 Definition  Field Listing  Rank
Order
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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. A Maoist insurgency, launched in 1996, has gained traction
and is threatening to bring down the regime. 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. The country is now
governed by the king and his appointed cabinet, which has negotiated
a cease-fire with the Maoist insurgents until elections can be held
at some unspecified future date. Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Location: |
Southern
Asia, between China and India |
|
Geographic coordinates: |
28 00 N, 84
00 E |
|
Map references: |
Asia
|
|
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) |
|
Natural resources: |
quartz,
water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite,
copper, cobalt, iron ore |
|
Land use: |
arable
land: 21.68%
permanent crops: 0.64%
other:
77.68% (2001) |
|
Irrigated land: |
11,350 sq km
(1998 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, Ozone Layer Protection,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but
not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
|
Geography - note: |
landlocked;
strategic location between China and India; contains eight of
world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest - the world's
tallest - on the border with China Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Population: |
27,070,666
(July 2004 est.) |
|
Age structure: |
0-14
years: 39.4% (male 5,500,698; female 5,151,705)
15-64
years: 57% (male 7,912,553; female 7,518,430)
65 years
and over: 3.6% (male 483,998; female 503,282) (2004 est.) |
|
Median age: |
total: 19.9 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 20 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate: |
2.23% (2004
est.) |
|
Birth rate: |
31.96
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Death rate: |
9.66
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
|
Net migration rate: |
0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population:
1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate: |
total:
68.77 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 67.1 deaths/1,000
live births
female: 70.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 59.4 years
male: 59.73 years
female: 59.06 years (2004 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate: |
4.29 children
born/woman (2004 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
0.5% (2001
est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
58,000 (2001
est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
2,400 (2001
est.) |
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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: 45.2%
male: 62.7%
female: 27.6% (2003 est.) Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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|
Country name: |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal |
|
Government type: |
parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy |
|
Capital: |
Kathmandu
|
|
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 |
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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 Sher
Bahadur DEUBA (since 3 June 2004); note - Prime Minister THAPA
resigned 7 May 2004
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 |
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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 election NA 2004)
note:
Nepal's Parliament was dissolved on 22 May 2002
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]; National People's Front (Rastriya Jana Morcha) [Chitra
BAHADUR, chairman]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP [Bhadri
Prasad MANDAL, acting party president]; Nepal Workers and Peasants
Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chairman]; Nepali
Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president; Sushil
KOIRALA, general secretary]; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [Lila Mani
POKHAREL, general secretary] |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Maoist
guerrilla-based insurgency [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also known as
PRAHANDA, chairman; Dr. Baburam BHATTARAI, from Communist Party of
Nepal/Maoist, chief negotiator]; numerous small, left-leaning
student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese
antimonarchist groups |
|
International organization participation: |
AsDB, CP,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU,
MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE,
UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO (observer) |
|
Diplomatic representation in the US: |
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: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Michael E. MALINOWSKI
embassy:
Panipokhari, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy
street address
telephone: [977] (1) 411179
FAX: [977] (1) 419963 |
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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
Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
|
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Economy - overview: |
Nepal is
among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with
42% 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 40% of GDP. Industrial activity
mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including
jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Security concerns in the wake
of the Maoist conflict and the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks
in the US 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. 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 - $38.29 billion (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate: |
3% (2003
est.) |
|
GDP - per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $1,400 (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 40%
industry: 20%
services: 40% (2002 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line: |
42%
(1995-96) |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage
share: |
lowest
10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1995-96) |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini
index: |
36.7
(FY95/96) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
2.9% (2002
est.) |
|
Labor force: |
10 million
note: severe lack of skilled labor (1996 est.) |
|
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture
81%, industry 3%, services 16% |
|
Unemployment rate: |
47% (2001
est.) |
|
Budget: |
revenues: $665 million
expenditures: $1.1
billion, including capital expenditures of NA (FY99/00 est.) |
|
Agriculture - products: |
rice, corn,
wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat |
|
Industries: |
tourism,
carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills;
cigarette; cement and brick production |
|
Industrial production growth rate: |
8.7%
(FY99/00) |
|
Electricity - production: |
1.755 billion
kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - consumption: |
1.764 billion
kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - exports: |
95 million
kWh (2001) |
|
Electricity - imports: |
227 million
kWh (2001) |
|
Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
|
Oil - consumption: |
16,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports: |
NA (2001)
|
|
Oil - imports: |
NA (2001)
|
|
Exports: |
$568 million
f.o.b., but does not include unrecorded border trade with India
(2002 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities: |
carpets,
clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain |
|
Exports - partners: |
India 50.5%,
US 26%, Germany 6.6% (2003 est.) |
|
Imports: |
$1.419
billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities: |
gold,
machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer |
|
Imports - partners: |
India 22.9%,
China 13.5%, UAE 12.6%, Singapore 7.1%, Saudi Arabia 5.5%, Kuwait
4.6% (2003 est.) |
|
Debt - external: |
$2.7 billion
(2001) |
|
Economic aid - recipient: |
$424 million
(FY00/01) |
|
Currency: |
Nepalese
rupee (NPR) |
|
Currency code: |
NPR |
|
Exchange rates: |
Nepalese
rupees per US dollar - 76.1414 (2003), 77.8766 (2002), 74.9492
(2001), 71.0938 (2000), 68.2394 (1999) |
|
Fiscal year: |
16 July - 15
July Learn geography the easy way by playing ZL's Geographycards (www.geographycards.com)
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Railways: |
total:
59 km
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2003) |
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Highways: |
total:
13,223 km
paved: 4,073 km
unpaved: 9,150 km
(1999 est.) |
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Ports and harbors: |
none |
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Airports: |
46 (2003
est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437
m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to
1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 29 (2003 est.)
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Large portions of this information is from the US government open source publication "The World Factbook", other content copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. You may use this information without permission for educational or other non-profit purposes if you refer to us as the source, contact us if you want to use this commercially.
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