ugly duck - mt everest does a lot for nepal. it brings in tons of tourists. it helps promote nepal as a tourist destination even to tourists who don't hike. and it helps me explain to less geographically-conscious americans where i am from. it's a symbol of identity - the chinese have the great wall, the americans have mt rushmore, the italians have the leaning tower, the french have the eiffel tower, and we have mount everest.