The city of Kathmandu is named after Kasthamandap temple, which stood in Durbar Square. In Sanskrit Kastha means “wood” and mandap means “covered shelter”.
Kathmandu is the largest metropolis in Nepal with 1.4 billion people living in the city centre and 2.5 billion including the urban surroundings. The city stands at an evaluation of approximately 1400m above sea level in the bowl shaped Kathmandu Valley. The city was the royal capital of the Kingdom of Nepal and hosts palaces, mansions and gardens of the Nepalese aristocracy. Kathmandu is the centre of Nepal’s history, art, culture and economy.
Chitwan National Park (CNP), established in 1973, was Nepal’s first National Park. Located in the Southern Central Terai of Nepal, it formerly extended over the foothills, the property covers an area of 93,200 hectares, extends over four districts: Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Parsa and Makwanpur.
