NEPAL
 
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.
LOCATION : Southern Asia, between China and India
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES: 28 00 N, 84 00 E
MAP REFERENCES : A S I A
AREA : total: 140,800 sq km water: 4,000 sq km land: 136,800 sq km
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: 20.27%>BR>
permanent crops: 0.49%
other: 79.24% (1998 est.)
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, 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, including Mount Everest - the world's tallest - on the border with China
People Nepal
NEPALI PORTRAITS BY RON GOEUR
POPULATION : 26,469,569 (July 2003 est.)
AGE STRUCTURE: 0-14 years: 39.7% (male 5,424,396; female 5,080,171)
15-64 years: 56.7% (male 7,692,134; female 7,320,059)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male 468,697; female 484,112) (2003 est.)
Median age: total: 19.7 years
male: 19.6 years
female: 19.9 years (2002)
POPULATION GROWTH RATE: 2.26% (2003 est.)
BIRTH RATE: 32.46 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
DEATH RATE: 9.84 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
NET MIGRATION RATE: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 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: 0.97 male(s)/female
TOTAL POPULATION: 1.05 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
INFANT MORTALITY RATE: total: 70.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 72.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 68.95 deaths/1,000 live births
LIFE EXPECTANCY AT BIRTH: total population: 59 years
male: 59.36 years
female: 58.63 years (2003 est.)
TOTAL FERTILITY RATE : 4.39 children born/woman (2003 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.)
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.)
GOVERNMENT NEPAL
COUNTRY NAME:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal -conventional short form: Nepal
GOVERNEMENT TYPE: parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
CAPITAL: Kathmandu
ADMINISTRATIVES 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)
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
POLITICAL PARTIES :Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML -
National Democratic Party or NDP (also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP)-National People's Front -Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP -Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP -Nepali Congress or NC -Nepali Congress or NC-Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal
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
CURRENCY: Nepalese rupee (NPR)
ECONOMY NEPAL
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. Textile and carpet production, accounting for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in recent years, contracted in 2001-02 due to the overall slowdown in the world economy and pressures by Maoist insurgents on factory owners and workers. Security concerns in the wake of the Maoist conflict and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US have led to a decrease in tourism, another key source of foreign exchange. Since 1991, the government has been moving forward with economic reforms, e.g., by reducing business licenses and registration requirements to simplify investment procedures, reducing subsidies, privatizing state industries, and laying off civil servants. 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, 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
POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LINE: 42% (1995-96)
LABOR FORCE: 10 million - note: severe lack of skilled labor (1996 est.)
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 47% (2001 est.)
INDUSTRIES: tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette; cement and brick production
COMMUNICATIONS NEPAL
TELEPHONES: - main lines in use: 236,816 (January 2000) - RADIO BROADCAST STATIONS: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000) TELEVISION BROADCAST STATIONS: 1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)-INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISPs): 6 (2000)- INTERNET USERS: 60,000 (2002)
RAILWAYS: - total: 59 km -narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2002) -HIGHWAYS: total: 13,223 km -paved: 4,073 km -unpaved: 9,150 km (April 1999) -WATERWAYS: none -PORTS AND HARBORS: none - AIRPORTS: 45 (2002)-Paved and unpaved runways-
Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese Police Force - Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age (2003 est.)
TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES NEPAL
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
ILLICIT DRUGS: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West
updated on 1 August, 2003 World Factbook (CIA)
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