Nepal is about 800 km long and 150–250 km wide, and rises from around 70 m above sea level in the south to 8,849 m at the summit of Everest. Few countries have so much altitude in so little space.
- Mountains (about 15%)
- Above roughly 4,000 m, snow-covered for much of the year and thinly populated. Sherpa, Thakali, Tamang and other peoples live from herding, trade and, increasingly, mountaineering.
- Hills (about 68%)
- Ridges and valleys, including the Kathmandu and Pokhara valleys. Little of the land is flat enough to farm, so hillsides are terraced.
- Terai (about 17%)
- The hot, fertile plains along the Indian border, generally below 300 m. The country's granary and home to Chitwan and Bardia national parks.
Eight of the world's fourteen peaks over 8,000 m are wholly or partly in Nepal. Three great river systems, the Koshi in the east, the Gandaki in the centre and the Karnali in the west, rise north of the main range and cut deep gorges through it. They carry huge hydropower potential and some of the best rafting in Asia.