Part of the country series of articles.
TRAVEL ADVISORY: NORMAL PRECAUTIONSThe Commonwealth advises travellers to exercise normal precautions when travelling in this country. Travellers should familiarise themselves with local laws and customs and consular availability.
| Confederation of the Himalayas | |
|---|---|
| Confederation of Kingdoms | |
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| Capital | Kathmandu |
| Languages | Nepali, Dzongkha, Sikkimese, Naga, and many other languages |
| Population | 12,400,000 |
The Confederation of the Himalayas is a federal union of mountain kingdoms occupying the high ranges and foothills between India and China, comprising Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and the northeastern hill states of Kumeng, Subansiri, Siang, Lohit, Tirap and Nagaland. It was formed during the collapse of the British Raj and the Eastern Emergency, and has secured its independence through careful neutrality and difficult terrain. Its status as a buffer state is useful to India and China, which have established their own “cold war.”
The country is not particularly industrial and has no ambitions in that direction. Its income comes primarily from tourism, which the member kingdoms manage with varying degrees of enthusiasm and restriction, and from tea exported to Commonwealth, European and Japanese markets. The hill states of the northeast produce some of the most sought-after varieties in Asia. Kathmandu functions as the federal capital and its most cosmopolitan city, though each kingdom retains its own court, customs and considerable autonomy. The confederation’s institutions are small and chaotic, and its member states have more in common with each other culturally than politically.