1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winter in south
Coastline
none--landlocked
Comparative area
slightly larger than Arkansas
Environment
contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Land boundaries
2,926 km total; China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Land use
arable land 17%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 13%; forest and woodland 33%; other 37%; includes irrigated 2%
Maritime claims
none--landlocked
Natural resources
quartz, water, timber, hydroelectric potential, scenic beauty; small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Note
landlocked; strategic location between China and India
Terrain
Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Total area
140,800 km2; land area: 136,800 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
39 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas, as well as many smaller groups
Infant mortality rate
98 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
4,100,000; agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry 2%; severe lack of skilled labor
Language
Nepali (official); 20 languages divided into numerous dialects
Life expectancy at birth
51 years male, 50 years female (1991)
Literacy
26% (male 38%, female 13%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Nepalese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Nepalese
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
Teachers' Union and many other nonofficially recognized unions
Population
19,611,900 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)
Religion
only official Hindu state in world, although no sharp distinction between many Hindu (about 90% of population) and Buddhist groups (about 5% of population); Muslims 3%, other 2% (1981)
Total fertility rate
5.5 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Capital
Kathmandu
Communists
Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)
Constitution
9 November 1990
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Mohan Man SAINJU; Chancery at 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 667-4550; there is a Nepalese Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador Julia Chang BLOCH; Embassy at Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu; telephone [977] (1) 411179 or 412718, 411601, 411613, 413890
Elections
House of Representatives--last held on 12 May 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results--NCP 38%, CPN/UML 28%, NDP/Chand 6%, UPF 5%, NDP/Thapa 5%, Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 4%, Rohit 2%, CPN (Democratic) 1%, independent 4%, other 7%; seats--(205 total) NCP 110, CPN/UML 69, UPF 9, Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 6, NDP/Chand 3, Rohit 2, CPN (Democratic) 2, NDP/Thapa 1, independent 3; note--the new Constitution of 9 November 1990 gives Nepal a multiparty democracy system for the first time in 32 years
Executive branch
monarch, prime minister, Council of Ministers
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
Independence
1768, unified by Prithyi Narayan Shah
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat)
Leaders
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); Head of Government--Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 29 May 1991)
Legal system
based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or National Council and a lower house or House of Representatives
Long-form name
Kingdom of Nepal
Member of
AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)
Other political or pressure groups
numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups
Political parties and leaders
ruling party--Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Girija Prasad KOIRALA, Ganesh Man SINGH, Krishna Prasad BHATTARAI; center--the NDP has two factions: National Democratic Party/Chand (NDP/Chand), Lokinra Bahadur CHAND, and National Democratic Party/Thapa (NDP/Thapa), Surya Bahadur THAPA; Terai Rights Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party, G. N. Naryan SINGH; Communist--Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist and Leninist (CPN/UML), Man Mohan ADIKHARY; United People's Front (UPF), N. K. PRASAI; Rohit Party, N. M. BIJUKCHHE; Democratic Party, leader NA
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
constitutional monarchy
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 60% of GDP and 90% of work force; farm products--rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, buffalo meat; not self-sufficient in food, particularly in drought years
Budget
revenues $316.5 million; expenditures $618.5 million, including capital expenditures of $398 (FY91 est.)
Currency
Nepalese rupee (plural--rupees); 1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $304 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-88), $2.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $30 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $286 million
Electricity
280,000 kW capacity; 540 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1--30.805 (January 1991), 29.370 (1990), 27.189 (1989), 23.289 (1988), 21.819 (1987), 21.230 (1986), 18.246 (1985)
Exports
$125 million (f.o.b., FY90), but does not include unrecorded border trade with India; commodities--clothing, carpets, leather goods, grain; partners--India 38%, US 23%, UK 6%, other Europe 9% (FY88)
External debt
$2.5 billion (April 1990 est.)
Fiscal year
16 July-15 July
GDP
$3.0 billion, per capita $160; real growth rate 2.1% (FY90)
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets
Imports
$454.3illion (c.i.f., FY90 est.); commodities--petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10%; partners--India 36%, Japan 13%, Europe 4%, US 1% (FY88)
Industrial production
growth rate 6% (FY90 est.); accounts for 7% of GDP
Industries
small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette, textiles, carpets, cement, brick; tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
10.0% (FY90 est.)
Overview
Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with a per capita income of less than $200. Real growth averaged 4% in the 1980s until FY89, when it plunged to 1.5% because of a trade/transit dispute with India. Though the impasse is over, political turmoil and inflated energy costs will probably constrain growth to under 4%. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 90% of the population and accounting for 60% 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 87% of foreign exchange earnings in FY89. Apart from agricultural land and forests, the only other exploitable natural resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural production in the late 1980s grew by about 5%, compared with a population growth of 2.6%. Forty percent or more of the population is undernourished partly because of poor distribution. Economic prospects for the 1990s are poor, with economic growth probably outpacing population growth only slightly.
Unemployment rate
5%; underemployment estimated at 25-40% (1987)
Communications
Airports
37 total, 37 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
5 major and 11 minor transport aircraft
Highways
7,080 km total (1990); 2,898 km paved, 1,660 km gravel or crushed stone; also 2,522 km of seasonally motorable tracks
Railroads
52 km (1990), all 0.762-meter narrow gauge; all in Terai close to Indian border; 10 km from Raxaul to Birganj is government owned
Telecommunications
poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radio communication and broadcast service; international radio communication service is poor; 50,000 telephones (1990); stations--88 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Military and Security
Branches
Royal Nepalese Army, Royal Nepalese Army Air Service, Nepalese Police Force
Defense expenditures
$38 million, 2% of GDP (FY91) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 4,669,421; 2,420,398 fit for military service; 233,404 reach military age (17) annually