Biratnagar

Biratnagar is a metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Province No. 1 and was the capital city of King Virata in Mahabharat era. With a population of 242,548 as per the 2011 census, it is the largest city in the province and also the headquarters of Morang district. As per the preliminary report of 2021 Nepal census, Biratnagar has an estimated city population of 244,750. It is one of the cities of the Greater Birat Development Area which incorporates the cities of Biratnagar-Itahari-Gothgau-Biratchowk-Dharan primarily located on the Koshi Highway in Eastern Nepal, with an estimated total urban agglomerated population of 804,300 people living in 159,332 households. Biratnagar is located 399 km (248 mi) east of the capital, Kathmandu, and 6 km (3.7 mi) north of the bordering town of Jogbani in the Indian state of Bihar. The highest peak in the world, Mount Everest, is situated 174 km (108 mi) north of the city.

Biratnagar was declared a metropolitan city on 22 May 2017, thus pushing the total population to over 240,000. It is the sixth most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, Pokhara, Bharatpur, Lalitpur and Birgunj, with 244,750 inhabitants living in 45,204 households as per 2021 Nepal census. It is the most densely populated city among all cities out of the Kathmandu Valley.