Mustang from Tibetan Mun Tan which means fertile plain, Mustang or Kingdom of Lo is part of the Kingdom of Nepal and one of its districts (see Mustang District), in the north-east of that country, bordering China (Tibet) on the Central Asian plateau between the Nepalese provinces of Dolpo and Manang. It is roughly 80 km long (north-south) and 45 km at its widest, and is at an elevation of over 2500 m.
The population is around 9,000, spread between three towns and approximately thirty smaller settlements; the people are either Thakalis or Tibetan.
Most of the population of Mustang live near the river, 2-3,000 m above sea level, but the tough conditions cause a large seasonal migration into lower regions of Nepal. The administrative centre of the district is at Jomsom (Dzong Sampa), population 5,363 (1998), which has had an airport since 1962 and has become the main tourist centre since the area was opened to tourism in the 1970s.
Mustang was once an independent kingdom, although closely tied by language and culture to Tibet. From the 15th century to the 17th century, its strategic location granted Mustang control over the trade between the Himalayas and India. By the end of the 18th century, the kingdom was annexed by Nepal.
However, the monarchy still survives as the Kingdom of Lo in Upper (northern) Mustang, with its capital at Lo Manthang. The current king (raja or gyelpo) is Jigme Parbal Bista, who traces his lineage back to Ame Pal the warrior who founded the Buddhist kingdom in 1450.
Even though foreign visitors are allowed to the kingdom since 1991, tourism to Upper Mustang is very restricted. Foreigners need to obtain a special permit to enter, which costs $700 per 10 days per person.
The Orinoco delta is a vast, intricate labyrinth of waterways weaving through a simmering jungle to carry the waters of the Orinoco to the Atlantic Ocean. The Orinoco Delta - the landmass now known as Delta Amacuro State - has formed over the course of thousands of years as the mighty river has deposited millions of tonnes of sediment into the ocean. Over the last century alone, some 1,000km² has been added to the delta, which continues to extend into the Atlantic at a rate of 40m per year over its entire 360km coastline. The Orinoco branches off into over 60 cańos (waterways) and 40 rivers which diffuse through 41,000km² of forested islands, swamps and lagoons.
