Nepal is located in the South Asian region, bordering the mainland to the north and India in all other directions. From the map, Nepal does not seem to be big, but in fact, Nepal is not a small country, just because it is sandwiched between two large countries, China and India, it seems relatively small in comparison.
Nepal has a total area of about 147,000 square kilometers and a population of about 30 million. If you compare Nepal with European countries, Nepal's territory and population are higher than many European countries.
In fact, in history, Nepal was even larger than it is now. Nepal is called Gurkha in ancient times, and the Gurkhas have long lived in the southern foothills of the Himalayas and are known for their bravery and good fighting. In the 19th century, a large number of Gurkha soldiers were recruited by the British to join the British army in India, maintaining British rule in India for a long time.
During the Great Indian Uprising in the 19th century, Gurkha soldiers directly participated in the British war against India and helped the British army quickly quell the uprising. After that, the British paid more attention to the Gurkha Legion and stationed Gurkha soldiers in many key areas of India. Even after India's independence, the British retained the Gurkha Legion, and during the Falklands War, Gurkha soldiers still served the British. Until now, there was a Gurkha mercenary brigade in the British army, with about 3700 soldiers.
The Gurkhas fought bravely and built powerful dynasties throughout history, as the Gurkhas expanded into South Asia and incorporated large swathes of land into the Kingdom of Nepal. So what lands did Nepal control during its heyday?
As early as the first millennium BC, the cradles had settled in Nepal at the southern foot of the Himalayas, and by the 8th century BC, several small kingdoms had emerged in Nepal, mainly Kirat, Richavi, Mara and other dynasties. In its long history, Nepal has not formed a unified state.
Until the 12th century, Nepal established a unified Mala dynasty, and after Nepal's unification, it continued to expand abroad, expanding from the central valley region of present-day Nepal to the south to the plains, and the specific area has been the same as the area of present-day Nepal. By the 18th century, Nepal had entered the Shah dynasty.
At that time, the British had established colonial rule in India, and many Indian princely states were integrated by the British and became part of British India. The Shah king of Nepal, Prittvie, realized that he had to grow his strength or Nepal would become part of British India, like the princely states of India.
After that, King Prithvi led his army to expand into the Gangetic Plain and other areas, controlling large areas such as Darjeeling, Sikkim, Kumaang, and Gawar. Darjeeling is located in the northern part of what is now the Indian state of West Bengal, near Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim. The Darjeeling region belongs to the foothills of the Himalayas, with an average altitude of about 2,200 meters, surrounded by mountains, lush vegetation and beautiful scenery.
Historically, the Darjeeling region has been controlled by Nepal or Sikkim, and in 1787, Nepal invaded Sikkim and captured Radazi, the capital of Sikkim at the time, and completely controlled the whole of Sikkim. Since then, Nepal has taken control of Darjeeling and other areas to the south.
At the same time, Nepal continued to expand to the west and south, extending as far west as Kashmir, but did not establish rule, but only incorporated the western Kuma'an region.
In the southern Gangetic region, Nepal controlled the Gawar region. By the end of the 18th century, the Kingdom of Nepal had reached its peak, controlling an area of about 240,000 square kilometers. But by the early 19th century, British rule in India had stabilized and it had begun to expand northward, invading Nepal.
In 1814, Britain finally defeated Nepal by strong force, forcing Nepal to sign an unequal treaty that lost power and humiliated the country. Under the treaty, Nepal was forced to cede large tracts of land in the east, south, and west to British India, while Nepal's diplomacy was subject to British supervision.
After World War II, British rule officially ended, and British India was divided into two countries, India and Pakistan, and India inherited most of the land of British India. Now Sikkim has become the Indian state of Sikkim, and the Darjeeling region belongs to the Indian states of West Bengal and Bihar. Kuma'ang now belongs to the Indian states of Him Kal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The southern Gawar region belongs to the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. At this point, these lands under Nepal's historical control have become part of the territory of India, and the territory of Nepal is maintained at 147,000 square kilometers.