SPAMfighter information about
Nepal
| The data on this page is obtained from The World Factbook. |
 Communications information
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| SPAMfighters: | 393 |
| Internet users: | 175,000 (2005) |
| Internet hosts: | 17,789 (2006) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 6 (2000) |
| Internet country code: | .np |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 448,600 (2005) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 248,800 (2005) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephone network domestic: NA international: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000) |
| Radios: | 840,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998) |
| Televisions: | 130,000 (1997) |
 Geographical information
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| Location: | Southern Asia, between China and India |
| Geographic coordinates: | 28 00 N, 84 00 E |
| Map references: | Asia |
| Area: |
total: 147,181 sq km land: 143,181 sq km water: 4,000 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly larger than Arkansas |
| Land boundaries: |
total: 2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km |
| Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims: | none (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 |
| Elevation extremes: |
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) |
| Natural hazards: | severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons |
| 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, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
| Geography - note: | 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 information
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| Population: | 28,287,147 (July 2006 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 38.7% (male 5,648,959/female 5,291,447) 15-64 years: 57.6% (male 8,365,526/female 7,925,941) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 513,777/female 541,497) (2006 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 20.3 years male: 20.1 years female: 20.4 years (2006 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 2.17% (2006 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 30.98 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Death rate: | 9.31 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
| Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: |
total: 65.32 deaths/1,000 live births male: 63.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 67.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 60.18 years male: 60.43 years female: 59.91 years (2006 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 4.1 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.5% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 61,000 (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 3,100 (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: |
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) |
| Religions: |
Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) note: only official Hindu state in the world |
| 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) note: many in government and business also speak English |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 48.6% male: 62.7% female: 34.9% (2000-2004 est.) |
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Governmental information
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| Country name: |
conventional long and short form: Nepal local long and short form: Nepal |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy |
| Capital: |
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) |
| 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: | Birthday of King GYANENDRA, 7 July (1946) |
| Constitution: | 9 November 1990 |
| 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: King GYANENDRA Bir Bikram Shah (since 4 June 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 30 April 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Khadga Prasad OLI (since 2 May 2006) and Amik SHERCHAN since June 2006) cabinet: Cabinet historically appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; note - the prime minister selected the Cabinet in May 2006 in consultation with the political parties elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; note - following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition historically has been appointed prime minister by the monarch |
| 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 in May 1999; note - Parliament was dissolved in May 2002 but was finally reconvened in April 2006 with most of the members that were elected in 1999 election results: House of Representatives (for 1999 parliament) - percent of vote by party - NC 37.3%, CPN/UML 31.6%, NDP (RPP) 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; note - NC, NSP, and NDP have since each split into two parties |
| Judicial branch: | 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) |
| Political parties and leaders: | 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) [Pashupati Shumsher RANA, chairman]; Nepali Congress-Democratic [Sher Bahadur DEUBA, president]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Sushil KOIRALA, vice president]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP - Mandal [Bhadri Prasad MANDAL, party president]; Nepal Sadbhavana Party - Ananda Devi [Ananda DEVI, president]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chairman]; People´s Front Nepal (Rastriya Jana Morcha) [Amik SHERCHAN, chairman]; Rastriya Janashakti Party or RJP [Surya Bahadur THAPA, chairman]; note - split from RPP in March 2005; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [leader NA]; note - merged with People´s Front Nepal or PFN in 2002 |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Maoist guerrilla-based insurgency [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also known as PRACHANDA, chairman; Dr. Baburam BHATTARAI]; numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups |
| International organization participation: | AsDB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, ONUB, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534 consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY embassy: Panipokhari, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 411-1179 FAX: [977] (1) 441-9963 |
| 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 |
 Economical information
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| Economy - overview: | Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with almost one-third 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 38% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Security concerns relating to the Maoist conflict have led to a decrease in tourism, a key source of foreign exchange. Nepal has considerable scope for 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, its civil strife, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $39.14 billion (2005 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $6.655 billion (2005 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 2.7% (2005 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | $1,400 (2005 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 38% industry: 21% services: 41% (2005 est.) |
| Labor force: |
10.4 million note: severe lack of skilled labor (2004 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 76% industry: 6% services: 18% |
| Unemployment rate: | 42% (2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 31% (2003-2004) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 39.1% (2003-2004) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 7.8% (October 2005 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $1.153 billion expenditures: $1.789 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY05/06) |
| Agriculture - products: | rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat |
| Industries: | tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 3.8% (FY04/05) |
| Electricity - production: | 2.565 billion kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 8.5% hydro: 91.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 1.85 billion kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports: | 111 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - imports: | 241 million kWh (2005) |
| Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 11,980 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day |
| Oil - imports: | 11,760 bbl/day NA bbl/day |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2003 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2003 est.) |
| Exports: | $822 million f.o.b.; note - does not include unrecorded border trade with India (2005 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain |
| Exports - partners: | India 53.7%, United States 17.4%, Germany 7.1% (2005) |
| Imports: | $2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer |
| Imports - partners: | India 47.5%, UAE 11.2%, China 10.7%, Saudi Arabia 4.9%, Kuwait 4.1% (2005) |
| Debt - external: | $3.34 billion (March 2005) |
| Currency (code): | Nepalese rupee (NPR) |
| Currency code: | NPR |
| Exchange rates: | Nepalese rupees per United States dollar - 71.368 (2005), 73.674 (2004), 76.141 (2003), 77.877 (2002), 74.949 (2001) |
| Fiscal year: | 16 July - 15 July |
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Transportations information
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| Airports: | 48 (2006) |
| Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 10 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2006) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 29 (2006) |
| Railways: |
total: 59 km narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2005) |
| Roadways: |
total: 15,905 km paved: 8,573 km unpaved: 7,332 km (2003) |
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Military information
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| Military branches: | Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service); Nepalese Police Force |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) |
| Manpower available for military service: |
males age 18-49: 6,107,091 females age 18-49: 5,744,989 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 18-49: 4.193 million females age 18-49: 3,853,102 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower reaching military service age annually: |
males age 18-49: 308,031 females age 18-49: 286,604 (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $104.9 million (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.5% (2005 est.) |
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Information about transnational issues
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| Disputes - international: | joint border commission continues to work on small disputed sections of boundary with India; India has instituted a stricter border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents and illegal cross-border activities |
| Refugees and internally displaced persons: |
refugees (country of origin): 104,915 (Bhutan) IDPs: 100,000-200,000 (ongoing conflict between government forces and Maoist rebels; displacement spread across the country) (2005) |
| Illicit drugs: | illicit producer of cannabis and hashish for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West |
