1998 Edition

Area

total: 140,800 sq km land: 136,800 sq km water: 4,000 sq km

Area-comparative

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)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m

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)

Environment-international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Geographic coordinates

28 00 N, 84 00 E

Geography-note

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

Irrigated land

8,500 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km

Land use

arable land: 17% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 15% forests and woodland: 42% other: 26% (1993 est.)

Location

Southern Asia, between China and India

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

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

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 42% (male 5,087,855; female 4,779,941) 15-64 years: 55% (male 6,655,865; female 6,387,255) 65 years and over: 3% (male 392,141; female 395,364) (July 1998 est.)

Birth rate

35.66 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate

10.44 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

75.98 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 57.89 years male: 58.04 years female: 57.74 years (1998 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 27.5% male: 40.9% female: 14% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

People-note

refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately 91,000 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps

Population

23,698,421 (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate

2.52% (1998 est.)

Religions

Hindu 90%, Buddhist 5%, Muslim 3%, other 2% (1981) note: only official Hindu state in the world, although no sharp distinction between many Hindu and Buddhist groups

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.87 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Constitution

9 November 1990

Country name

conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal conventional short form: Nepal

Data code

NP

Executive branch

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); Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA Bir Bikram head of government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 15 April 1998); note-Prime Minister KOIRALA-the country's seventh prime minister since 1991-replaces Prime Minister Surya Bahadur THAPA, who served from October 1997 until April 1998, when he resigned as part of a power-sharing agreement with his coalition partners cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the king on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the king is a constitutional monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the king

FAX

[1] (202) 667-5534 consulate(s) general: New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph FRANK embassy: Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 411179

[977] (1) 419963

Flag 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

Government type

parliamentary democracy as of 12 May 1991

Independence

1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)

International organization participation

AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFCTU, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant) Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550

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 Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist (CPN/UML), Man Mohan ADHIKARI, party president, Madhar KUMAR, general secretary; Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Daranath Rana DHATT, general secretary; National Democratic Party (NDP; also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP), Surya Bahadur THAPA; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party, Gajendra Narayan SINGH, president; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP), Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chair Political pressure groups and leaders: numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives-last held 15 November 1994 (next to be held by 15 November 1999) election results: House of Representatives-percent of vote by party-NCP 33%, CPN/UML 31%, NDP 18%, Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party 3%, NWPP 1%; seats by party - CPN/UML 88, NCP 83, NDP 20, NWPP 4, Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party 3, independents 7

National capital

Kathmandu

National holiday

Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture-products

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

Budget

revenues: $536 million expenditures: $818 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97 est.)

Currency

1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa

Debt-external

$2.6 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $411 million (FY97/98)

Economy-overview

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with more than half of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 40% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently and accounted for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in the past two years. Apart from agricultural land and forests, exploitable natural resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural production is growing by about 5% on average as compared with annual population growth of 2.5%. 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 expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing state industries, and laying off civil servants. More recently, however, political instability - five different governments over the past few years-has hampered Kathmandu's ability to forge consensus to implement key economic reforms. Nepal has considerable scope for accelerating economic growth by exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas where there has recently been foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other areas will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. The international community's role of funding more than 60% of Nepal's development budget and more than 28% of total budgetary expenditures will likely continue as a major ingredient of growth.

Electricity-capacity

292,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

48 kWh (1996 est.)

Electricity-production

980 million kWh (1996)

Exchange rates

Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1-63.265 (January 1998), 58.010 (1997), 56.692 (1996), 51.890 (1995), 49.398 (1994), 48.607 (1993)

Exports

total value: $419 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) but does not include unrecorded border trade with India commodities: carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain partners: India, US, Germany, UK

Fiscal year

16 July-15 July Communications

GDP

purchasing power parity-$31.1 billion (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector

agriculture: 40% industry: 21% services: 39% (1997 est.)

GDP-per capita

purchasing power parity-$1,370 (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate

4.2% (1997 est.)

Imports

total value: $1.6 billion (c.i.f., 1997 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 price index

7.5% (1997 est.)

Labor force

total: 10 million (1996 est.) by occupation: agriculture 81%, services 16%, industry 3% note: severe lack of skilled labor

Radio broadcast stations

AM 88, FM 1, 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

115,911 (1996 est.)

Television broadcast stations

9 (1996 est.)

Televisions

45,000 (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%; substantial underemployment (1996)

Airports

45 (1997 est.) Airports-with paved runways: total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.) Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 40 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 29 (1997 est.)

Highways

total: 7,700 km paved: 3,196 km unpaved: 4,504 km (1996 est.) Ports and harbors: none

Railways

total: 101 km; note-all in Kosi close to Indian border narrow gauge: 101 km 0.762-m gauge

Military branches

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

Military expenditures-dollar figure

$36 million (FY92/93)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

1.2% (FY92/93)

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 5,739,283 (1998 est.) Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 2,983,449 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-military age

17 years of age

Military manpower-reaching military age annually

males: 275,582 (1998 est.)

Disputes-international

with Bhutan over 91,000 Bhutanese refugees in Nepal

Illicit drugs

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