Nepal is a landlocked country of South Asia, located in the Himalayas between India and China. The terrain is generally mountainous and contains many of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest (8,848 meters [m]). The country also has low-lying areas in the south with elevations less than 100 m. About 80% of the country’s 28 million inhabitants (2019) live in rural areas.Nepal’s climate varies considerably both seasonally and according to altitude. Nepal can be divided into different climate zones according to altitude, ranging from the Terai region in the south at less than 500 m above sea level to the High Himalayan region in the north at over 5,000 m. Average temperatures decline from a peak of over 24°C in the south down to sub-zero temperatures in Nepal’s highest mountains. Precipitation is spatially variable with some central and northerly pockets of the country receiving more than 3,000 millimeters (mm), the central and southern plains typically receiving 1,500 – 2,000 mm, and some high-altitude areas in the north receiving less than 1,000 mm.