Nepal

mean elevation:

2,565 m

elevation extremes:

70 m lowest point: Kanchan Kalan; 8848 highest point: Mount Everest (highest peak in Asia and highest point on earth above sea level)

• severe thunderstorms;
• flooding;
• landslides;
• drought and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons

• deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives);
• forest degradation;
• soil erosion;
• contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents);
• unmanaged solid-waste;
• wildlife conservation;
• vehicular emissions

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

• 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 mountains - on the borders with China and India respectively

noun:

Nepali (singular and plural)

adjective:

Nepali

0-14 years:

29.54% (male 4,578,768 /female 4,198,913)

15-24 years:

21.52% (male 3,250,614 /female 3,145,807)

25-54 years:

37.18% (male 4,987,071 /female 6,061,616)

55-64 years:

6.42% (male 917,342 /female 991,937)

65 years and over:

5.34% (male 785,893 /female 799,626) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

61.4 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

52.5 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

8.8 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

11.3 (2015 est.)

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

0-14 years:

1.07 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years:

1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years:

0.82 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over:

0.86 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

degree of risk:

high (2016)

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever (2016)

vectorborne diseases:

Japanese encephalitis, malaria, and dengue fever (2016)

conventional long form:

Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal

conventional short form:

Nepal

local long form:

Sanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal

local short form:

Nepal

etymology:

• the Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas apparently gave their name to the country;
• the terms "Nepal," "Newar," "Nepar," and "Newal" are phonetically different forms of the same word

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)

• Constitution Day, 20 September (2015);
• note - marks the promulgation of Nepal’s constitution in 2015 and replaces the previous 28 May Republic Day as the official national day in Nepal;
• the Gregorian day fluctuates based on Nepal’s Hindu calendar

history:

several previous; latest approved by the Second Constituent Assembly 16 September 2015, signed by the president and effective 20 September 2015 (2017)

amendments:

• proposed as a bill by either house of the Federal Parliament;
• bills affecting a state border or powers delegated to a state must be submitted to the affected state assembly;
• passage of such bills requires a majority vote of that state assembly membership;
• bills not requiring state assembly consent require at least two-thirds majority vote by the membership of both houses of the Federal Parliament;
• parts of the constitution on the sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty vested in the people cannot be amended;
• amended January 2016 (2017)

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

15 years

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and up to 20 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the Constitutional Council, a 5-member, high-level advisory body headed by the prime minister;
• other judges appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the Judicial Council, a 5-member advisory body headed by the chief justice;
• the chief justice serves a 6-year term;
• judges serve until age 65

subordinate courts:

• High Court;
• Court of Appeal;
• district courts

note: Nepal's judiciary was restructured under its 2007 Interim Constitution

head of government:

• Prime Minister Khadga Prasad (KP) Sharma OLI (since 15 February 2018);
• deputy prime ministers (vacant);
• note - Prime Minister Sher Bahadur DEUBA resigned on 15 February 2018

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister; cabinet dominated by the CPN-UML and MC

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by an electoral college of the Federal Parliament and of the state assemblies for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held 13 March 2018 (next to be held in 2023);
• prime minister indirectly elected by the Federal Parliament

election results:

Bidhya Devi BHANDARI reelected president; electoral vote - Bidhya Devi BHANDARI (CPN-UML 39,275, Kumari Laxmi RAI (NC) 11,730

head of state:

President Bidhya Devi BANDHARI (since 29 October 2015); Vice President Nanda Bahadar PUN (since 31 October 2015)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Arjun Kumar KARKI (since 18 May 2015)

chancery:

2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 667-4550

FAX:

[1] (202) 667-5534

consulate(s) general:

Cleveland (OH), New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Randy BERRY (since 25 October 2018)

embassy:

Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, Nepal

mailing address:

US Embassy, Maharajgunj Chakrapath, Kathmandu, Nepal 44600

telephone:

[977] (1) 423-4000

FAX:

[977] (1) 400-7272

• crimson 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 displays a white 12-pointed sun;
• the color red represents the rhododendron (Nepal's national flower) and is a sign of victory and bravery, the blue border signifies peace and harmony;
• the two right triangles are a combination of two single pennons (pennants) that originally symbolized the Himalaya Mountains while their charges represented the families of the king (upper) and the prime minister, but today they are understood to denote Hinduism and Buddhism, the country's two main religions;
• the moon represents the serenity of the Nepalese people and the shade and cool weather in the Himalayas, while the sun depicts the heat and higher temperatures of the lower parts of Nepal;
• the moon and the sun are also said to express the hope that the nation will endure as long as these heavenly bodies

note: Nepal is the only country in the world whose flag is not rectangular or square

name:

"Sayaun Thunga Phool Ka" (Hundreds of Flowers)

lyrics/music:

Pradeep Kumar RAI/Ambar GURUNG

note: adopted 2007; after the abolition of the monarchy in 2006, a new anthem was required because of the previous anthem's praise for the king

• tourism, carpets, textiles;
• small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills;
• cigarettes, cement and brick production

agriculture:

69%

industry:

12%

services:

19% (2015 est.)

lowest 10%:

29.5% (2011)

highest 10%:

29.5% (2011)

general assessment:

mountainous topography hinders development of telecom infrastructure; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile-cellular telephone network (2016)

domestic:

• mobile service has been extended to all 75 districts covering 90% of Nepal’s land area;
• disparity between high coverage in cities and coverage available in underdeveloped rural regions (2016)

international:

• country code - 977;
• radiotelephone communications;
• microwave and fiber landlines to India;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2016)

• state operates 3 TV stations, as well as national and regional radio stations;
• 88 independent TV channels are registered with only 25 in regular operation;
• 672 FM radio stations are licensed with 588 operational (2016)

number of registered air carriers:

4 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 15 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

510,341 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

4,536,371 mt-km (2015)

total:

53 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

53 km 0.762-m gauge (2014)

total:

27,990 km (2016)

paved:

11,890 km (2016)

unpaved:

16,100 km (2016)

Indian Mujahedeen (IM):

aim(s): enhance networks in Nepal to carry out attacks against Indians in Nepal and India

area(s) of operation:

maintains active hubs of small, loosely connected networks (April 2018)

refugees (country of origin):

13,509 (Tibet/China), 7,422 (Bhutan) (2017)

IDPs:

50,000 (remaining from ten-year Maoist insurgency that officially ended in 2006; figure does not include people displaced since 2007 by inter-communal violence and insecurity in the Terai region; 2015 earthquakes) (2016)

stateless persons:

• undetermined (2016);
• note - the UNHCR is working with the Nepali Government to address the large number of individuals lacking citizenship certificates in Nepal;
• smaller numbers of Bhutanese Hindu refugees of Nepali origin (the Lhotshampa) who were stripped of Bhutanese nationality and forced to flee their country in the late 1980s and early 1990s - and undocumented Tibetan refugees who arrived in Nepal prior to the 1990s - are considered stateless