Nepal
Kingdom of Nepal conventional short form: Nepal
parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchyIndependence 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)
Nepal as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 115 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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
Southern Asia, between China and India
18 fieldsClimate
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
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.)
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
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(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.)
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.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 58.22 years male: 58.65 years female: 57.77 years (2001 est.)
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
Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
20 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 205 seatsone dot, one seat
Administrative divisions
14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Legal system
based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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
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
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 is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with nearly half of its population living below the poverty line.
32 fieldsElectricity
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.
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
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)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone 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)
Transportation
7 fieldsRailways
total: 59 km; note - all in Kosi close to Indian border narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2000)
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.)
Military
Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese Police Force
7 fieldsMilitary branches
Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese Police Force
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Nepal.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/nepal/2001.