Kathmandu

Capital of Nepal: population, location, elevation, climate and landmarks.

Kathmandu Avion 01

Kathmandu Avion 01: Royonx, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Overview

Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal, in Bagmati Province. About 1.4 million people live in the city proper, making it the 1st largest city of Nepal in our atlas.

It lies at 27.70° N, 85.32° E, about 1,317 m (4,321 ft) above sea level, and keeps time on the Asia/Kathmandu time zone.

Location

Red dot: Kathmandu. Green dots: other major cities of Nepal. Map data: Natural Earth.

Climate

Kathmandu has a humid subtropical (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwa). The warmest month is usually May, with average highs near 30°C (86°F); the coolest nights come in Jan at about 6°C (42°F). Around 1,084 mm (43 in) of rain and snow falls in a typical year, most of it in Jul.

16°6°Jan1020°8°Feb1724°12°Mar2129°16°Apr3730°19°May8929°20°Jun17026°20°Jul28026°20°Aug23824°19°Sep16923°15°Oct4520°11°Nov317°8°Dec5mm

Bars: average daily high and low (°C) for each month; blue columns and figures: average precipitation (mm). Gridded 2001-2025 averages from NASA POWER, so mountain and coastal spots can differ from local station records.

Landmarks and places to see

Dharahara
DharaharaNine storey tower built in 1832
Narayanhiti Palace
Narayanhiti PalacePalace in Kathmandu, Nepal
Basantapur Durbar Square
Basantapur Durbar SquareSquare in Kathmandu, Nepal
Singha Durbar
Singha DurbarPalace in Kathmandu, Nepal
Hanuman Dhoka
Hanuman DhokaKathmandu's old royal palace
Kathmandu Zoo
Kathmandu ZooZoo
Halchowk Stadium
Halchowk StadiumStadium
Indra Chowk
Indra ChowkMarket square in Kathmandu

Popular sights within a few kilometres of the city centre, ranked by how widely they are documented on Wikipedia.

What to eat in NepalNational dishes, street food, desserts and drinks on Intercontinental Chef.

Nearby major cities

← NepalAll cities

Sources

Text written by Geographical Effect from these sources.

Photo credits
  • Kathmandu Avion 01: Royonx, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • KATHMANDU NEPAL FEB 2013 (8581665041): calflier001, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Narayanhiti Palace Museum, crop: Suraj Belbase, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Kathmandu-Durbar Square-12-Mini-Vishnu-Pratapamalla-Jagannath-2013-gje: Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Kathmandu-35: Sigismund von Dobschütz, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Nasalchwok by Mahalaxmi silwal 16: Mahalaxmi silwal, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Zoo Kathmandu Nepal (5085903803): S Pakhrin from DC, USA, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • SAFF Championship 2013 (3): Krish Dulal, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Wangah square: Kamal Ratna Tuladhar, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)