1.
[syn: Nepal, Kingdom of Nepal]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Nepal
n 1: a small landlocked Asian country high in the Himalayas
between India and China [syn: Nepal, Kingdom of Nepal]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Nepal
Introduction Nepal
------------------
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. The refugee issue of some
100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains
unresolved; 90% of these displaced
persons are housed in seven United
Nations Offices of the High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
camps.
Geography Nepal
---------------
Location: Southern Asia, between China and
India
Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 140,800 sq km
water: 4,000 sq km
land: 136,800 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries: total: 2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km,
India 1,690 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: varies from cool summers and severe
winters in north to subtropical
summers and mild winters in south
Terrain: Terai or flat river plain of the
Ganges in south, central hill
region, rugged Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
(1999 est.)
Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydropower,
scenic beauty, small deposits of
lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use: arable land: 20.27%
permanent crops: 0.49%
other: 79.24% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 11,350 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: severe thunderstorms, flooding,
landslides, drought, and famine
depending on the timing, intensity,
and duration of the summer monsoons
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 party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location
between China and India; contains
eight of world's 10 highest peaks,
including Mount Everest - the
world's tallest - on the border with
China
People Nepal
------------
Population: 25,873,917 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 40% (male 5,346,422;
female 5,007,416)
15-64 years: 56.4% (male 7,476,202;
female 7,125,471)
65 years and over: 3.6% (male
453,263; female 465,143) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.29% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 32.94 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 10.03 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 72.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 58.61 years
female: 58.2 years (2002 est.)
male: 59.01 years
Total fertility rate: 4.48 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.29% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 34,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,500 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Nepalese
Ethnic groups: Brahman, Chetri, Newar, Gurung,
Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa,
Tharu, and others (1995)
Religions: Hinduism 86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam
3.8%, other 2.2%
note: only official Hindu state in
the world (1995)
Languages: Nepali (official; spoken by 90% of
the population), about a dozen other
languages and about 30 major
dialects; note - many in government
and business also speak English
(1995)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 27.5%
male: 40.9%
female: 14% (1995 est.)
Government Nepal
----------------
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of
Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal
Government type: parliamentary democracy and
constitutional monarchy
Capital: Kathmandu
Administrative divisions: 14 zones (anchal, singular and
plural); Bagmati, Bheri,
Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur,
Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali,
Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha,
Seti
Independence: 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan
Shah)
National holiday: Birthday of King GYANENDRA, 7 July
(1946)
Constitution: 9 November 1990
Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and
English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King GYANENDRA Bir
Bikram Shah (succeeded to the throne
4 June 2001 following the death of
his nephew, King DIPENDRA Bir Bikram
Shah)
head of government: Prime Minister
Sher Bahadur DEUBA (since 22 July
2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
monarch on the recommendation of the
prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is
hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the
majority party or leader of a
majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the
monarch
note: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah
Dev died in a bloody shooting at the
royal palace on 1 June 2001 that
also claimed the lives of most of
the royal family; King BIRENDRA's
son, Crown Price DIPENDRA, is
believed to have been responsible
for the shootings before fatally
wounding himself; immediately
following the shootings and while
still clinging to life, DIPENDRA was
crowned king; he died three days
later and was succeeded by his uncle
Legislative branch: note: Nepal's Parliament was
dissolved on 22 May 2002 and
elections are scheduled for 13
November 2002
: 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)
election results: House of
Representatives - percent of vote by
party - NC 37.3%, CPN/UML 31.6%, NDP
10.4%, NSP 3.2%, Rastriya Jana
Morcha 1.4%, Samyukta Janmorcha
Nepal 0.8%, NWPP 0.5%, others 14.8%;
seats by party - NC 113, CPN/UML 69,
NDP 11, NSP 5, Rastriya Jana Morcha
5, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 1, NWPP
1
elections: House of Representatives
- last held 3 and 17 May 1999 (next
to be held 13 November 2002)
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)
Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Nepal/United
Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Madhav
Kumar NEPAL, general secretary];
National Democratic Party or NDP
(also called Rastriya Prajantra
Party or RPP) [Surya Bahadur THAPA,
chairman]; National People's Front
(Rastriya Jana Morcha) [Chitra
Bahadur, chairman]; Nepal Sadbhavana
(Goodwill) Party or NSP [Bhadri
Prasad MANDAL, acting party
president]; Nepal Workers and
Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man
BIJUKCHHE, party chair]; Nepali
Congress or NC [Girija Prasad
KOIRALA, party president, Sushil
KOIRALA, general secretary];
Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [Lila Mani
POKHAREL, general secretary]
Political pressure groups and Maoist guerrilla-based insurgency;
leaders: numerous small, left-leaning student
groups in the capital; several
small, radical Nepalese
antimonarchist groups
International organization AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
participation: IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO
(correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM,
OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT,
UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador-
designate Jai Pratap RANA
chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW,
Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534
telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Michael
US: E. MALINOWSKI (since December 2001)
embassy: Panipokhari, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy street
address
telephone: [977] (1) 411179
FAX: [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
Economy Nepal
-------------
Economy - overview: Nepal is among the poorest and least
developed countries in the world
with nearly 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 41% of GDP.
