Nepal

Federal Democratic Republic of NepalSanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal

democratic republicIndependence 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)

Nepal as the 2008 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 131 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalKathmandu, UTC+5.75
Position28 00 N, 84 00 E
Area147,181 sq km
LocationSouthern Asia, between China and India
2008

Every edition of Nepal

Populationas each edition published it
29.52 million July 2008 est. · 19.15m in 1990
Population growth% a year
2.095% 2008 est. · 2.43% in 1993
Median ageyears
20.7 years 2008 est. · 19.7 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
60.94 years 2008 est. · 51.98 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.91 children per woman 2008 est. · 5.6 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
62 deaths per 1,000 live births 2008 est. · 99 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,000 2007 est. · $170 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
3.2% 2007 est. · 3.1% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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 nine-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. The newly formed interim parliament declared Nepal a democratic federal republic at its first meeting in May 2008, the king vacated the throne in mid-June 2008, and parliament elected the country's first president the following month.

Geography

Southern Asia, between China and India

20 fields

Land useshare of 147,181 sq km

arable land 16.07%permanent crops 0.85%other 83.08% (2005)irrigated 11,700 sq km (2003)
Area
147,181sq km
land: 143,181 sq kmwater: 4,000 sq kmslightly larger than Arkansas
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Highest point
8,850m
Mount Everestlowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
Land boundaries
2,926km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km

Location

Southern Asia, between China and India

Geographic coordinates

28 00 N, 84 00 E

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

Natural resources

quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total:
10.18 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)
per capita:
375 cu m/yr (2000)

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Marine Life Conservation

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

People

22 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2008 est.)

542,192
65 and over3.8%
579,298
8,832,488
15-6458.2%
8,345,724
5,792,042
0-1438%
5,427,370
MaleFemale
Population
29,519,114
(July 2008 est.)growth rate: 2.095% (2008 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2008 est.)

Birth
29.92Death
8.97

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2008 est.)60.94
61.12 · 60.75Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)62
60.18 · 63.91Literacy (2001 census)48.6%
62.7% · 34.9%
TotalMale · femaleMedian age years (2008 est.)20.7
20.5 · 20.8School life expectancy years (2003)9
10 · 8
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups(2001 census)

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)

Religions(2001 census)

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

Net migration rate

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.94 male(s)/female
total population:
1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.91 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3,100 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk:
intermediate
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease:
Japanese encephalitis and malaria (2008)

Nationality

noun:
Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective:
Nepalese

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.)

Education expenditures

3.4% of GDP (2003)

Government

Democratic republic; President Ram Baran YADAV (as of 23 July 2008); Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal DAHAL (as of 18 August 2008)

18 fields

Constituent Assembly, 575 seats, elected 10 April 2008seats by party

CPN-M 220NC 110CPN-UML 103Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum 52Terai Madhesi Democratic Party/Nepal Sadbhawana Party 29other smaller parties 61

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

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

Independence

1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)

National holiday

NA; note - in 2006, Parliament abolished the birthday of King GYANENDRA (7 July) and Constitution Day (9 November) as national holidays

Constitution

  • 9 November 1990;
  • note - a new interim constitution was promulgated in January 2007;
  • the November 2006 peace agreement calls for the election of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new permanent constitution

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
President Ram Baran YADAV (as of 23 July 2008); Vice President Paramananda JHA (as of 23 July 2008)
head of government:
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal DAHAL (as of 18 August 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev GAUTAM
cabinet:
selected by the prime minister
elections:
  • president elected by Parliament;
  • term NA;
  • election last held 21 July 2008
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))

note: KOIRALA called the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly on 28 May 2008

elections:
last held 10 April 2008 (next to be held NA)
election results:
  • percent of vote by party - NA;
  • seats by party - CPN-M 220, NC 110, CPN-UML 103, Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum 52, Terai Madhesi Democratic Party/Nepal Sadbhawana Party 29, other smaller parties 61;
  • note - 26 seats to be filled by the new Cabinet

