Rice transplanting. Reality of life starts very early for these children who are trying to imitate their parents. - - General: General. The Kingdom of Nepal with an area of 147 181 km2 is located on the mid-Himalayan section of Asia. It is a small landlocked country, situated at a distance of about 500 km from the nearest sea, with approximately 77 percent of its total area consisting of mountains, hills, elevated plains and river valleys. The highest peak in the world, Mount Everest, is located in Nepal. The total population of the country is about 18.5 million and its growth rate is 2.6 percent per annum. Agriculture is the dominant activity of the Nepalese people and it provides employment to 93 percent of the total population and brings in 52 percent of Nepal?s total revenue. Being a mountainous country, the cultivated land is limited to merely 18 percent of the total area. Farming is mainly of subsistence type and yield per unit of land is very low. With a per capita income of US$140 per annum, Nepal is considered one of the poorest countries in the world.