Kathmandu District

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Kathmandu
काठमाडौं जिल्ला
District
Location of Kathmandu District in Bagmati Zone
Location of Kathmandu District in Bagmati Zone
Country Nepal
Region Central
Zone Bagmati
Headquarters Kathmandu
Area
 • Total 395 km2 (153 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 1,744,240
 • Density 4,400/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
Time zone NPT (UTC+5:45)
Main language(s)
Website Official website

Kathmandu District (Nepali: काठमाडौं जिल्ला<phonos file="Kathmandu.ogg">Listen</phonos>; Nepal Bhasa: येँ जिल्ला) is a district located in Kathmandu Valley, Bagmati Zone of Nepal, a landlocked country in South Asia. It is one of the 75 districts of Nepal, covers an area of 395 km2 (153 sq mi), and is the most densely populated district of Nepal with 1,081,845 inhabitants in 2001 and 1,744,240 in 2011.[1] The district's headquarters is Kathmandu Metropolitan City, also the capital of Nepal.

Geography

Kathmandu district is one of the three districts located in Kathmandu Valley, which itself is located in the hills of Bagmati Zone, Central Development Region, Nepal. The district is located from 27°27′E to 27°49′E longitude and 85°10′N to 85°32′N latitude.[2]

The district is surrounded by:

The altitude of the district ranges from 1,262 m (4,140 ft) to 2,732 m (8,963 ft) above sea level.[2]

Geography and Climate

Climate Zone[3] Elevation Range  % of Area
Subtropical 1,000 to 2,000 meters
3,300 to 6,600 ft.		 88.2%
Temperate 2,000 to 3,000 meters
6,400 to 9,800 ft.		 11.8%

In the urban center, the temperature fluctuates between 32 °C in summer (June–July) to -2 °C in winter (December–January).[2] The annual rainfall of the district is 176.4 ml.[2]

Culture

Kathmandu district is a part of Kathmandu valley, which is a melting pot of various cultural groups, ethnicities, races, languages and religions. This vibrant culture is illustrated in the culture of the natives of the district, known as Newars, who are a multiethnic, multiracial, multireligious people bound by a Sanskritized Sino-Tibetan language of Kirat origins known as Nepal Bhasa. All the ancient settlements of the district have specific street festivals (jatras) arranged according to specific dates of the Nepal Sambat calendar. The main festivals celebrated are:

  • Yanya Punhi – literally meaning Kathmandu's full moon, a week-long festival during the Yenla (the month of Kathmandu) of Nepal Sambat, a festival started by Gunakamadev, the founder of Kathmandu city to commemorate the establishment of city
  • Gunla – a month in which musical bands and ordinary people make pilgrimage to Swayambhunath temple
  • Mohani or Dashain – the main festival of Nepal, celebrated by visiting the various Shaktipeeths around the city
  • Shivaratri – a very special festival in which people make small fire all around the city and take different types of toxic[clarification needed] in order to so[clarification needed] love to Lord Shiva
  • Buddha Jayanti
  • Sa Paru – a comic festival to commemorate dead relatives, celebrated during the full moon of Goon la
  • Chatha – the birthday of Lord Ganesha of Hindu pantheon
  • Holi
  • Pahan Chare – a festival of Animist origin celebrated by procession of matriarchs of Kathmandu
  • Shree Panchami – in the past children used to formally start education on this day. Presently, deities of wisdom, Saraswati and Manjushree (the mythological founder of the valley) are worshipped on this day
  • Swanti or Tihar – a five-day festival, the third day of which is called Laxmi Puja, when the families do their annual financial calculation and the next day marks the New Year according to Nepalese calendar, Nepal Sambat.

Along with these festivals, with the influx of population from other parts of Nepal, India, Tibet and South Asia, other festivals such as Teej, Chhath, Sakela, Lhosar, Janai Purnima, Deuda etc. are also celebrated.

Economy

Most of the offices and industry of Nepal are in Kathmandu. The major economic hubs are New Road, Durbar Marg, Putalisadak, Asan. The district exports handicrafts, artworks, garments, pashmina, paper etc. Tourism is one of the main industries of the district. Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world visit various religious places located in the district such as Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Buddhanilkantha etc. Freak Street and Thamel are noted tourist destinations for Western tourists.

Education

Kathmandu district is the pioneer district in education in many aspects in Nepal. Durbar High School (the first school of Nepal), Trichandra College (the first college of Nepal), Padma Kanya College (the first women's college) are all located in Kathmandu city. Tribhuwan University, the first university of Nepal, is located in Kirtipur municipality of Kathmandu district. Besides these, thousands of educational institutions are located in the district which cater students from Nepal, India, Bangladesh etc.

Administration

Map of the VDCs in Kathmandu District

The district is regulated by Municipality. The district consists of 10 Municipalities and 1 metropolitan city.[4] These are as follows: Kathmandu  · Budanilkantha  · Chandragiri  · Dakshinkali  · Gokarneshwor  · Kageshwori Manohara  · Kirtipur  · Nagarjun  · Shankharapur  · Tarakeshwor  · Tokha

Demographics

The total population of the district is 1,744,240 out of which 913,001 are male and 831,239 female in 436,355 households. Average family size was 4.6 in 2001 and 4.0 in 2011 [5]

Hospitals


See also

References

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  5. ↑ DDC Kathmandu statistical report

External links

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