Nepal is a nation located between China and India. Approximately 28,109 people call Nepal home (Government of Canada, 2015). As a whole, Nepal encompasses about 147,181km2 (Government of Canada, 2015), and is divided into three major ecological zones (figure 1) known as the mountain, hill, and terai regions (Sharma, 2015).

 

Figure 1: The ecological zones and development regions of Nepal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Muzzini, 2013).

 

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world, with about one-quarter of its population living below the poverty line (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014a). As illustrated in figure 2, agriculture contributes the most to the economy, providing income for more than 70% of the population and accounting for just over one-third of GDP (Central Intelligence Agency, 2014a). 

 

Figure 2: Percentage contribution to GDP by different sectors in Nepal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Khanal, 2015).