KATHMANDU, April 24 (Reuters) - Nepal's former Maoist guerrillas hope to end the nearly 200-year-old tradition of Gurkhas enrolling in the British and Indian armies, calling the practice humiliating and mercenary.

The Gurkhas do not deny the charge, but they say they must be given alternative employment matching the income and living standards ensured by a job in a foreign army.

Here are five facts about the Gurkhas:

* The Gurkhas are legendary fighters who have served in the British army since 1815 when a peace agreement was clinched by the British East India Company after it suffered heavy casualties during an invasion of Nepal.

* The Gurkhas took part in the two world wars, the Falklands conflict and British operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, East Timor and Sierra Leone.

More recently they have been deployed in Iraq. In 2007 Britain's Prince Harry trained with Gurkhas and lived with a Gurkha battalion during his 10 weeks in Afghanistan.

* From a peak of about 112,000 men in World War Two, their numbers in the British army have dwindled to about 3,400. Tens of thousands of Gurkhas also serve in the Indian army, including in counter-insurgency operations in the Himalayan territory of Kashmir and the northeastern states.

* Known for their valour and loyalty, the Gurkhas' trademark is their lethal kukri knife, which tradition demands must draw blood every time it is unsheathed. Gurkhas say nowadays the fabled knife is used more often in cooking.

* Each year, thousands of young Nepalis apply for about 230 places in the Gurkha brigade of the British army. (Reporting by Krittivas Mukherjee; editing by Megan Goldin)

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