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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Southern
Asia, between China and India |
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Geographic coordinates:
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28 00
N, 84 00 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
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total:
140,800 sq km
water: 4,000 sq km
land: 136,800 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
larger than Arkansas |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690
km |
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Coastline:
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0 km
(landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none
(landlocked) |
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Climate:
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varies
from cool summers and severe winters in north to
subtropical summers and mild winters in south |
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Terrain:
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Terai
or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central
hill region, rugged Himalayas in north |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999) |
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Natural resources:
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quartz,
water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small
deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 21.68%
permanent crops: 0.64%
other: 77.68% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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11,350
sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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severe
thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and
famine depending on the timing, intensity, and
duration of the summer monsoons |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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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
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Population:
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27,070,666
(July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
19.9 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 20 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.23%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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31.96
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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9.66
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
68.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 70.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.)
male: 67.1 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 59.4 years
male: 59.73 years
female: 59.06 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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4.29
children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.5%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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58,000
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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2,400
(2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Nepalese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Brahman,
Chetri, Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu,
Sherpa, Tharu, and others (1995) |
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Religions:
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Hinduism
86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2%
note: only official Hindu state in the world
(1995) |
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Languages:
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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) |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 45.2%
male: 62.7%
female: 27.6% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Kingdom of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal |
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Government type:
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parliamentary
democracy and constitutional monarchy |
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Capital:
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Kathmandu |
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Administrative divisions:
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14
zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri,
Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi,
Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti,
Sagarmatha, Seti |
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Independence:
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1768
(unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah) |
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National holiday:
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Birthday
of King GYANENDRA, 7 July (1946) |
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Constitution:
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9
November 1990 |
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Legal system:
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based
on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18
years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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:
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: 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)
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
elections: House of Representatives - last
held 3 and 17 May 1999 (next election NA 2004) |
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Judicial branch:
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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) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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 |
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International organization participation:
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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) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534
consulate(s) general: New York
telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC
20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $38.29 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3%
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $1,400 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
40%
industry: 20%
services: 40% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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42%
(1995-96) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
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lowest
10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1995-96) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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36.7
(FY95/96) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.9%
(2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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10
million
note: severe lack of skilled labor (1996
est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
81%, industry 3%, services 16% |
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Unemployment rate:
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47%
(2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$665 million
expenditures: $1.1 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (FY99/00 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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rice,
corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water
buffalo meat |
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Industries:
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tourism,
carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and
oilseed mills; cigarette; cement and brick
production |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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8.7%
(FY99/00) |
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Electricity - production:
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1.755
billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 8.5%
hydro: 91.5%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.764
billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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95
million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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227
million kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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16,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA
(2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA
(2001) |
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Exports:
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$568
million f.o.b., but does not include unrecorded
border trade with India (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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carpets,
clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain |
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Exports - partners:
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India
50.5%, US 26%, Germany 6.6% (2003 est.) |
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Imports:
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$1.419
billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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gold,
machinery and equipment, petroleum products,
fertilizer |
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Imports - partners:
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India
22.9%, China 13.5%, UAE 12.6%, Singapore 7.1%, Saudi
Arabia 5.5%, Kuwait 4.6% (2003 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$2.7
billion (2001) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$424
million (FY00/01) |
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Currency:
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Nepalese
rupee (NPR) |
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Currency code:
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NPR |
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Exchange rates:
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Nepalese
rupees per US dollar - 76.1414 (2003), 77.8766
(2002), 74.9492 (2001), 71.0938 (2000), 68.2394
(1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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16 July
- 15 July
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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371,800
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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50,400
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 6,
FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000) |
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Radios:
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840,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (plus
9 repeaters) (1998) |
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Televisions:
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130,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.np |
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Internet hosts:
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917
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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6
(2000) |
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Internet users:
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80,000
(2002)
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Railways:
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total:
59 km
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2003) |
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Highways:
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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:
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46
(2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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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:
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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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Military branches:
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Royal
Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air
Service), Nepalese Police Force |
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Military manpower - military age:
|
17
years of age (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 15-49: 6,865,849 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 15-49: 3,566,576 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age
annually:
|
males:
308,776 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$295
million (FY03) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
1.6%
(2003)
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| Transnational
Issues |
Nepal |
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Disputes - international:
|
joint
border commission continues to work on small
disputed sections of boundary with India; India has
instituted a stricter border regime to restrict
transit of Maoist insurgents and illegal
cross-border activities |
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Illicit drugs:
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illicit
producer of cannabis for the domestic and
international drug markets; transit point for
opiates from Southeast Asia to the West
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