2008 Edition

Background

In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing nine-year civil war between insurgents and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists and government officials, and culminated in a November 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. The newly formed interim parliament declared Nepal a democratic federal republic at its first meeting in May 2008, the king vacated the throne in mid-June 2008, and parliament elected the country's first president the following month.

Area

total: 147,181 sq km land: 143,181 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 8,850 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions

Environment - international agreements

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 10.18 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%) per capita: 375 cu m/yr (2000)

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, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the borders with China and India respectively

Irrigated land

11,700 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 16.07% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 83.08% (2005)

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, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

210.2 cu km (1999)

Age structure

0-14 years: 38% (male 5,792,042/female 5,427,370) 15-64 years: 58.2% (male 8,832,488/female 8,345,724) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 542,192/female 579,298) (2008 est.)

Birth rate

29.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

8.97 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditures

3.4% of GDP (2003)

Ethnic groups

Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3,100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

61,000 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 60.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages

Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu (Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi 2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census) note: many in government and business also speak English (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 60.94 years male: 61.12 years female: 60.75 years (2008 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 48.6% male: 62.7% female: 34.9% (2001 census)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: Japanese encephalitis and malaria (2008)

Median age

total: 20.7 years male: 20.5 years female: 20.8 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese

Net migration rate

NA (2008 est.)

Population

29,519,114 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate

2.095% (2008 est.)

Religions

Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) note: only official Hindu state in the world

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 9 years male: 10 years female: 8 years (2003)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.91 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

name: Kathmandu geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

9 November 1990; note - a new interim constitution was promulgated in January 2007; the November 2006 peace agreement calls for the election of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new permanent constitution

Country name

conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal conventional short form: Nepal local long form: Sanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal local short form: Nepal

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy J. POWELL embassy: Maharajgunj, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 400-7200

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Suresh Chandra CHALISE chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550

Executive branch

chief of state: President Ram Baran YADAV (as of 23 July 2008); Vice President Paramananda JHA (as of 23 July 2008) head of government: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal DAHAL (as of 18 August 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev GAUTAM cabinet: selected by the prime minister elections: president elected by Parliament; term NA; election last held 21 July 2008 election results: Ram Baran YADAV elected president by the Constituent Assembly in a second round of voting on 21 July 2008; Ram Baran YADAV 308, Ram Jaja Prasad SINGH 282

FAX

[1] (202) 667-5534 consulate(s) general:

[977] (1) 400-7272

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

democratic republic

Independence

1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)

International organization participation

ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch 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

unicameral Constituent Assembly (601 seats; 240 seats decided by direct popular vote; 335 seats by proportional representation; 26 appointed by the Cabinet (Council of Ministers)) note: KOIRALA called the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly on 28 May 2008 elections: last held 10 April 2008 (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPN-M 220, NC 110, CPN-UML 103, Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum 52, Terai Madhesi Democratic Party/Nepal Sadbhawana Party 29, other smaller parties 61; note - 26 seats to be filled by the new Cabinet

National holiday

NA; note - in 2006, Parliament abolished the birthday of King GYANENDRA (7 July) and Constitution Day (9 November) as national holidays

