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1768 - Gurkha ruler Prithvi Narayan Shah conquers Kathmandu and lays foundations for unified kingdom.
1792 - Nepalese expansion halted by defeat at hands of Chinese in Tibet.
1814-16 - Anglo-Nepalese War; culminates in treaty which establishes Nepal's current boundaries.
1846 - Nepal falls under sway of hereditary chief ministers known as Ranas, who dominate the monarchy and cut off country from outside world.
1923 - Treaty with Britain affirms Nepal's sovereignty. | | | | |
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| | Nepal is often characterised as a nation caught in two different worlds, having one leg in the sixteenth century and another in the 20th century. | | | |
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| | Landlocked geography, rugged terrain, deficiency of natural resources, and poor infrastructure have mainly contributed to Nepal's underdevelopment. | | | |
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| | In 1990, the King, formerly an absolute monarch, legalised political parties, after which an interim government promulgated a new democratic Constitution. | | | |
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| | The sovereignty lies in the hands of the people, and the Constitution has been drafted with the greatest possible participation of the masses. | | | |
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| | King Birendra ruled absolutely for 18 years before the people's movement of 1990 convinced him to lift the ban on political parties. | | |
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With the world's highest mountain, Everest, and spectacular scenery and wildlife, the country has become a popular destination for tourists. | | |
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