Map of Nepal | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 ten-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. Following a nation-wide election in April 2008 the newly formed Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The Constituent Assembly elected the country's first president in July. The Maoists who received a plurality of votes in the Constituent Assembly election formed a coalition government in August 2008.


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Location: Southern Asia between China and India

Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N 84 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 147,181 km²
Rank: 93
Land: 143,351 km²
Water: 3,830 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Arkansas

Land boundaries
Total: 2,926 km
Border countries: (2) China 1236 km; India 1690 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: Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south central hill region rugged Himalayas in north

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Natural resources: quartz water timber hydropower scenic beauty small deposits of lignite copper cobalt iron ore

Land use
Arable land: 16.07%
Permanent crops: 0.85%
Other: 83.08% (2005)

Irrigated land: 11,700 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 210.2 km³ (1999)

Natural hazards: severe thunderstorms; flooding; landslides; drought and famine depending on the timing intensity and duration of the summer monsoons

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


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Population: 28,563,377 (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 42
Growth rate: 1.281% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 106
Below poverty line: 30.9% (2004)

Nationality
Noun: Nepalese
Adjective: Nepalese

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)

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.)

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 36.6%
15-64 years: 59.2% (male 8,094,494/female 8,812,675)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 566,666/female 634,880) (2009 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 20.8 years
Male: 19.8 years
Female: 21.7 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.281% (2009 est.)
Rank: 106

Birth rate: 23.18 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 78

Death rate: 6.97 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 132

Net migration rate: -3.39 migrant(s)/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 153

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 17% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 4.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Major urban areas

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
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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 47.46 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 54
Male: 47.4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 47.52 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 65.46 years
Rank: 165
Male: 64.3 years
Female: 66.67 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.64 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 88

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 79
People living with hivaids: 70,000 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 56
Deaths: 5,000 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 45

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: Japanese encephalitis malaria and dengue fever (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 3.4% of GDP (2003)
Rank: 133

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 48.6%
Male: 62.7%
Female: 34.9% (2001 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 8 years (2003)

Youth unemployment


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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

Government type: federal democratic republic

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)

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)

National holiday: Republic Day 29 May; Democracy Day 24 April

Constitution: 15 January 2007 (interim Constitution); note - in April 2008 a Constituent Assembly was elected to draft and promulgate a new constitution by May 2010

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Ram Baran YADAV ; Vice President Paramananda JHA (as of 23 July 2008)
Head of government: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar NEPAL (as of 25 May 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar GACHHEDAR
Cabinet: cabinet formed in August 2008 by a majority coalition made up of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist Madhesi People's Rights Forum and several smaller parties
Elections: president elected by Parliament; term extends until the new constitution is promulgated; election last held 21 July 2008; date of next election NA
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

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))
Elections: last held 10 April 2008 (next to be held NA)
Election results: percent of vote by party - CPN-M 38% NC 19% CPN-UML 19%Madhesi People's Right Forum 9% Terai-Madhes Democratic Party and Sadbhavana Party 5% other 10%; seats by party - CPN-M 220 NC 110 CPN-UML 103 Madhesi People's Rights Forum 52 Terai-Madhes Democratic Party 20 Sadbhawana Party 9 other smaller parties 61; note - 26 seats filled by the new Cabinet

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (the president appoints the chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the chief justice appoints other judges on the recommendation of the Judicial Council)

Political parties and leaders: Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekata Party [Keshav Prasad MAINALI]; 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 [Jhalanath KHANAL]; Dalit Janajati Party [Vishwendraman PASHWAN]; Madhesi People's Rights 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 or NC [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]; 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-Madhes Democratic Party [Mahantha THAKUR]; United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL also known as PRACHANDA chairman]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Kali POKHREL
In the us chancery: 2,131 Leroy Place NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 667-4,550
In the us fax: [1] (202) 667-5,534
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy J. POWELL
From the us embassy: Maharajgunj Kathmandu
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [977] (1) 400-7,200
From the us fax: [977] (1) 400-7,272

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


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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 about one-third of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural products including pulses jute sugarcane tobacco and grain. Bumper crops better security improved transportation and increased tourism pushed growth past 5% in 2008 after growth had hovered around 3% - barely above the rate of population growth - for the previous three years. The deteriorating world economy in 2009 will challenge tourism and remittance growth 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 and landlocked geographic location its civil strife and labor unrest and its susceptibility to natural disaster.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 104
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 81

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 210
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 32.5%
Industry: 16.6%
Services: 50.9% (FY07 est.)

Agriculture products: pulses rice corn wheat sugarcane jute root crops; milk water buffalo meat

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

Industrial production growth rate: 1.8% (FY08)
Rank: 110

Labor force: 14.6 million
Rank: 39
Note: severe lack of skilled labor (2008 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 76%
By occupation industry: 6%
By occupation services: 18% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate: 42% (2004 est.)
Rank: 191

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 30.9% (2004)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.7%
Highest 10: 40.6% (2006)

Distribution of family income gini index: 36.7 (1996)
Rank: 35

Budget
Revenues: $1.7 billion
Expenditures: $2.3 billion (FY08)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6.4% (2007 est.)
Rank: 122

Central bank discount rate: 6.25% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 72

Commercial bank prime lending rate: NA% (31 December 2008)

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $5.636 billion (31 December 2007)
Rank: 80

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 88

Current account balance: $58 million (2007)
Rank: 53

Exports: $830 million (2006)
Rank: 153
Commodities: clothing carpets leather goods jute goods pulses grain
Partners: India 59.2% US 8.7% Bangladesh 8.3% Germany 4.3% (2008)

Imports: $2.398 billion (2006)
Rank: 135
Commodities: petroleum products machinery and equipment electrical goods
Partners: India 55.4% China 13.3% Singapore 2% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $3.07 billion (March 2006)
Rank: 118

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $NA

Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees (NPR) per US dollar - 65.21 (2008) 70.35 (2007) 72.446 (2006) 72.16 (2005) 73.674 (2004)


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Electricity
Production: 2.781 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 129
Consumption: 2.243 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 132
Exports: 140 million kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 213 million kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 145
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 145
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 142
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 107
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 152

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 805,100 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 87
Mobile cellular: 4.2 million (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 94

Telephone system
General assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile-cellular telephone network
Domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone service subscribership base only about 15 per 100 persons
International: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .np
Hosts: 43,411 (2009)
Hosts rank: 87
Users: 499,000 (2008)
Users rank: 108

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.6% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 104

Military and security forces

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

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 47 (2009)
Rank: 93
With paved runways total: 11
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 9
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 36
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 30 (2009)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 59 km
Rank: 130
Narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 17,282 km
Rank: 120
Paved: 10,142 km
Unpaved: 7,140 km (2007)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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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

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 107,803 (Bhutan); 20,153 (Tibet/China)
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