Political parties and leaders

Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekata Party [Keshav Prasad MAINALI]; Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also known as PRACHANDA, chairman; Dr. Baburam BHATTARAI]; Communist Party of Nepal (ML) [C.P. MAINALI]; Communist Party of Nepal (Unified) [Raj Singh SHRIS]; Communist Party of Nepal (United) [Ganesh SHAH]; Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Amrit Kumar BOHARA]; Dalit Janajati Party [Vishwendraman PASHWAN]; Janamorcha Nepal [Amik SHERCHAN]; Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum [Upendra YADAV]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Pashupati Shumsher RANA] (also called Rastriya Prajatantra Party or RPP); Nepal Loktantrik Samajbadi Dal [Upendra GACHCHHADAR]; Nepal Pariwar Dal [Vinod DANGI]; Nepal Rastriya Party [Khushilal YADAV]; Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) [Shyam Sundar GUPTA]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE]; Nepali Congress Party or NCP [Girija Prasad KOIRALA]; Nepali Janata Dal [Bharat Prasad MAHATO]; Rastriya Janamorcha [Chitra BAHADUR K.C.]; Rastriya Janamukti Party [Malwar Singh THAPA]; Rastriya Janashakti Party or RJP [Surya Bahadur THAPA] (split from RPP in March 2005); Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal [Kamal THAPA]; Sadbhavana Party (Mahato) [Rajendra MAHATO]; Samajbadi Prajatantrik Janata Party Nepal [Prem Bahadur SINGH]; Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch [Kamal CHHARAHANG]; Terai Madhesi Democratic Party [Mahantha THAKUR]

Political pressure groups and leaders

other: several small armed Madhesi groups along the southern border with India; a variety of groups advocating regional autonomy for individual ethnic groups

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $1.153 billion expenditures: $1.927 billion (FY06/07)

Central bank discount rate

6.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

8% (31 December 2007)

Currency (code)

Nepalese rupee (NPR)

Currency code

NPR

Current account balance

$58 million (2007)

Debt - external

$3.07 billion (March 2006)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

47.2 (2004)

Economic aid - recipient

$427.9 million (2005)

Economy - overview

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with almost one-third of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for three-fourths of the population and accounting for 38% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Security concerns relating to the Maoist conflict have led to a decrease in tourism, a key source of foreign exchange. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, its civil strife, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.

Electricity - consumption

2.276 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports

165 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

380 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

2.703 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 8.5% hydro: 91.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Exchange rates

Nepalese rupees (NPR) per US dollar - NA (2007), 72.446 (2006), 72.16 (2005), 73.674 (2004), 76.141 (2003)

Exports

$830 million f.o.b.; note - does not include unrecorded border trade with India (2006)

Exports - commodities

carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain

Exports - partners

India 69.3%, US 8.8%, Germany 4.1% (2007)

Fiscal year

16 July - 15 July

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 38% industry: 20% services: 42% (FY05/06 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.2% (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$9.627 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$29.29 billion (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 40.6% (2004)

Imports

$2.398 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities

gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer

Imports - partners

India 58.9%, China 13.6%, Japan 1.6% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate

2.2% (FY05/06)

Industries

tourism, carpets, textiles; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force

11.11 million note: severe lack of skilled labor (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 76% industry: 6% services: 18% (2004 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$963.5 million (2005)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

16,960 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports

11,530 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

30.9% (2004)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of domestic credit

$5.636 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$2.184 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$4.745 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

42% (2004 est.)

Internet country code

.np

Internet hosts

42,219 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

6 (2000)

Internet users

337,100 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2000)

Radios

840,000 (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile-cellular telephone network domestic: NA international: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

766,400 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.157 million (2006)

Television broadcast stations

1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)

Televisions

130,000 (1997)

Airports

47 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 10 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 37 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 30 (2007)

Railways

total: 59 km narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total: 17,280 km paved: 9,829 km unpaved: 7,451 km (2004)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 7,322,965 females age 16-49: 6,859,064 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 5,146,958 females age 16-49: 4,724,495 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 335,747 female: 312,297 (2008 est.)

Military branches

Nepalese Army, Armed Police Force (2008)

Military expenditures

1.6% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of age for military training; no conscription (2008)

Disputes - international

joint border commission continues to work on contested sections of boundary with India, including the 400 square kilometer dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India has instituted a stricter border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents and illegal cross-border activities; approximately 106,000 Bhutanese Lhotshampas (Hindus) have been confined in refugee camps in southeastern Nepal since 1990

IDPs

50,000-70,000 (remaining from ten-year Maoist insurgency that officially ended in 2006; displacement spread across the country) (2007)

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis and hashish for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 107,803 (Bhutan); 20,153 (Tibet/China)