Nepal

§1. Nepal Introduction

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.

§2. Nepal Geography

Location:
  Southern Asia, between China and India

Geographic coordinates:
  28 00 N, 84 00 E

Map references:
  Asia

Area:
  total: 140,800 kmē
  land: 136,800 kmē
  water: 4,000 kmē

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

Irrigated land:
  8,500 kmē (1993 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 agreements:
  party to: Biodiversity, Climate 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

§3. Nepal People

Population:
  25,284,463 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 40.35% (male 5,267,234; female 4,933,910)
  15-64 years: 56.16% (male 7,264,575; female 6,934,384)
  65 years and over: 3.49% (male 437,813; female 446,547) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:
  2.32% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:
  33.4 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:
  10.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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: 0.98 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  74.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 58.22 years male: 58.65 years
  female: 57.77 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  4.58 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.29% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  34,000 (1999 est.)

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.)

§4. Nepal Government

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 Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 22 March
    2000)
  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:
  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 3 and 17 May 1999 (next to
    be held NA May 2004)
  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

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]; Nepal
  Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP [Gajendra Narayan SINGH, 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]; Rastriya Jana Morcha [Chitra Bahadur K.
  C., chairman]; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [Lila Mani POKHAREL, general
  secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  Maoist guerrilla-based insurgency; numerous small, left-leaning student
  groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist
  groups

International organization participation:
  AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
  IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
  MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, 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 Damodar Prasad GAUTAM chancery: 2131 Leroy
    Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
  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, 410531
  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

§5. Nepal Economy

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. Production of textiles and carpets has expanded
  recently and accounted for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in the
  past three years. 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 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 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 - $33.7 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  3.7% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
  purchasing power parity - $1,360 (2000 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 percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 29.8% (1995-96)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.3% (FY99/00 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:
  NA%; substantial underemployment (1999)

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

Industries:
  tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills;
  cigarette; cement and brick production

Industrial production growth rate:
  NA%

Electricity - production:
  1.255 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:
  fossil fuel: 9.56% hydro: 90.44%
  nuclear: 0%
  other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:
  1.309 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:
  68 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:
  210 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:
  rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat

Exports:
  $485 million (f.o.b., 1998), but does not include unrecorded border trade
  with India

Exports - commodities:
  carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain

Exports - partners:
  India 33%, US 26%, Germany 25% (FY97/98)

Imports:
  $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports - commodities:
  gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer

Imports - partners:
  India 31%, China/Hong Kong 16%, Singapore 14% (FY97/98)

Debt - external:
  $2.4 billion (1997)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $411 million (FY97/98)

Currency:
  Nepalese rupee (NPR)

Currency code:
  NPR

Exchange rates:
  Nepalese rupees per US dollar - 74.129 (January 2001), 71.104 (2000),
  68.239 (1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997), 56.692 (1996)

Fiscal year:
  16 July - 15 July

§6. Nepal Communications

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:
  35,000 (2000)

§7. Nepal Transportation

Railways:
  total: 59 km; note - all in Kosi close to Indian border
  narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2000)

Highways:
  total: 13,223 km
  paved: 4,073 km
  unpaved: 9,150 km (April 1999)

Waterways:
  none

Ports and harbors:
  none

Airports:
  45 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 37 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 7
  under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.)

§8. Nepal Military

Military branches:
  Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese
  Police Force

Military manpower - military age:
  17 years of age

Military manpower - availability:
  males age 15-49: 6,295,990 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
  males age 15-49: 3,272,077 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
  males: 292,589 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $44 million (FY96/97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  0.9% (FY96/97)

§9. Nepal Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately 98,700 Bhutanese
  refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of the High
  Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps

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