Nepali people

Nepali

नेपाली
Amar Singh Thapa, a Nepali legend
Total population
c. 30 million
Regions with significant populations
Nepal	26,494,504a
India	2,871,749b
Bhutan	265,000b
United States	59,490c
Hong Kong, China	15,950c
Canada	9,780c
China (Mainland)	3,500c
Myanmar	300,000c
Languages
Awadhi Bhojpuri Gurung Kiranti Limbu Magar Maithili Nepali Nepal Bhasa Rai Sherpa Tamang Tharu
Religion
Predominantly Hinduism and Buddhism
a Total population of Nepal, b Nepali-speaking population, c Nepali diaspora

Nepalis, also referred to as Nepalese (Nepali: नेपाली गण), are the Indo-Aryan and Sino-Tibetan citizens of Nepal under the provisions of Nepali nationality law. The country is home to people of many different national origins. As a result, people of Nepal do not equate their nationality with ethnicity, but with citizenship and allegiance. Although citizens make up the majority of Nepalese, non-citizen residents, dual citizen, and expatriates may also claim a Nepalese identity. Nepalese are descendants of migrants from parts of India, Tibet, and parts of Burma and Yunnan, and much further traces origin to Central Asia, along with indigenous peoples.

Nepal is a multicultural and multiethnic country. Kathmandu Valley, in the middle hill region, constitutes a small fraction of the nation's area but is the most densely populated, with almost 5 percent of the nation's population.

Local legends say that a Hindu sage named "Ne" established himself in the valley of Kathmandu in prehistoric times and that the word "Nepal" came into existence as the place was protected ("pala" in Pali) by the sage "Ne". It is mentioned in Vedic texts that this region was called Nepal centuries ago. According to the Skanda Purana, a rishi called "Ne" or "Nemuni" used to live in the Himalayas. In the Pashupati Purana, he is mentioned as a saint and a protector. He is said to have practised meditation at the Bagmati and Kesavati rivers and to have taught there.