1995 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1995 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Area
total area: 140,800 sq km land area: 136,800 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Arkansas
Climate
varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
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
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
9,430 sq km (1989)
Land boundaries
total 2,926 km, China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Land use
arable land: 17% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 13% forest and woodland: 33% other: 37%
Location
Southern Asia, between China and India
Map references
Asia
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; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks
Terrain
Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
People and Society
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.)
Birth rate
37.31 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate
12.9 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Ethnic divisions
Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas
Infant mortality rate
81.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Labor force
8.5 million (1991 est.) by occupation: agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry 2% note: severe lack of skilled labor
Languages
Nepali (official), 20 languages divided into numerous dialects
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 53.09 years male: 52.86 years female: 53.34 years (1995 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 26% male: 38% female: 13%
Nationality
noun: Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Population
21,560,869 (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate
2.44% (1995 est.)
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
Total fertility rate
5.15 children born/woman (1995 est.)
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
Constitution
9 November 1990
Digraph
NP
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
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
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
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
Independence
1768 (unified by Prithvi 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
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
Names
conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal conventional short form: Nepal
National Council
consists of a 60-member body, 50 appointed by House of Representatives and 10 by the King
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
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Type
parliamentary democracy as of 12 May 1991
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Ambassador Sandra L. VOGELGESANG embassy: Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 411179
Economy
Agriculture
rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, buffalo meat; not self-sufficient in food, particularly in drought years
Budget
revenues: $455 million expenditures: $854 million, including capital expenditures of $427 million (FY93/94 est.)
Currency
1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa
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
Electricity
capacity: 280,000 kW production: 920 million kWh consumption per capita: 41 kWh (1993)
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)
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
External debt
$2 billion (1993 est.)
Fiscal year
16 July - 15 July
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for heroin from Southeast Asia to the West
Imports
$899 million (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10% partners: India, Singapore, Japan, Germany
Industrial production
NA
Industries
small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette, textile, carpet, cement, and brick production; tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
9.6% (June 1994)
National product
GDP - purchasing power parity - $22.4 billion (1994 est.)
National product per capita
$1,060 (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate
5% (1994 est.)
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.
Unemployment rate
NA%; note - there is substantial underemployment (1994)
Communications
Radio
broadcast stations: AM 88, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: NA
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
Television
broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA
Transportation
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
Highways
total: 7,400 km paved: 3,000 km unpaved: 4,400 km
Ports
none
Railroads
total: 101 km; note - all in Terai close to Indian border narrow gauge: 101 km 0.762-m gauge
Military and Security
Branches
Royal Nepalese Army, Royal Nepalese Army Air Service, Nepalese Police Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $36 million, 1.2% of GDP (FY92/93) ________________________________________________________________________ NETHERLANDS
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.)