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Communications

Airports [time series]

37 total, 37 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

5 major and 11 minor transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

7,080 km total (1990); 2,898 km paved, 1,660 km gravel or crushed stone; also 2,522 km of seasonally motorable tracks

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

52 km (1990), all 0.762-meter narrow gauge; all in Terai close to Indian border; 10 km from Raxaul to Birganj is government owned

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radio communication and broadcast service; international radio communication service is poor; 50,000 telephones (1990); stations--88 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$38 million, 2% of GDP (FY91)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 4,669,421; 2,420,398 fit for military service; 233,404 reach military age (17) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 60% of GDP and 90% of work force; farm products--rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, buffalo meat; not self-sufficient in food, particularly in drought years

Budget [time series]

revenues $316.5 million; expenditures $618.5 million, including capital expenditures of $398 (FY91 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Nepalese rupee (plural--rupees); 1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $304 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-88), $2.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $30 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $286 million

Electricity [time series]

280,000 kW capacity; 540 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1--30.805 (January 1991), 29.370 (1990), 27.189 (1989), 23.289 (1988), 21.819 (1987), 21.230 (1986), 18.246 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$125 million (f.o.b., FY90), but does not include unrecorded border trade with India; commodities--clothing, carpets, leather goods, grain; partners--India 38%, US 23%, UK 6%, other Europe 9% (FY88)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$2.5 billion (April 1990 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

16 July-15 July

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$3.0 billion, per capita $160; real growth rate 2.1% (FY90)

Illicit drugs [time series]

illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets

Imports [time series]

$454.3illion (c.i.f., FY90 est.); commodities--petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10%; partners--India 36%, Japan 13%, Europe 4%, US 1% (FY88)

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 6% (FY90 est.); accounts for 7% of GDP

Industries [time series]

small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette, textiles, carpets, cement, brick; tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

10.0% (FY90 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with a per capita income of less than $200. Real growth averaged 4% in the 1980s until FY89, when it plunged to 1.5% because of a trade/transit dispute with India. Though the impasse is over, political turmoil and inflated energy costs will probably constrain growth to under 4%. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 90% of the population and accounting for 60% of GDP. Industrial activity is limited, mainly involving the processing of agricultural produce (jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain). Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently and accounted for 87% of foreign exchange earnings in FY89. Apart from agricultural land and forests, the only other exploitable natural resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural production in the late 1980s grew by about 5%, compared with a population growth of 2.6%. Forty percent or more of the population is undernourished partly because of poor distribution. Economic prospects for the 1990s are poor, with economic growth probably outpacing population growth only slightly.

Unemployment rate [time series]

5%; underemployment estimated at 25-40% (1987)

Geography

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

none--landlocked

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly larger than Arkansas

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

Land boundaries [time series]

2,926 km total; China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 17%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 13%; forest and woodland 33%; other 37%; includes irrigated 2%

Maritime claims [time series]

none--landlocked

Natural resources [time series]

quartz, water, timber, hydroelectric potential, scenic beauty; small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

Note [time series]

landlocked; strategic location between China and India

Terrain [time series]

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

Area (Total area) [time series]

140,800 km2; land area: 136,800 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Kathmandu

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)

Constitution [time series]

9 November 1990

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Mohan Man SAINJU; Chancery at 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 667-4550; there is a Nepalese Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador Julia Chang BLOCH; Embassy at Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu; telephone [977] (1) 411179 or 412718, 411601, 411613, 413890

Executive branch [time series]

monarch, prime minister, Council of Ministers

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

1768, unified by Prithyi Narayan Shah

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat) Chief of State--King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (since 31 January 1972, crowned King 24 February 1985); Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev, son of the King (born 21 June 1971); Head of Government--Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 29 May 1991) ruling party--Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Girija Prasad KOIRALA, Ganesh Man SINGH, Krishna Prasad BHATTARAI; center--the NDP has two factions: National Democratic Party/Chand (NDP/Chand), Lokinra Bahadur CHAND, and National Democratic Party/Thapa (NDP/Thapa), Surya Bahadur THAPA; Terai Rights Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party, G. N. Naryan SINGH; Communist--Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist and Leninist (CPN/UML), Man Mohan ADIKHARY; United People's Front (UPF), N. K. PRASAI; Rohit Party, N. M. BIJUKCHHE; Democratic Party, leader NA

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or National Council and a lower house or House of Representatives

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Kingdom of Nepal

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

National holiday [time series]

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

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 House of Representatives--last held on 12 May 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results--NCP 38%, CPN/UML 28%, NDP/Chand 6%, UPF 5%, NDP/Thapa 5%, Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 4%, Rohit 2%, CPN (Democratic) 1%, independent 4%, other 7%; seats--(205 total) NCP 110, CPN/UML 69, UPF 9, Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 6, NDP/Chand 3, Rohit 2, CPN (Democratic) 2, NDP/Thapa 1, independent 3; note--the new Constitution of 9 November 1990 gives Nepal a multiparty democracy system for the first time in 32 years

Government type (Type) [time series]

constitutional monarchy

People

Birth rate [time series]

39 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas, as well as many smaller groups

Infant mortality rate [time series]

98 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

4,100,000; agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry 2%; severe lack of skilled labor

Languages (Language) [time series]

Nepali (official); 20 languages divided into numerous dialects

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

51 years male, 50 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

26% (male 38%, female 13%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Nepalese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Nepalese

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

Teachers' Union and many other nonofficially recognized unions

Population [time series]

19,611,900 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

only official Hindu state in world, although no sharp distinction between many Hindu (about 90% of population) and Buddhist groups (about 5% of population); Muslims 3%, other 2% (1981)

Total fertility rate [time series]

5.5 children born/woman (1991)