Mechi Zone

Mechi (), was one of the fourteen zones of Nepal and one of the four zones of Eastern Development Region. It was the easternmost zone of Nepal, with its headquarters at Ilam.

Geography
The Mechi Zone had Sikkim and West Bengal (India) to the east, Bihar (India) to the south, the Koshi Zone to the west and the Tibet Autonomous Region (People's Republic of China) to the north.

It was the smallest zone of the Eastern Development Region with an area of  and a population of only 1,422,182 people living there in 2011. Its population density is 173.5 persons/km2.

The most important river in the Mechi Zone is the Mechi, tributary of the Mahananda River. Another river is the Tamar River.

In the northern part of the zone, mainly in the Taplejung district that is in the eastern Himalayas, there are several high mountains. The highest is Kanchenjunga () that, with  high, is the third highest mountain of the world; it is on the border with Sikkim and in the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area.


Administrative subdivisions
The zone had 4 Districts and 190 Village Development Committees/Municipalities (VDC - the smallest administrative units):

 Zone Nepali name Population(2011)  Area (km²) Pop. density (inh/km²) VDCs Ilam  इलाम  290,254  1,703  170.4  49 Jhapa  झापा  812,650  1,606  506.0  50 Panchthar  पाँचथर  191,817  1,241  154.6  41 Taplejung  ताप्लेजुङ  127,461  3,646  35.0  50 Total    1,422,182  8,196  173.5  190

Main VDCs and municipalities
The VDCs and municipalities with more inhabitants are found in the Jhapa district, mainly the municipalities of Damak (75,102) and Mechinagar (57,545); others in the same district are Anarmani (42,712), Surunga (27,470) and Satasidham (26,171).

In the Ilam district, the main VDCs and municipalities are the municipality of Ilam (18,633), Chulachuli (17,324), Danabari (14,302), Phikal Bazar (11,264).

In the Panchthar district, the only important VCS is Phidim (17,399), and in the Taplejung district is Phungling (14,974).

Related pages
Zones of Nepal
Districts of Nepal
Development Regions of Nepal

References

Other websites

 Map of Nepal: Taplejung District

Category:Zones of Nepal