One of the world's poorest countries, more than 80 percent of the population depends on agriculture. The first images to come out of Nepal have mainly been in towns and cities, where the damage is still being assessed. Many cultural treasures are in ruins.
A Nepalese man cries as he walks through the earthquake debris in Bhaktapur, near Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, April 26, 2015. (AP / Niranjan Shrestha)
THE CITY
Located about 13 kilometres east of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur is filled with Hindu temples and other elaborate structures and buildings, and is known as Nepal's Cultural Gem.
It is one of three royal cities in the Kathmandu Valley, with the others being Kathmandu and Patan.
Bhaktapur, which has a population of about 300,000, has the best preserved old city centre in Nepal, and is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
An elderly injured woman is taken home through earthquake debris after treatment in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, April 26, 2015. (AP / Niranjan Shrestha)
THE DESTRUCTION
While the full extent of the destruction in Bhaktapur caused by Saturday's magnitude-7.8 quake is not fully known, many buildings collapsed. The city centre was filled with rubble, and bodies were seen among the debris.
Rescue workers remove debris as they search for victims of earthquake in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, April 26, 2015. (AP / Niranjan Shrestha)
Nepalese evacuate with belongings to safer areas in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Sunday, April 26, 2015. (AP / Niranjan Shrestha)
THE 1934 QUAKE
Many of Bhaktapur's ancient buildings were destroyed in 1934 in the worst recorded earthquake to hit Nepal. Some of the city's buildings were restored over the years, including in efforts funded by Western countries.
