[[image:Nepal ethnic groups.png|250px|right|thumb|Selected ethnic groups of Nepal;
Bhotia, Sherpa, Thakali
Gurung
Kiranti, Rai, Limbu
Newari
Pahari
Tamang]]

For other uses of the word Sherpa, see Sherpa (disambiguation).

The Sherpa (Tibetan:ཤར་པ། "eastern people", from shar "east" + pa "people") are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. Sherpas migrated from eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 300-400 years.

The term sherpa is also used to refer to local people, typically men, who are employed as guides for mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas, particularly Mt. Everest. They are highly regarded as elite mountaineers and experts in their local terrain.

Most Sherpas, of course, live in the west regions; however, some live farther west in the Rolwaling valley and in the Helambu region north of Kathmandu. Pangboche is the Sherpas' oldest village in Nepal. Sherpas speak their own Sherpa language which in many ways resembles a dialect of Tibetan. The Jirels, native people of Jiri, are ethnically related to the Sherpas. It is said that the Jirels are descendants of a Sherpa mother and Sunuwar (another ethnic group of the eastern part of Nepal) fatherFact: date=January 2008. In India, Sherpas also inhabit the towns of Darjeeling and Kalimpong and the Indian state of Sikkim. The 2001 Nepal Census recorded 154,622 Sherpas in that country, of which 92.83% were Buddhists, 6.26% were Hindus, 0.63% were Christians and 0.20% were Bön.

The Sherpas contribute substantially to the economic growth and stability of Nepal. Fact: date=January 2008

Sherpas and mountaineering

Sherpas are renowned in the international climbing and mountaineering community for their hardiness, expertise, and experience at high altitudes. While many have speculated that a portion of the Sherpas' climbing ability is the result of a genetically greater lung capacity and larger heart muscle, such speculation is false. Although these qualities apply to some high altitude indigenous groups residing in the South American Andes mountains, such as the Quechuas, the Sherpas' high altitude adaptations arise at the molecular level. Some of these adaptations include unique hemoglobin-binding enzymes, doubled nitric oxide production, hearts that can utilize glucose, and lungs with an increased sensitivity to low oxygen. Another reason suggested for their wide employment as porters is that Sherpas have fewer dietary prohibitions than most people of the region and are prepared to eat whatever is available.