1992 Edition

Climate

varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south

Coastline

none - landlocked

Comparative area

slightly larger than Arkansas

Disputes

none

Environment

contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

Land area

136,800 km2

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

Birth rate

38 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

14 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas, as well as many smaller groups

Infant mortality rate

90 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

8,500,000 (1991 est.); agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry 2%; severe lack of skilled labor

Languages

Nepali (official); 20 languages divided into numerous dialects

Life expectancy at birth

51 years male, 51 years female (1992)

Literacy

26% (male 38%, female 13%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Nepalese (singular and plural); adjective - Nepalese

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

Teachers' Union and many other nonofficially recognized unions

Population

20,086,455 (July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992)

Religions

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

5.4 children born/woman (1992)

Administrative divisions

14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti

Capital

Kathmandu

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)

Communist

Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist and Leninist (CPN/UML), Man Mohan ADIKHARY; United People's Front (UPF), N. K. PRASAI, Lila Mani POKHAREL; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, leader NA; Rohit Party, N. M. BIJUKCHHE; Democratic Party, leader NA

Communists

Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)

Constitution

9 November 1990

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Yog Prasad UPADHYAYA; 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, 411604, 411613, 413890; FAX [977] (1) 419963

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

Head of Government

Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 29 May 1991)

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%, independents 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, independents 3; note - the new Constitution of 9 November 1990 gives Nepal a multiparty democracy system for the first time in 32 years

Independence

1768, unified by Prithyi Narayan Shah

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat)

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, WFTU, 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:

Lokinra Bahadur CHAND, and National Democratic Party/Thapa (NDP/Thapa), Surya Bahadur THAPA - the two factions announced a merger in late 1991; Terai Rights Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party, G. N. Naryan SINGH

the NDP has two factions

National Democratic Party/Chand (NDP/Chand),

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

parliamentary democracy as of 12 May 1991

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 $294.0 million; expenditures $624.0 million, including capital expenditures of $396 (FY92 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 (1980-89), $2,230 million; 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 - 42.7 (January 1992), 37.255 (1991), 29.370 (1990), 27.189 (1989), 23.289 (1988), 21.819 (1987)

Exports

$180 million (f.o.b., FY91) but does not include unrecorded border trade with India commodities: clothing, carpets, leather goods, grain partners: US, India, Germany, UK

External debt

$2.5 billion (April 1990 est.)

Fiscal year

16 July - 15 July

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $3.2 billion, per capita $165; real growth rate 3.5% (FY91)

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets

Imports

$545 million (c.i.f., FY91 est.) commodities: petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10% partners: India, Singapore, Japan, Germany

Industrial production

growth rate 6% (FY91 est.); accounts for 7% of GDP

Industries

small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette, textile, carpet, cement, and brick production; tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

15.0% (December 1991)

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 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%, as compared with annual population growth of 2.6%. Forty percent or more of the population is undernourished partly because of poor distribution. Since May 1991, the government has been encouraging privatization and foreign investment. It has introduced policies to eliminate many business licenses and registration requirements in order to simplify domestic and foreign investment procedures. Economic prospects for the 1990s remain poor because the economy starts from such a low base.

Unemployment rate

5%; underemployment estimated at 25-40% (1987)

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); broadcast stations - 88 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

Royal Nepalese Army, Royal Nepalese Army Air Service, Nepalese Police Force

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $34 million, 2% of GDP (FY92)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 4,798,984; 2,488,749 fit for military service; 225,873 reach military age (17) annually