Various activities going on at a local market in Nepal - a kid stares out at the world from outside her mother's shop, a man wearing a Nepali topi stares at the world, a Hindu woman with a tikka on her forehead accompanies her daughter, a mean speaks out aloud on his loudspeaker, motorcycle, pedestrian and car traffic honk horns and make their way through, a woman in a red salwar kameez suit stands on the road-side waiting for her ride to arrive (and arrive it does in the form of a Maruti 800 car), a man idles by his cycle rickshaw waiting for a paying customer, mixing and eating khaini in the palm of his hand, para-military personnel stand by in Thamel - another day in the life of pre-earthquake Kathmandu!
Kathmandu is the capital and largest municipality of Nepal. Kathmandu, Biratnagar and Pokhara are the first, second and third largest cities of Nepal respectively. It is the only city of Nepal with the administrative status of Mahanagar (Metropolitan City), as compared to Upa-Mahanagar (Sub-Metropolitan City) or Nagar (City). Kathmandu is the core of Nepal's largest urban agglomeration located in the Kathmandu Valley consisting of Lalitpur, Kirtipur, Madhyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur and a number of smaller communities. Kathmandu is also known informally as "KTM" or the "tri-city". According to the 2011 census, Kathmandu Metropolitan City has a population of 1,003,285 and measures 49.45 square kilometres (19.09 sq mi).
The city stands at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) in the bowl-shaped Kathmandu Valley of central Nepal. It is surrounded by four major mountains: Shivapuri, Phulchoki, Nagarjun, and Chandragiri. Kathmandu Valley is part of three districts (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur), has the highest population density in the country, and is home to about a twelfth of Nepal's population.
Historically, the Kathmandu Valley and adjoining areas were known as Nepal Mandala. Until the 15th century, Bhaktapur was its capital when two other ca
