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 Introduction
 Geography
 People
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 Economy
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 Transnational Issues

This page was last updated on 8 March, 2007


Map of Nepal



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Nepal Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. A Maoist insurgency, launched in 1996, gained traction and threatened to bring down the regime, especially after a negotiated cease-fire between the Maoists and government forces broke down in August 2003. In 2001, the crown prince massacred ten members of the royal family, including the king and queen, and then took his own life. In October 2002, the new king dismissed the prime minister and his cabinet for "incompetence" after they dissolved the parliament and were subsequently unable to hold elections because of the ongoing insurgency. While stopping short of reestablishing parliament, the king in June 2004 reinstated the most recently elected prime minister who formed a four-party coalition government. Citing dissatisfaction with the government's lack of progress in addressing the Maoist insurgency and corruption, the king in February 2005 dissolved the government, declared a state of emergency, imprisoned party leaders, and assumed power. The king's government subsequently released party leaders and officially ended the state of emergency in May 2005, but the monarch retained absolute power until April 2006. After nearly three weeks of mass protests organized by the seven-party opposition and the Maoists, the king allowed parliament to reconvene on 28 April 2006. Following the November 2006 peace accord between the government and the Maoists, an interim constitution was promulgated and the Maoists were allowed to enter parliament in mid-January 2007. Constituent elections are planned for June 2007.
   Geography    Nepal Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Asia
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 147,181 sq km
land: 143,181 sq km
water: 4,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
none (landlocked)
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 83.08% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
11,700 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the borders with China and India respectively
   People    Nepal Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
28,287,147 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 38.7% (male 5,648,959/female 5,291,447)
15-64 years: 57.6% (male 8,365,526/female 7,925,941)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 513,777/female 541,497) (2006 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 20.3 years
male: 20.1 years
female: 20.4 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
2.17% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
30.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 65.32 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 63.56 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 67.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 60.18 years
male: 60.43 years
female: 59.91 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.1 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.5% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
61,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3,100 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Nepalese
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census)
note: only official Hindu state in the world
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu (Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi 2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census)
note: many in government and business also speak English
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48.6%
male: 62.7%
female: 34.9% (2000-2004 est.)
   Government    Nepal Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long and short form: Nepal
local long and short form: Nepal
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Kathmandu
geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E
time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
note - in 2006 Parliament abolished the birthday of King GYANENDRA (7 July) and Constitution Day (9 November) as national holidays
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
9 November 1990; the government began working on an interim constitution in May 2006
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 30 April 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 30 April 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Khadga Prasad OLI (since 2 May 2006) and Amik SHERCHAN since June 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet historically appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; note - the prime minister selected the Cabinet in May 2006 in consultation with the political parties
elections: following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition historically has been appointed prime minister by the monarch
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
an Interim Parliament was formed on 15 January 2007 following the promulgation of an interim constitution
elections: elections are planned for June 2007
election results: Interim Parliament seats by party - NC 85, CPN/M 83, CPN/UML 83, NC/D 48, RPP 9, NSP/AD 5, NWPP 4, People's Front Nepal (Amik Sherchan Group) 4, People's Front Nepal (Chitra Bahadur K.C. Group) 3, UFL 3, People's Front Nepal (Chitra Bahadur Ale Group) 2, NSP 1
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Madhav Kumar NEPAL, general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP (also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP) [Pashupati Shumsher RANA, chairman]; Nepali Congress-Democratic [Sher Bahadur DEUBA, president]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Sushil KOIRALA, vice president]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP - Mandal [Bhadri Prasad MANDAL, party president]; Nepal Sadbhavana Party - Ananda Devi [Ananda DEVI, president]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chairman]; People's Front Nepal (Amik Sherchan Group); People's Front Nepal (Chitra Bahadur Ale Group); People's Front Nepal (Chitra Bahadur K.C. Group); Rastriya Janashakti Party or RJP [Surya Bahadur THAPA, chairman]; note - split from RPP in March 2005; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [leader NA]; note - merged with People's Front Nepal or PFN in 2002
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Communist Party of Nepal - Maoist [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, a.k.a. PRACHANDA, chairman; Dr. Baburam BHATTARAI, deputy]; numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
AsDB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY
embassy: Panipokhari, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [977] (1) 411-1179
FAX: [977] (1) 441-9963
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun
   Economy    Nepal Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with almost one-third of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for three-fourths of the population and accounting for 38% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Security concerns relating to the Maoist conflict have led to a decrease in tourism, a key source of foreign exchange. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, its civil strife, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$42.84 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$7.154 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1,500 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 38%
industry: 20%
services: 42% (FY05/06 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
11.11 million
note: severe lack of skilled labor (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 76%
industry: 6%
services: 18% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
42% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
31% (2003-2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 39.1% (2003-2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
37.7 (FY04/05)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8.6% (November 2006 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $1.153 billion
expenditures: $1.927 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY06/07)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.2% (FY05/06)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.511 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.96 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
101 million kWh (2006)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
266 million kWh (2006)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
11,550 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
11,530 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2006 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$822 million f.o.b.; note - does not include unrecorded border trade with India (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
India 53.7%, US 17.4%, Germany 7.1% (2005)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
India 47.7%, UAE 11.2%, China 10.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.9%, Kuwait 4.2% (2005)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.07 billion (March 2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$533 million (FY04/05)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Nepalese rupee (NPR)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
Nepalese rupees per US dollar - 72.446 (2006), 72.16 (2005), 73.674 (2004), 76.141 (2003), 77.877 (2002)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
16 July - 15 July
   Communications    Nepal Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
448,600 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
248,800 (2005)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephone network
domestic: NA
international: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.np
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
17,789 (2006)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
175,000 (2005)
   Transportation    Nepal Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
48 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 10
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 29 (2006)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 59 km
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 17,380 km
paved: 9,886 km
unpaved: 7,494 km (2004)
   Military    Nepal Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service); Nepalese Police Force
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 6,107,091
females age 18-49: 5,744,989 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 4.193 million
females age 18-49: 3,853,102 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 308,031
females age 18-49: 286,604 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.7% (2006 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Nepal Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
joint border commission continues to work on contested sections of boundary with India, including the 400 square kilometer dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India has instituted a stricter border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents and illegal cross-border activities; approximately 103,000 Bhutanese Lhotshampas (Hindus) have been confined in refugee camps in southeastern Nepal since 1990
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Definition Field Listing
refugees (country of origin): 106,248 (Bhutan), 20,153 (Tibet/China)
IDPs: 100,000-200,000 (ongoing conflict between government forces and Maoist rebels; displacement spread across the country) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
illicit producer of cannabis and hashish for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West

This page was last updated on 8 March, 2007


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