Statistical information Nepal 1992
Nepal in the World
Nepal - Introduction 1992
top of pageBackground: 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.
Nepal - Geography 1992
top of pageLocation
Geographic coordinates
Map reference
Area
Total: 140,800 km²
Land: 136,800 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries: 2,926 km total; China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline: none - landlocked
Maritime claims: none - landlocked
Disputes: none
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
Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydroelectric potential, scenic beauty; small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use
Land use: arable land: 17%; permanent crops: NEGL%; meadows and pastures 13%; forest and woodland 33%; other 37%; includes irrigated 2%
Irrigated land
Major rivers
Major watersheds area km²
Total water withdrawal
Total renewable water resources
Natural hazards
Geography
Nepal - People 1992
top of pagePopulation: 20,086,455 (July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992)
Nationality: noun - Nepalese (singular and plural; adjective - Nepalese
Ethnic groups:
Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs,
Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas, as well as many smaller groups
Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas, as well as many smaller groups
Languages: Nepali (official; 20 languages divided into numerous dialects
Religions: only official Hindu state in world, although no sharp distinction between many Hindu (about 90% of population) and Buddhist groups (about 5% of population; Muslims 3%, other 2% (1981)
Demographic profile
Age structure
Age structure
Dependency ratios
Median age
Population growth rate
Birth rate: 38 births/1000 population (1992)
Death rate: 14 deaths/1000 population (1992)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1992)
Population distribution
Urbanization
Major urban areas
Environment
Current issues: contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Current issues note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India
Air pollutants
Sex ratio
Mothers mean age at first birth
Maternal mortality ratio
Infant mortality rate: 90 deaths/1000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 51 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born/woman (1992)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
Drinking water source
Current health expenditure
Physicians density
Hospital bed density
Sanitation facility access
Hiv/Aids
Major infectious diseases
Obesity adult prevalence rate
Alcohol consumption
Tobacco use
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
Education expenditures
Literacy: 26% (male 38%, female 13%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Youth unemployment
Nepal - Government 1992
top of pageCountry name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal
Government type: parliamentary democracy as of 12 May 1991
Capital: Kathmandu
Administrative divisions:
14 zones (anchal, singular and plural);
Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini,
Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini,
Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Dependent areas
Independence: 1768, unified by Prithyi Narayan Shah
National holiday: Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)
Constitution: 9 November 1990
Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participation
Citizenship
Suffrage: universal at age 18
House of Representatives:
last held on 12 May 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results - NCP 38%, CPN/UML 28%, NDP/Chand 6%, UPF 5%, NDP/Thapa 5%,
Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 4%, Rohit 2%, CPN (Democratic) 1%, independents 4%, other 7%; seats - (205 total) NCP 110, CPN/UML 69, UPF 9,
Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 6, NDP/Chand 3, Rohit 2, CPN (Democratic) 2,
NDP/Thapa 1, independents 3; note - the new Constitution of 9 November 1990 gives Nepal a multiparty democracy system for the first time in 32 years
Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 4%, Rohit 2%, CPN (Democratic) 1%, independents 4%, other 7%; seats - (205 total) NCP 110, CPN/UML 69, UPF 9,
Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 6, NDP/Chand 3, Rohit 2, CPN (Democratic) 2,
NDP/Thapa 1, independents 3; note - the new Constitution of 9 November 1990 gives Nepal a multiparty democracy system for the first time in 32 years
Communists: Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
National Council and a lower house or House of Representatives
National Council and a lower house or House of Representatives
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat)
Political parties and leaders
International organization participation:
AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Yog Prasad UPADHYAYA; Chancery at 2,131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20,008; telephone (202) 667-4,550; there is a Nepalese Consulate General in New York
US: Ambassador Julia Chang BLOCH; Embassy at Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu; telephone 977 (1) 411,179 or 412,718, 411,604, 411,613, 413,890; FAX 977 (1) 419,963
Diplomatic representation
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
National symbols
National anthem
National heritage
Nepal - Economy 1992
top of pageEconomy 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 60% 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 87% of foreign exchange earnings in FY89. Apart from agricultural land and forests, the only other 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%. Forty percent or more of the population is undernourished partly because of poor distribution. Since May 1991, the government has been encouraging privatization and foreign investment. It has introduced policies to eliminate many business licenses and registration requirements in order to simplify domestic and foreign investment procedures. Economic prospects for the 1990s remain poor because the economy starts from such a low base.
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 87% of foreign exchange earnings in FY89. Apart from agricultural land and forests, the only other 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%. Forty percent or more of the population is undernourished partly because of poor distribution. Since May 1991, the government has been encouraging privatization and foreign investment. It has introduced policies to eliminate many business licenses and registration requirements in order to simplify domestic and foreign investment procedures. Economic prospects for the 1990s remain poor because the economy starts from such a low base.
GDP: exchange rate conversion - $3.2 billion, per capita $165; real growth rate 3.5% (FY91)
Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real gdp growth rate
Real gdp per capita
Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end use
Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture products: accounts for 60% of GDP and 90% of work force; farm products - rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, buffalo meat; not self-sufficient in food, particularly in drought years
Industries: small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette, textile, carpet, cement, and brick production; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 6% (FY91 est.), accounts for 7% of GDP
Labor force: 8,500,000 (1991 est.); agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry 2%; severe lack of skilled labor
Organized labor: Teachers' Union and many other nonofficially recognized unions
Labor force
Unemployment rate: 5%; underemployment estimated at 25-40% (1987)
Youth unemployment
Population below poverty line
Gini index
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Distribution of family income gini index
Budget: revenues $294.0 million; expenditures $624.0 million, including capital expenditures of $396 (FY92 est.)
Taxes and other revenues
Public debt
Revenue
Fiscal year: 16 July - 15 July
Inflation rate consumer prices
Central bank discount rate
Commercial bank prime lending rate
Stock of narrow money
Stock of broad money
Stock of domestic credit
Market value of publicly traded shares
Current account balance
Exports: $180 million (f.o.b., FY91) but does not include unrecorded border trade with India
Commodoties: clothing, carpets, leather goods, grain
Partners: US, India, Germany, UK
Imports: $545 million (c.i.f., FY91 est.)
Commodoties: petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10%
Partners: India, Singapore, Japan, Germany
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Debt external
Stock of direct foreign investment at home
Stock of direct foreign investment abroad
Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1 - 42.7 (January 1992), 37.255 (1991), 29.370 (1990), 27.189 (1989), 23.289 (1988), 21.819 (1987)
Nepal - Energy 1992
top of pageElectricity
Production: 280,000 kW capacity; 540 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1990)
Coal
Petroleum
Crude oil
Refined petroleum
Natural gas
Carbon dioxide emissions
Energy consumption per capita
Nepal - Communication 1992
top of pageTelephones
Telephone system
Broadcast media
Internet
Broadband fixed subscriptions
Nepal - Military 1992
top of pageMilitary expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $34 million, 2% of GDP (FY92)
Military and security forces
Military service age and obligation
Space program
Terrorist groups
Nepal - Transportation 1992
top of pageNational air transport system
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
Airports:
37 total, 37 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
with runways over 3,659 m; 1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Heliports
Pipelines
Railways
Roadways
Waterways
Merchant marine
Ports and terminals
Nepal - Transnational issues 1992
top of pageDisputes international
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets
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