The early settlement of Nepal was accompained by the large-scale migrations of Mongols from northern part of Asia and Indo-Aryan people from northern India. The huge migrations had produced a diverse linguistic, ethnic, and religious pattern in Nepal. There are seventy ethnic groups although there are four major casts as; Brahman (the ruling cast), Chetri (the wariors), Baishya and Sudra (counted as the lowest cast). Nepalese of Indo-Aryan ancestry comprise the people of the Tarai. The group is divided as; Pahadi (people from mid mountains), Newar (business people) and Tharus (majority of lowland or Tarai). For centuries, the the ruling families have been from the Indo-Aryan ancestry (hindu background) in the country. The Mongol-Nepalese groups are as; Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Bhote (including Sherpa), and Sunwar, who live in the north and east, while the Magar and Gurung inhabit west and central Nepal.
The principal and official language of Nepal is Nepali, spoken in the Tarai and the mid-mountain region. Nepali is a derivative of Sanskrit which belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family. There are numbers of regional dialects found in the Tarai and mountain areas. The languages of the north and east belong predominantly to the Mongol-Burman family. These include Magar, Gurung, Rai, Limbu, Sunwar, Tamang, Newari, and a number of Bhote dialects, including Sherpa and Thakali. Although Newari is commonly placed in the Mongol-Burman family, it was influenced by both Mongol-Burman and Indo-European languages.
In Nepal a vast majority of the population is Hindu (90%), and out of other 10%, 5% are Buddhist, 3% are Muslim and 2% are other.
Most of the Nepalese live in villages or in small market centres. Beside Kathmandu, there are no major cities. Smaller towns (Biratnagar, Nepaljung, and Birjung) are located in the Tarai along with the Indian border, and Pokhara is situated in a valley in the mid-mountain region. In addition, a few townships—such as Hitaura, Butwal, and Dharan—have begun to emerge in the foothills and hill areas, where economic activity has developed.
