About Nepal
Nepal
Introduction
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 ten-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. Following a nation-wide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The Constituent Assembly elected the country's first president in July. The Maoists, who received a plurality of votes in the Constituent Assembly election, formed a coalition government in August 2008, but resigned in May 2009 after the president overruled a decision to fire the chief of the army staff.
Geography
Location
Location: Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic Coordinates: 28 00 N, 84 00 E
Area
Total Area: 147,181 sq km Rank: 93
Land Area: 143,351 sq km
Water Area: 3,830 sq km
Comparison: slightly larger than Arkansas
Land Boundaries: 2,926 km
Bordering Countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
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
Elevations
Lowest Point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
Highest Point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural Resources
quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land Use
Arable land: 16.07%
Permanent Crops: 0.85%
Other: 83.08% (2005)
Irrigated Land: 11,700 sq km (2003)
Renewable Water Resources: 210.2 cu km (1999)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 10.18 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 375 cu m/yr (2000)
Environment
Natural Hazards: severe thunderstorms; flooding; landslides; drought and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
Environmental 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
Environmental 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
Geography Notes
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
Population: 28,563,377 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 42
Age Structure
0-14 years: 36.6% (male 5,327,484/female 5,127,178)
15-64 years: 59.2% (male 8,094,494/female 8,812,675)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 566,666/female 634,880) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 20.2 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: 1.281% (2010 est.) Rank: 105
Birth Rate: 23.18 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 80
Death Rate: 6.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 132
Net Migration Rate: -3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 150
Urbanization
Urban Population: 17% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 4.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 47.46 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 55
Life Expectancy at Birth: 65.46 years Rank: 165
Fertility Rate: 2.53 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 89
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.5% (2007 est.) Rank: 79
People living with HIV/AIDS: 70,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 56
HIV/AIDS Deaths: 5,000 (2007 est.) Rank: 45
Degree of Risk for Major Infectious Diseases: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: Japanese encephalitis, malaria, and dengue fever (2009)
Nationality and Culture
Noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Nepalese
Ethnic Groups: 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)
Religion: Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census)
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)
Education
Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 48.6% Male: 62.7% Female: 34.9% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 9 years Male: 10 years Female: 8 years (2003)
Education expenditures: 3.4% of GDP (2003) Rank: 134
Government
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: federal democratic republic
Capital: Kathmandu Geographic Coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E
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: Republic Day, 29 May; Democracy Day, 24 April
Constitution: 15 January 2007 (interim Constitution); note - in April 2008, a Constituent Assembly was elected to draft and promulgate a new constitution by May 2010
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: President Ram Baran YADAV (since 23 July 2008); Vice President Paramananda JHA (since 23 July 2008)
Head of Government: vacant; Prime Minister Madhav Kumar NEPAL resigned on 30 June 2010
Cabinet: cabinet was formed in May 2009 by a majority coalition made up of the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist, Nepali Congress, Madhesi People's Rights Forum, Nepal-Democratic, and several smaller parties
Elections: president elected by Parliament; term extends until the new constitution is promulgated; election last held on 21 July 2008; date of next election NA
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 members elected by direct popular vote, 335 by proportional representation, and 26 appointed by the Cabinet (Council of Ministers))
Elections: last held on 10 April 2008 (next to be held NA)
Election Results: percent of vote by party - CPN-M 38%, NC 19%, CPN-UML 19%,Madhesi People's Right Forum 9%, Terai-Madhes Democratic Party and Sadbhawana Party 5%, other 15%; seats by party - CPN-M 220, NC 110, CPN-UML 103, Madhesi People's Rights Forum 52, Terai-Madhes Democratic Party 20, Sadbhawana Party 9, other smaller parties 56; note - 26 seats filled by the new Cabinet and are included in the seat totals above
Judicial branch
Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (the president appoints the chief justice on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the chief justice appoints other judges on the recommendation of the Judicial Council)
Politics
Political Parties and Leaders: Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekata Party [Keshav Prasad MAINALI]; Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Matrika YADAV]; Communist Party of Nepal (ML) [C.P. MAINALI]; Communist Party of Nepal (Unified) [Raj Singh SHRIS]; Communist Party of Nepal (United) [Chandra Dev JOSHI]; Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Jhalanath KHANAL, chairman]; Dalit Janajati Party [Vishwendraman PASHWAN]; Madhesi People's Rights Forum, Nepal [Upendra YADAV]; Madhesi People's Rights Forum, Nepal-Democratic [Bijay Kumar GACHHEDAR]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Pashupati Shumsher RANA] (also called Rastriya Prajatantra Party or RPP); Nepal Loktantrik Samajbadi Dal [Upendra GACHCHHADAR]; Nepal Pariwar Dal [Eknath DHAKAL]; Nepal Rastriya Party [Keshav Man SHAKYA]; Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) [Sarita GIRI]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA]; Nepali Janata Dal [Harish Chandra SHA]; Rastriya Janamorcha [Chitra BAHADUR K.C.]; Rastriya Janamukti Party [Malwar Singh THAPA]; Rastriya Janashakti Party or RJP [Surya Bahadur THAPA]; Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal [Kamal THAPA]; Sadbhavana Party (Mahato) [Rajendra MAHATO]; Samajbadi Prajatantrik Janata Party Nepal [Prem Bahadur SINGH]; Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch [Laxman THARU]; Terai-Madhes Democratic Party [Mahantha THAKUR]; Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also known as PRACHANDA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: 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, IAEA, 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, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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 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
Economy
Economy Overview: Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world, with almost one-quarter 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 about one-third of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural products, including pulses, jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. During the global recession of 2009, remittances from foreign workers abroad increased 47% to $2.8 billion while tourist arrivals only decreased 1% compared to the previous year. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower, with an estimated 42,000 MW of feasible capacity, but political instability hampers foreign investment. Additional challenges to Nepal's growth include its technological backwardness, landlocked geographic location, civil strife and labor unrest, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $33.66 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 101
GDP - real growth rate: 4.7% (2009 est.) Rank: 33
GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,200 (2009 est.) Rank: 206
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 35% Industry: 16% Services: 49% (FY09 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 18 million Rank: 33
Note: severe lack of skilled labor (2009 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 76% Industry: 6% Services: 18% (2004 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 46% (2008 est.) Rank: 189
Poverty
Population below poverty line: 24.7% (2008)
Transnational Issues
International Disputes: 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)
International Displaced Persons: 50,000-70,000 (remaining from ten-year Maoist insurgency that officially ended in 2006; displacement spread across the country) (2007)
