NEPAL
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NEPAL
@Nepal:Geography
Location: Southern Asia, between China and India
Map references: Asia
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NEPAL - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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KATHMANDU 235,000 27.42N, 85.19E 977- GMT+5.7
Sallyan 152,000 28.21N, 82.11E 977- GMT+5.7
Pyuthan 148,000 28.05N, 82.53E 977- GMT+5.7
Jumla 132,000 29.17N, 82.10E 977- GMT+5.7
Biratnagar 94,000 26.27N, 87.17E 977- GMT+5.7
Lalitpur 80,000 27.23N, 85.24E 977- GMT+5.7
Bhaktapur 48,000 27.42N, 85.27E 977- GMT+5.7
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Area:
total area: 140,800 sq km
land area: 136,800 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries: total 2,926 km, China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: none
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
Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydroelectric potential,
scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 13%
forest and woodland: 33%
other: 37%
Irrigated land: 9,430 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: the almost total dependence on wood for fuel and
cutting down trees to expand agricultural land without replanting has
resulted in widespread deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
(use of contaminated water presents human health risks)
natural hazards: severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought,
and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the
summer monsoons
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical
Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains
eight of world's 10 highest peaks
@Nepal:People
Population: 21,560,869 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (female 4,479,950; male 4,692,575)
15-64 years: 55% (female 5,778,107; male 5,994,147)
65 years and over: 2% (female 305,502; male 310,588) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.44% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 37.31 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 12.9 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 81.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.09 years
male: 52.86 years
female: 53.34 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.15 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Nepalese
Ethnic divisions: Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs,
Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas
Religions: Hindu 90%, Buddhist 5%, Muslim 3%, other 2% (1981)
note: only official Hindu state in world, although no sharp
distinction between many Hindu and Buddhist groups
Languages: Nepali (official), 20 languages divided into numerous
dialects
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population: 26%
male: 38%
female: 13%
Labor force: 8.5 million (1991 est.)
by occupation: agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry 2%
note: severe lack of skilled labor
@Nepal:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal
Digraph: NP
Type: parliamentary democracy as of 12 May 1991
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 His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)
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:
head of government: Prime Minister Man Mohan ADHIKARI (since 30
November 1994)
chief of state: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (since 31 January
1972, crowned King 24 February 1985); Heir Apparent Crown Prince
DIPENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev, son of the King (born 21 June 1971)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the king on recommendation of the prime
minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament
National Council: consists of a 60-member body, 50 appointed by House
of Representatives and 10 by the King
House of Representatives: elections last held on 15 November 1994
(next to be held NA); results - NCP 33%, CPN/UML 31%, NDP 18%, Terai
Rights Sadbhavana Party 3%, NWPP 1%; seats - (205 total) CPN/UML 88,
NCP 83, NDP 20, NWPP 4, Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 3, independents
7; note - the new Constitution of 9 November 1990 gave Nepal a
multiparty democracy system for the first time in 32 years
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat)
Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist
and Leninist (CPN/UML), Prime Minister Man Mohan ADHIKARI, Deputy
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar NEPAL; Nepali Congress Party (NCP),
president Krishna Prasad BHATTARAI, former Prime Minister Girija
Prasad KOIRALA, Leader of the Opposition Sher Bahadur DEUBA; National
Democratic Party (NDP), Surya Bahadur THAPA; Terai Rights Sadbhavana
(Goodwill) Party, Gajendra Narayan SINGH; United People's Front (UPF),
Niranjan Govinda BAIDYA; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP),
Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE; Communist Party of Nepal
(Democratic-Manandhar), B. B. MANANDHAR
Other political or pressure groups: numerous small, left-leaning
student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese
antimonarchist groups
Member of: AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Pradeep
KHATIWADA
chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
consulate(s) general: New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sandra L. VOGELGESANG
embassy: Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [977] (1) 411179
FAX: [977] (1) 419963
Flag: 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. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a
livelihood for over 90% of the population and accounting for half of
GDP. Industrial activity is limited, mainly involving the processing
of agricultural produce (jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain).
Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently and accounted
for 85% of foreign exchange earnings in FY93/94. Apart from
agricultural land and forests, exploitable natural resources are mica,
hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural production in the late 1980s
grew by about 5%, as compared with annual population growth of 2.6%.
More than 40% of the population is undernourished. Since May 1991, the
government has been encouraging trade and foreign investment, e.g., by
eliminating business licenses and registration requirements in order
to simplify domestic and foreign investment. The government also has
been cutting public expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing
state industries, and laying off civil servants. Prospects for foreign
trade and investment in the 1990s remain poor, however, because of the
small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its
remoteness, and susceptibility to natural disaster. The international
community provides funding for 70% of Nepal's developmental budget and
for 30% of total budgetary expenditures. The government, realizing
that attempts to reverse three years of liberalization would
jeopardize this vital support, almost certainly will move ahead with
its reform program in 1995-96.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $22.4 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,060 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.6% (June 1994)
Unemployment rate: NA%; note - there is substantial underemployment
(1994)
Budget:
revenues: $455 million
expenditures: $854 million, including capital expenditures of $427
million (FY93/94 est.)
Exports: $593 million (f.o.b., 1993) but does not include unrecorded
border trade with India
commodities: carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
partners: India, US, Germany, UK
Imports: $899 million (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities: petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10%
partners: India, Singapore, Japan, Germany
External debt: $2 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production: NA
Electricity:
capacity: 280,000 kW
production: 920 million kWh
consumption per capita: 41 kWh (1993)
Industries: small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette,
textile, carpet, cement, and brick production; tourism
Agriculture: rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, buffalo
meat; not self-sufficient in food, particularly in drought years
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and
international drug markets; transit point for heroin from Southeast
Asia to the West
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $304 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1980-89), $2.23 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $30 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $286 million
Currency: 1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa
Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1 - 49.884 (January
1995), 49.398 (1994), 48.607 (1993), 42.742 (1992), 37.255 (1991),
29.370 (1990)
Fiscal year: 16 July - 15 July
@Nepal:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 101 km; note - all in Terai close to Indian border
narrow gauge: 101 km 0.762-m gauge
Highways:
total: 7,400 km
paved: 3,000 km
unpaved: 4,400 km
Ports: none
Airports:
total: 44
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 28
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 10
@Nepal:Communications
Telephone system: 50,000 telephones (1990); poor telephone and
telegraph service; fair radio communication service
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: international radio communication service is fair; 1
INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 88, FM 0, shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 1
televisions: NA
@Nepal:Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Nepalese Army, Royal Nepalese Army Air Service,
Nepalese Police Force
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 5,163,703; males fit for
military service 2,682,284; males reach military age (17) annually
247,978 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $36 million, 1.2% of
GDP (FY92/93)
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