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Communications

Internet users (Internet Service Providers (ISPs)) [time series]

6 (2000)

Internet country code [time series]

.np

Internet users [time series]

60,000 (2002)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

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

Radios [time series]

840,000 (1997)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: 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 - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

236,816 (January 2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)

Televisions [time series]

130,000 (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $665 million expenditures: $1.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Nepalese rupee (NPR)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

NPR

Debt - external [time series]

$2.55 billion (FY00/01)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

37 (1995-96 )

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$424 million (FY00/01)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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. Textile and carpet production, accounteing for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in recent years, contracted significantly in 2001 due to the overall slowdown in the world economy and pressures by Maoist insurgents on factory owners and workers. Security concerns in the wake of Maoist activity, the June massacre of many members of the royal family, and the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US led to a decrease in tourism, another key source of foreign exchange. 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 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 [time series]

1.431 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports [time series]

95 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports [time series]

174 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production [time series]

1.454 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source [time series]

fossil fuel: 10% hydro: 90% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Exchange rates [time series]

Nepalese rupees per US dollar - 76.675 (January 2002), 74.961 (2001), 71.094 (2000), 68.239 (1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997)

Exports [time series]

$757 million f.o.b., but does not include unrecorded border trade with India (FY00/01 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain

Exports - partners [time series]

India 48%, US 26%, Germany 11% (FY00/01)

Fiscal year [time series]

16 July - 15 July

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

purchasing power parity - $35.6 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 41% industry: 22% services: 37% (2000 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $1,400 (2001 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

2.6% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 30% (1995-96)

Imports [time series]

$1.6 billion f.o.b. (FY00/01 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer

Imports - partners [time series]

India 39%, Singapore 10%, China/Hong Kong 9%, (FY00/01)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

8.7% (FY99/00)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

2.1%

Labor force [time series]

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

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture 81%, services 16%, industry 3%

Population below poverty line [time series]

42% (FY95/96 est. )

Unemployment rate [time series]

47% (2001 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

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

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly larger than Arkansas

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

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

Environment - current issues [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Geographic coordinates [time series]

28 00 N, 84 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest - the world's tallest - on the border with China

Irrigated land [time series]

11,350 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

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

Land use [time series]

arable land: 20.27% permanent crops: 0.49% other: 79.24% (1998 est.)

Location [time series]

Southern Asia, between China and India

Map references [time series]

Asia

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

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

Constitution [time series]

9 November 1990

Country name [time series]

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

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael E. MALINOWSKI embassy: Panipokhari, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 411179 FAX: [977] (1) 419963

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Jai Pratap RANA chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: New York FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534 telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: King GYANENDRA Bir Bikram Shah (succeeded to the throne 4 June 2001 following the death of his nephew, King DIPENDRA Bir Bikram Shah) head of government: Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur CHAND (since 11 October 2002) 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 note: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev died in a bloody shooting at the royal palace on 1 June 2001 that also claimed the lives of most of the royal family; King BIRENDRA's son, Crown Price DIPENDRA, is believed to have been responsible for the shootings before fatally wounding himself; immediately following the shootings and while still clinging to life, DIPENDRA was crowned king; he died three days later and was succeeded by his uncle

Flag (Flag description) [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

Government type [time series]

parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy

Independence [time series]

1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)

International organization participation [time series]

AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Judicial branch [time series]

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)

Legal system [time series]

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

Legislative branch [time series]

note: Nepal's Parliament was dissolved on 22 May 2002 and elections are scheduled for 13 November 2002 : 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) 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 elections: House of Representatives - last held 3 and 17 May 1999 (next to be held 13 November 2002)

National holiday [time series]

Birthday of King GYANENDRA, 7 July (1946)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Madhav Kumar NEPAL, general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP (also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP) [Surya Bahadur THAPA, chairman]; National People's Front (Rastriya Jana Morcha) [Chitra Bahadur, chairman]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP [Bhadri Prasad MANDAL, acting party 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]; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [Lila Mani POKHAREL, general secretary]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

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

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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. A maoist insugency, launched in 1996, has gained traction and is threatening to bring down the regime. Ten members of the royal family, including the king and queen, were massacred in a family dispute in 2001. In October 2002, the new king dismissed the prime minister and his cabinet for "incompetence" after they dissolved the parliament and were subsequently unable to hold elections because of the ongoing insurgency. The country is now governed by the king and his appointed cabinet until elections can be held at some unspecified future date.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$51.5 million (FY01)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

1% (FY01)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 6,484,343 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 3,369,454 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - military age [time series]

17 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 292,589 (2002 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 40% (male 5,346,422; female 5,007,416) 15-64 years: 56.4% (male 7,476,202; female 7,125,471) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 453,263; female 465,143) (2002 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

32.94 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate [time series]

10.03 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Brahman, Chetri, Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Tharu, and others (1995)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.29% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

2,500 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

34,000 (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

72.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Languages [time series]

Nepali (official; spoken by 90% of the population), about a dozen other languages and about 30 major dialects; note - many in government and business also speak English (1995)

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 58.61 years female: 58.2 years (2002 est.) male: 59.01 years

Literacy [time series]

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

Nationality [time series]

noun: Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Population [time series]

25,873,917 (July 2002 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.29% (2002 est.)

Religions [time series]

Hinduism 86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2% note: only official Hindu state in the world (1995)

Sex ratio [time series]

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: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

4.48 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

formed Joint Border committee with India in 2001 to resolve 53 disputed sections of boundary covering an area of 720 sq km; approximately 100,000 Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal, 90% of whom reside in seven UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees camps, place decades-long strains on Nepal

Illicit drugs [time series]

illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West

Transportation

Airports [time series]

45 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 28 (2002)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

none

Railways [time series]

total: 59 km narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge note: all in Kosi close to Indian border (2001)

Waterways [time series]

none