1996 Edition

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

Location

28 00 N, 84 00 E -- Southern Asia, between China and India Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly larger than Arkansas

land area

136,800 sq km

total area

140,800 sq km

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)

international agreements

party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

natural hazards

severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons

Geographic coordinates

28 00 N, 84 00 E

Geographic note

landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

9,430 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries

border countries

China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km

total

2,926 km

Land use

arable land

17%

forest and woodland

33%

meadows and pastures

13%

other

37%

permanent crops

0%

Location

Southern Asia, between China and India

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural resources

quartz, water, timber, hydropower potential, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

Terrain

Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north

highest point

Mount Everest 8,848 m

lowest point

Kanchan Kalan 70 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 42% (male 4,776,245; female 4,563,000) 15-64 years: 55% (male 6,172,821; female 5,945,626) 65 years and over: 3% (male 320,350; female 315,991) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

37 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

12.56 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas

Infant mortality rate

79 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Nepali (official), 20 other languages divided into numerous dialects

Life expectancy at birth

female

53.93 years (1996 est.)

male

53.35 years

total population

53.63 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

female

14%

male

40.9%

total population

27.5%

Nationality

adjective

Nepalese

noun

Nepalese (singular and plural)

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

22,094,033 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

2.45% (1996 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

Sex ratio

all ages

1.04 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

5.06 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Data code

NP

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Basudev Prasad DHUNGANA

consulate(s) general

New York

telephone

[1] (202) 667-4550

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet was appointed by the king on recommendation of the prime minister

chief of state

King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (succeeded to the throne 31 January 1972 following the death of his father King MAHENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev, crowned king 24 February 1975) is a constitutional monarch; Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA Bir Bikram

head of government

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur DEUBA (since 12 September 1995); note - in 1994, the king appointed Man Mohan ADHIKARI to be prime minister using the standard criterion - he was the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives following the last election; however, in September 1995, a parliamentary coalition of the Nepali Congress Party, the Rastriya Prajantra Party, the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, and independents voted against Prime Minister ADHIKARI; Sher Bahadur DEUBA, the leader of the Nepali Congress Party, then formed the new government and was appointed the new prime minister by the king

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 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

Independence

1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)

International organization participation

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, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIH, UNPROFOR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat), chief justice is appointed by the king on recommendation of the Constitutional Council, the other judges are appointed by the king on the recommendation of the Judicial Council

Legal system

based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament

Name of country

conventional long form

Kingdom of Nepal

conventional short form

Nepal

National Council

consists of 60 members (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), Man Mohan ADHIKARI, president; Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Krishna Prasad BHATTARAI (president), Girija Prasad KOIRALA, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur DEUBA; National Democratic Party (NDP), leader NA; Terai Rights Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party, Gajendra Narayan SINGH; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP), leader NA; Nepal Sadbhavana Party, leader NA; Rastriya Prajantra Party, leader NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

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

Agriculture

rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat

Budget

expenditures

$1.05 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95 est.)

revenues

$645 million

Currency

1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa

Economic aid

note

western and Japanese bilateral aid $215 million; multilateral aid $43 million (1994-95)

recipient

ODA, $310 million (1993)

Economic 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 80% of the population and accounting for about one-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 moving forward with economic reforms particularly those that encourage trade and foreign investment, e.g., by eliminating business licenses and registration requirements in order to simplify investment procedures. The government has also been cutting public expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing state industries, and laying off civil servants. (In 1995 little progress was made in these areas because the communist government had trouble formulating and implementing policies.) The new coalition government is planning to pick up the pace of reforms in 1996, focusing primarily on raising revenues to develop the rural sector by increasing taxation and privatization. Prospects for foreign trade and investment, particularly in areas other than power development and tourism, will continue to remain poor because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. The international community provides funding for 62% of Nepal's developmental budget and for 34% of total budgetary expenditures.

Electricity

capacity

280,000 kW

consumption per capita

41 kWh (1993)

production

920 million kWh

Exchange rates

Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1 - 56.636 (January 1996), 51.890 (1995), 49.398 (1994), 48.607 (1993), 42.718 (1992), 37.255 (1991)

Exports

$430 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.) but does not include unrecorded border trade with India

commodities

carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain

partners

India, US, Germany, UK

External debt

$2.3 billion (FY94/95 est.)

Fiscal year

16 July - 15 July

GDP

purchasing power parity - $25.2 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

49.3%

industry

18.4%

services

32.3% (1993)

GDP per capita

$1,200 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

2.3% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for heroin from Southeast Asia to the West

Imports

$1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1995 est.)

commodities

petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10%

partners

India, Singapore, Japan, Germany

Industrial production growth rate

14.7% (FY94/95 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.7% (FY94/95)

Labor force

8.5 million (1991 est.)

by occupation

agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry 2%

note

severe lack of skilled labor

Unemployment rate

NA%; substantial underemployment (1995)

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)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

5,329,345

males fit for military service

2,768,887

males reach military age (17) annually

254,590 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 88, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

690,000 (1992 est.)

Telephone system

poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service

domestic

NA

international

radiotelephone communications; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Telephones

82,774 (1995 est.)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1988 est.)

Televisions

45,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Airports

total

43

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

3

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

1

with paved runways over 3 047 m

1

with paved runways under 914 m

27

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

1

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

10 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

3,421 km

total

9,933 km

unpaved

6,512 km (1995 est.)

Ports

none

Railways

narrow gauge

101 km 0.762-m gauge

total

101 km; note - all in Terai close to Indian border