| Background: |
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.
The refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains
unresolved; 90% of these displaced persons are housed in
seven United Nations Offices of the High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) camps. |
| Location: |
Southern Asia,
between China and India |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
28 00 N, 84 00 E |
| Area: |
total:
140,800 sq km
land: 136,800 sq km
water: 4,000 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger
than Arkansas |
| Land
boundaries: |
total:
2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690
km |
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime
claims: |
none (landlocked) |
| Climate: |
varies from cool
summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers
and mild winters in south |
| Terrain: |
Terai or flat
river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region,
rugged Himalayas in north |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999
est.) |
| Natural
resources: |
quartz, water,
timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of
lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
17%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 42%
other: 26% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
8,500 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
severe
thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine
depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the
summer monsoons |
| Environment
- current issues: |
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: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber
94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography
- note: |
landlocked;
strategic location between China and India; contains eight
of world's 10 highest peaks |
| Population: |
25,284,463 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
40.35% (male 5,267,234; female 4,933,910)
15-64 years: 56.16% (male 7,264,575; female
6,934,384)
65 years and over: 3.49% (male 437,813; female
446,547) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
2.32% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
33.4 births/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
10.22
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
74.14
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 58.22 years
male: 58.65 years
female: 57.77 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
4.58 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.29% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
34,000 (1999
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
2,500 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Nepalese |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Brahman, Chetri,
Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Tharu, and
others (1995) |
| Religions: |
Hinduism 86.2%,
Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2%
note: only official Hindu state in the world
(1995) |
| Languages: |
Nepali (official;
spoken by 90% of the population), about a dozen other
languages and about 30 major dialects; note - many in
government and business also speak English (1995) |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 27.5%
male: 40.9%
female: 14% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Kingdom of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary
democracy and constitutional monarchy |
| Administrative
divisions: |
14 zones (anchal,
singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki,
Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani,
Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti |
| Independence: |
1768 (unified by
Prithvi Narayan Shah) |
| National
holiday: |
Birthday of King
GYANENDRA, 7 July (1946) |
| Constitution: |
9 November 1990 |
| Legal
system: |
based on Hindu
legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: King GYANENDRA Bir Bikram Shah (succeeded
to the throne 4 June 2001 following the death of his nephew
King DIPENDRA Bir Bikram Shah)
head of government: Prime Minister Girija
Prasad KOIRALA (since 22 March 2000)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch on
the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
following legislative elections, the leader of the majority
party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed
prime minister by the monarch
note: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev died in
a bloody shooting at the royal palace on 1 June 2001 that
also claimed the lives of most of the royal family; King
BIRENDRA's son, Crown Price DIPENDRA, is believed to have
been responsible for the shootings before fatally wounding
himself; immediately following the shootings and while still
clinging to life, DIPENDRA was crowned king; he died three
days later and was succeeded by his uncle |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35
appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king,
and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the
members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and
the House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held
3 and 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2004)
election results: House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - NC 37.3%, CPN/UML 31.6%, NDP
10.4%, NSP 3.2%, Rastriya Jana Morcha 1.4%, Samyukta
Janmorcha Nepal 0.8%, NWPP 0.5%, others 14.8%; seats by
party - NC 113, CPN/UML 69, NDP 11, NSP 5, Rastriya Jana
Morcha 5, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 1, NWPP 1 |
| Judicial
branch: |
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: |
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) [Surya Bahadur
THAPA, chairman]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP [Gajendra
Narayan SINGH, president]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party
or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chair]; Nepali
Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president,
Sushil KOIRALA, general secretary]; Rastriya Jana Morcha [Chitra
Bahadur K. C., chairman]; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [Lila
Mani POKHAREL, general secretary] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Maoist
guerrilla-based insurgency; numerous small, left-leaning
student groups in the capital; several small, radical
Nepalese antimonarchist groups |
| International
organization participation: |
AsDB, CCC, CP,
ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP,
UNMOT, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(observer) |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Damodar Prasad GAUTAM
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: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Ralph FRANK
embassy: Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [977] (1) 411179, 410531
FAX: [977] (1) 419963 |
| Flag
description: |
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
- overview: |
Nepal is among
the poorest and least developed countries in the world with
nearly half of its population living below the poverty line.
Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a
livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for
41% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the
processing of agricultural produce including jute,
sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Production of textiles and
carpets has expanded recently and accounted for about 80% of
foreign exchange earnings in the past three years.
Agricultural production is growing by about 5% on average as
compared with annual population growth of 2.3%. Since May
1991, the government has been moving forward with economic
reforms, particularly those that encourage trade and foreign
investment, e.g., by reducing business licenses and
registration requirements in order to simplify investment
procedures. The government has also been cutting
expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing state
industries, and laying off civil servants. More recently,
however, political instability - five different governments
over the past few years - has hampered Kathmandu's ability
to forge consensus to implement key economic reforms. Nepal
has considerable scope for accelerating economic growth by
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, and its susceptibility to natural
disaster. The international community's role of funding more
than 60% of Nepal's development budget and more than 28% of
total budgetary expenditures will likely continue as a major
ingredient of growth. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $33.7 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3.7% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $1,360 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
41%
industry: 22%
services: 37% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
42% (FY95/96
est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
3.2%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1995-96) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
3.3% (FY99/00
est.) |
| Labor
force: |
10 million (1996
est.)
note: severe lack of skilled labor |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 81%,
services 16%, industry 3% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
NA%; substantial
underemployment (1999) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$536 million
expenditures: $818 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY96/97 est.) |
| Industries: |
tourism, carpet,
textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills;
cigarette; cement and brick production |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
1.255 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
9.56%
hydro: 90.44%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
1.309 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
68 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
210 million kWh
(1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
rice, corn,
wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat |
| Exports: |
$485 million
(f.o.b., 1998), but does not include unrecorded border trade
with India |
| Exports
- commodities: |
carpets,
clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain |
| Exports
- partners: |
India 33%, US
26%, Germany 25% (FY97/98) |
| Imports: |
$1.2 billion
(f.o.b., 1998) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
gold, machinery
and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer |
| Imports
- partners: |
India 31%,
China/Hong Kong 16%, Singapore 14% (FY97/98) |
| Debt
- external: |
$2.4 billion
(1997) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$411 million
(FY97/98) |
| Currency: |
Nepalese rupee
(NPR) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Nepalese rupees
per US dollar - 74.129 (January 2001), 71.104 (2000), 68.239
(1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997), 56.692 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
16 July - 15 July |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
236,816 (January
2000) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
NA |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service;
fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile
cellular telephone network
domestic: NA
international: radiotelephone communications;
microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 6, FM 5,
shortwave 1 (January 2000) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (plus 9
repeaters) (1998) |
| Televisions: |
130,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.np |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
6 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
35,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
59 km; note - all in Kosi close to Indian border
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
13,223 km
paved: 4,073 km
unpaved: 9,150 km (April 1999) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
8
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Royal Nepalese
Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese
Police Force |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
17 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 6,295,990 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 3,272,077 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
292,589 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$44 million
(FY96/97) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
0.9% (FY96/97) |
| Disputes
- international: |
refugee issue
over the presence in Nepal of approximately 98,700 Bhutanese
refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of
the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps |
| Illicit
drugs: |
illicit producer
of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets;
transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West |
|
