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Geography
 Eight of the world's 10 highest mountains are found in Nepal. Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, is there. Nepal lies between China and India. It has nearly 30 million people. There is less than one telephone per 19 people. The country is 800 kilometres long, but only 200km wide.
 Moving  plates
 Nepal lies  where the Indian plate  meets the Eurasian plate. The Indian plate is moving north at about 50mm per year. This is about twice as fast as a human fingernail grows.
 Flag
 Nepal's flag is the only national flag  in the world that is not a rectangle. The red of the flag is for victory and fighting. The blue border is for peace.
 Living Goddess
 Nepal has a young living goddess. She is called the Kumari Devi. She is worshipped by the people. 
To become a goddess she has to pass some tests. The Kumari Devi is chosen from a group of poor girls aged  four to seven  from the Sakya community. 
 First test
 For the first test the little girls are put in a dark room with buffalo heads. Masked dancers are also in the room. There are also scary noises in the room. The girl who stays calm through the tests is chosen as the Kumari Devi. She is judged on 32 different points. These include the shape of her eyes and teeth. The colour of her eyes is important. The sound of her voice is also important. 
 Last test
 The last test the Kumari Devi does is to pick items of clothing worn by the Kumari before her.
 Life
 The little girl stays in the god-house. The government pays all her expenses. She has people who look after her. The Kumari does not go to school or study. This is sad as she does not get an education. It is believed that if she bleeds the spirit leaves her. This means that if she cuts herself she has to leave the god-house.
 Now do this:
 1 Name one country which lies next to Nepal
 a. China
 b. Malaysia
 c. Korea
 2 What is special about the flag of Nepal?
 a. It is round
 b. It is square
 c. It is not rectangular
 3 How old is the Kumari Devi when she is chosen?
 a. 8 - 10 years
 b. 4 - 7 years
 c. 2 - 5 years



A glimpse into life in Nepal