Nyalam
Encyclopedia
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an town near the Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
border. It is the county seat of Nyalam County
Nyalam County
Nyalam County is a county in Tibet's Xigazê Prefecture. It borders on Nepal.The land area of the county is 7,903 square km. The population as of 2003 was 10,000. The postal code for the county is 858300.The county seat is in Nyalam Town....
in Xigaze Prefecture
Xigazê Prefecture
Xigazê is a prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region in China.The administrative center of the prefecture is the city of Shigatse ....
(part of the historical Tsang Province of the old Tibet). It is 35 km from Zhangmu
Zhangmu
Zhama Town, a.k.a. Zhangmu Town , is a customs town and port of entry located in Nyalam County on the Nepal-China border, just uphill and across the Bhote Koshi River from the Nepalese town of Kodari...
town in the same county, which is the point of entry to Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
Nyalam is situated at 3,750 metres (12,300 ft) above sea level. A town of stone buildings and tin roofs, it is nicknamed 'The Gate of Hell' by the Nepalese traders because the old trail between Nyalam and the Nepalese border was so treacherous to negotiate.
Now Nyalam is on China-Nepal Highway between Kathmandu and Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
. South of Nyalam the road drops abruptly through the gorge of the Matsang Tsangpo or Sun Kosi
Sun Kosi
The Sun Kosi or Matsang Tsangpo is a trans-boundary river and is part of the Kosi or Sapta Kosi river system in Nepal. It originates in Tibet Autonomous Region of China.-Etymology:...
as it is known in Nepal. The town is 30 km from the Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
ese border in 30 km and 152 km from Kathmandu. Heading north from Nyalam, the highway crosses a succession of passes, finally entering the catchment of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra then reaching Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
after 750 km.