Surkhet Valley is the largest inner Terai valley of Karnali Province, Nepal. It serves as the administrative and commercial center of the province, with Birendranagar as its capital city. Its location is in Mid-western Nepal, surrounded by the Siwalik (Chure) hills and Mahabharat range.
The Surkhet Valley is situated in the Surkhet district, mid-western Nepal. The valley is about above sea level, forming an ellipse about east-west by north-south. It is drained by the Bheri River, a tributary of the Karnali. The district is the homeland of the Raji people. Tharu people from Dang settled in the valley since at least the 19th century.
Imagery of Surkhet (S): terrain satellite
The valley itself (the flat fertile basin area) covers roughly 300âÂÂ400 kmò inside the district. Surkhet Valley (the inner fertile flatland, not the whole district) hosts the urban core of Birendranagar Metropolitan City and surrounding settlements. And the estimated population in the valley area is around 200,000âÂÂ250,000 people, since more than half of the districtâÂÂs people live in and around Birendranagar.