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

  • Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekata Party [Keshav Prasad MAINALI];
  • Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also known as PRACHANDA, chairman; Dr. Baburam BHATTARAI];
  • 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 [Amrit Kumar BOHARA];
  • Dalit Janajati Party [Vishwendraman PASHWAN];
  • Janamorcha Nepal [Amik SHERCHAN];
  • Madhesi Jana Adhikar 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 Party or NCP [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] (split from RPP in March 2005);
  • 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 Madhesi Democratic Party [Mahantha THAKUR]

Political pressure groups and leaders

other: several small armed Madhesi groups along the southern border with India; a variety of groups advocating regional autonomy for individual ethnic groups

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 Suresh Chandra CHALISE
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 Nancy J. POWELL
embassy:
Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
[977] (1) 400-7200
FAX:
[977] (1) 400-7272

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 almost one-third of its population living below the poverty line.

48 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$29.29billion
(2007 est.)official exchange rate: $9.627 billion (2007 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,000
(2007 est.)
Real growth rate
3.2%
(2007 est.)industrial production growth: 2.2% (FY05/06)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture 38%industry 20%services 42% (FY05/06 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

69.3%
India
58.9%
China
13.6%
8.8%
US
4.1%
Germany
Japan
1.6%
Exports $830 million f.o.b. ; note - does not include unrecorded border trade with India (2006)Imports $2.398 billion f.o.b. (2006)(2007)

Budget

Revenues
$1.153 billionExpenditures
$1.927 billion (FY06/07)

Electricity

Electricity production
2.703 billion (2007 est.)Electricity consumption
2.276 billion (2006 est.)Electricity exports
165 million (2007 est.)Electricity imports
380 million (2007 est.)

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 38% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain.

Security concerns relating to the Maoist conflict have led to a decrease in tourism, 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, its landlocked geographic location, its civil strife, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.

Labor force

11.11 million note: severe lack of skilled labor (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:
76%
industry:
6%
services:
18% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate

42% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
2.6%
highest 10%:
40.6% (2004)

Central bank discount rate

6.25% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$2.184 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$4.745 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit

$5.636 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products

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

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption

16,960 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports

11,530 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance

$58 million (2007)

Exports

$830 million f.o.b.; note - does not include unrecorded border trade with India (2006)

Exports - commodities

carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain

Imports

$2.398 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities

gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer

Debt - external

$3.07 billion (March 2006)

Currency (code)

Nepalese rupee (NPR)

Exchange rates

Nepalese rupees (NPR) per US dollar - NA (2007), 72.446 (2006), 72.16 (2005), 73.674 (2004), 76.141 (2003)

Communications

8 fields
Mobile cellular
1.157 million
(2006)
Internet users
42,219
(2008)
Fixed lines
766,400
(2007) · country code .np

Telephone system

general assessment:
poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile-cellular telephone network
domestic:
NA
international:
  • country code - 977;
  • radiotelephone communications;
  • microwave landline to India;
  • satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2000)

Television broadcast stations

1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)

Internet users

337,100 (2007)

Transportation

5 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

1
over 3,047 m
8
914 to 1,523 m
6
1
under 914 m
30
1,524 to 2,437 m
1
Paved 10Unpaved 37

Networkskm

Roadways
17,280Railways
59
Roadways: paved: 9,829 km · unpaved: 7,451 km (2004) · Railways: narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2006)

Airports

47 (2007)

Railways

total:
59 km
narrow gauge:
59 km 0.762-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total:
17,280 km
paved:
9,829 km
unpaved:
7,451 km (2004)

Military

Nepalese Army, Armed Police Force (2008)

6 fields
Military expenditures
1.6%of GDP
(2006)

Military branches

Nepalese Army, Armed Police Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation

  • 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
  • 15 years of age for military training;
  • no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49:
7,322,965
females age 16-49:
6,859,064 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49:
5,146,958
females age 16-49:
4,724,495 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male:
335,747
female:
312,297 (2008 est.)

Transnational Issues

3 fields

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 (country of origin):
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

Central Intelligence Agency. “Nepal.” The World Factbook 2008. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/nepal/2008.

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