Nepal

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

NA

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000)

Radios

840,000 (1997)

Telephone system

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)

Telephones - main lines in use

236,816 (January 2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular

NA

Television broadcast stations

6 (1998)

Televisions

130,000 (1997)

Agriculture - products

rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat

Budget

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

Currency

1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa

Debt - external

$2.4 billion (1997)

Economic aid - recipient

$411 million (FY97/98)

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.

Electricity - consumption

1.212 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

72 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

196 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

1.17 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 5.13% hydro: 94.87% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)

Exchange rates

Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1 - 68.784 (January 2000), 68.253 (1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997), 56.692 (1996), 51.890 (1995)

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)

Fiscal year

16 July - 15 July

GDP

purchasing power parity - $27.4 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 41% industry: 22% services: 37% (1998)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,100 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.4% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 29.8% (1995-96)

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)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

11.8% (FY98/99 est.)

Labor force

10 million (1996 est.) note: severe lack of skilled labor

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 81%, services 16%, industry 3%

Population below poverty line

42% (1995-96 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%; substantial underemployment (1999)

Area

total: 140,800 sq km land: 136,800 sq km water: 4,000 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Arkansas

Climate

varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)

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, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Geographic coordinates

28 00 N, 84 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks

Irrigated land

8,500 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km

Land use

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

Location

Southern Asia, between China and India

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

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

Terrain

Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Kathmandu

Constitution

9 November 1990

Country name

conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal conventional short form: Nepal

Data code

NP

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 FAX: [977] (1) 419963

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

Executive branch

chief of state: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (succeeded to the throne 31 January 1972 following the death of his father King MAHENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev, crowned king 24 February 1975); Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA Bir Bikram head of government: Prime Minister Krishna Prasad BHATTARAI (since NA May 1999) 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

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)

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, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (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

Legal system

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

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

National holiday

Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)

Political parties and leaders

Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Madhav Kumar NEPAL, general secretary]; Marxist-Leninist [Sahana PRADHAM, chairman, Bam Dev GAUTAM, general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP (also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP) [Surya Bahadur THAPA]; 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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

Military branches

Royal Nepalese Army, Royal Nepalese Army Air Service, Nepalese Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$44 million (FY96/97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.9% (FY96/97)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 6,108,424 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 3,174,809 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

17 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 287,032 (2000 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 41% (male 5,187,805; female 4,860,583) 15-64 years: 56% (male 7,056,784; female 6,746,293) 65 years and over: 3% (male 422,314; female 428,340) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

33.83 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

10.41 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas

Infant mortality rate

75.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Nepali (official), over 20 other languages divided into numerous dialects

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 57.84 years male: 58.3 years female: 57.35 years (2000 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 27.5% male: 40.9% female: 14% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

People - note

refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately 96,500 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps

Population

24,702,119 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

2.34% (2000 est.)

Religions

Hindu 90%, Buddhist 5%, Muslim 3%, other 2% (1981) note: only official Hindu state in the world

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: 0.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.68 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

over approximately 96,500 Bhutanese refugees in Nepal

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Airports

45 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 40 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 29 (1999 est.)

Highways

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

Ports and harbors

none

Railways

total: 101 km; note - all in Kosi close to Indian border narrow gauge: 101 km 0.762-m gauge