Industrial activity mainly involves
the processing of agricultural
produce including jute, sugarcane,
tobacco, and grain. Textile and
carpet production, accounteing for
about 80% of foreign exchange
earnings in recent years, contracted
significantly in 2001 due to the
overall slowdown in the world
economy and pressures by Maoist
insurgents on factory owners and
workers. Security concerns in the
wake of Maoist activity, the June
massacre of many members of the
royal family, and the September 11
terrorist attacks in the US led to a
decrease in tourism, another key
source of foreign exchange.
Agricultural production is growing
by about 5% on average as compared
with annual population growth of
2.3%. Since May 1991, the government
has been moving forward with
economic reforms, particularly those
that encourage trade and foreign
investment, e.g., by reducing
business licenses and registration
requirements 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 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, 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.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $35.6
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,400
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 41%
industry: 22%
services: 37% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 42% (FY95/96 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 3.2%
percentage share: highest 10%: 29.8% (1995-96)
Distribution of family income - Gini 36.7 (1995-96)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (FY00/01 est.)
Labor force: 10 million (1996 est.)
note: severe lack of skilled labor
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 81%, services 16%,
industry 3%
Unemployment rate: 47% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $665 million
expenditures: $1.1 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: tourism, carpet, textile; small
rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed
mills; cigarette; cement and brick
production
Industrial production growth rate: 8.7% (FY99/00)
Electricity - production: 1.454 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 9.56%
hydro: 90.44%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 1.431 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 95 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 174 million kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root
crops; milk, water buffalo meat
Exports: $757 million (f.o.b., FY00/01 est.),
but does not include unrecorded
border trade with India
Exports - commodities: carpets, clothing, leather goods,
jute goods, grain
Exports - partners: India 48%, US 26%, Germany 11%
(FY00/01)
Imports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., FY00/01 est.)
Imports - commodities: gold, machinery and equipment,
petroleum products, fertilizer
Imports - partners: India 39%, Singapore 10%, China/Hong
Kong 9%, (FY00/01)
Debt - external: $2.55 billion (FY00/01)
Economic aid - recipient: $424 million (FY00/01)
Currency: Nepalese rupee (NPR)
Currency code: NPR
Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees per US dollar -
76.675 (January 2002), 74.961
(2001), 71.094 (2000), 68.239
(1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997)
Fiscal year: 16 July - 15 July
Communications Nepal
--------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 236,816 (January 2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: poor telephone
and telegraph service; fair
radiotelephone communication service
and mobile cellular telephone
network
domestic: NA
international: radiotelephone
communications; microwave landline
to India; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January
2000)
Radios: 840,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)
Televisions: 130,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .np
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000)
Internet users: 50,000 (2001)
Transportation Nepal
--------------------
Railways: total: 59 km
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge
note: all in Kosi close to Indian
border (2001)
Highways: total: 13,223 km
paved: 4,073 km
unpaved: 9,150 km (April 1999)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 45 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 29 (2001)
Military Nepal
--------------
Military branches: Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal
Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese
Police Force
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 6,484,343 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 3,369,454 (2002
service: est.)
Military manpower - reaching males: 292,589 (2002 est.)
military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar $51.5 million (FY01)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1% (FY01)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Nepal
--------------------------
Disputes - international: formed Joint Border committee with
India in 2001 to resolve 53 disputed
sections of boundary covering an
area of 720 sq km; approximately
100,000 Bhutanese refugees living in
Nepal, 90% of whom reside in seven
UN Office of the High Commissioner
for Refugees camps, place decades-
long strains on Nepal
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the
domestic and international drug
markets; transit point for opiates
from Southeast Asia to the West