpurdham is the administrative headquarters of the Dhanusa District of the Janakpur Zone and has a population of approximately 95,000. The city is located about 400 km south-east of Kathmandu, 20 km from the Indian border. Janakpurdham has a substantial tourist industry due to its significance in the Hindu religion and is home to the only operational railway in Nepal, the Janakpur Railway.

Other cities of Janakpur zone are Kamalamai (in Inner Tarai) and Bhimeshwor and Bardibas, Dhalkebar, Jaleshwor, Malangwa, and Matihani (outer Terai).

Janakpur Zone falls in central Development Region out of five development regions of Nepal. Its total area is 9669 square K.M. six districts fall in Janakpur Zone are Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Sarlahi, Dhanusha, and Mahottari. There are 432 Village Development Committees. and 5 Municipalities in Janakpur Zone.

Sagarmatha Zone

Sagarmāthā zone (सगरमाथा अञ्चल) is a zone in eastern Nepal. It includes mountain districts of the Himalayas (including Mount Everest) in the north, hill districts in the center, and valley districts of the Terai in the south. The borders of this zone are China to the north, India to the south, the Koshi Zone to the east and the Janakpur Zone to the west.

Sagarmāthā Zone is divided into six districts:

• Khotang District
• Okhaldhunga District
• Saptari District
• Siraha District
• Solukhumbu District
• Udayapur District

The main city of the Sagarmāthā zone is Rajbiraj which is also the headquarters. Other towns of the Sagarmāthā hill area are Katari, Okhaldunga, Diktel, Salleri, Namchebajar, while Lahan, Rajbiraj, and Sirah are in the outer Terai.

Sagarmāthā takes its name from the Nepalese name for Mount Everest, which is located in the very north of the zone within the Sagarmatha National Park (1148 km²) in the Solu Khumbu district. Sagarmāthā means "on top of the world"

KARNALI ZONE

The Karnali zone is the largest and most isolated of Nepal’s fourteen zones; this administrative zone occupies about fifteen percent (about 5,000 square miles) of Nepal’s total area. The zone is northwest of the capital, Kathmandu. The town of Jumla is the administrative center of the entire zone and is only a short trek from the impressive Rara Lake, which was designated a National Park beginning in 1975. Like most of Nepal, the majority of the people practice Hinduism although Buddhism does have a following. It is easy to see how the location of Nepal between India and Tibet has had an effect on the religion and culture of the people. Karnali Anchal is an anchal or zone in the Mid-Western Development Region of Nepal. Karnali Zone is one of the poorest and most remote regions of Nepal, not very accessible by road yet. There are airfields in all districts except Kalikot which is connected by seasonal roadways to Jumla Airport. Karnali Zone is the largest zone of Nepal, with two National Parks. Shey Phoksundo National Park Shey Phoksundo (with Phoksundo Lake), famous for the Snow Leopard is Nepal's largest Park with area of 3,555km². Rara National Park surrounds Rara Lake -- Nepal's largest lake 10.2km² -- known as the Pearl of Nepal.

Karnali is divided into 5 districts:

• Dolpa District
• Humla District
• Jumla District
• Kalikot District
• Mugu District