Nepal
Nepal
Geography
Area: 147,181 sq. km. (56,136 sq. mi.), about the size and shape of Tennessee, bordering China and India.
Cities: Capital--Kathmandu (3 districts) (pop. 2.2 million est.). Other cities--Biratnagar, Patan, Pokhara, Birgunj, Dharan, Nepalgunj.
Terrain: Flat and fertile in the southern Terai region; terraced cultivation and swiftly flowing mountain rivers in the central hills; and the high Himalayas in the north. Eight of the world's ten highest peaks are in Nepal, including Mount Everest. Kathmandu, the capital, is in a broad valley at 1,310 meters (4,300 ft.) elevation.
Climate: Subtropical in the south to cool summers and severe winters in the northern mountains. The monsoon season is from June through September, during which showers occur almost every day, bringing 75 to 150 centimeters (30-60 in.) of rain.
Time zone: Nepal is 10 hours and 45 minutes ahead of Eastern Standard Time and does not observe daylight saving time.
People
Nationality: Noun--Nepali (sing.) or Nepalese (plural). Adjective--Nepalese or Nepali.
Population (2007 estimate): 29 million.
Annual growth rate (2007 estimate): 2.132%.
Population breakdown/distribution: Rural (86%); female (50%); in the southern Terai region (49%); in the hills (44%); in the mountains (7%).
Ethnic groups (caste and ethnicity are often used interchangeably): Brahman, Chetri, Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Tharu, and others.
Religions: Hinduism (81%), Buddhism (11%), Islam (4%), and others (4%).
Languages: Nepali and more than 12 others.
Education: Years compulsory--0. Attendance--primary 80.4%, secondary 20%. Literacy--49% (63% male, 35% female).
Health: Infant mortality rate (2007 estimate)--63.7 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy (2007 estimate)--61.9 years for males and 65.5 years for females.
Work force: Agriculture--71%; industry--3%; services--11%; other--1%.
Government
Type: Interim. An interim Parliament was formed on January 15, 2007 after a comprehensive peace agreement between the ruling Seven-Party Alliance and the Maoist rebels. Prime Minister and Council of Ministers chosen through political consensus among the eight ruling parties on April 1, 2007; role of monarchy suspended, with future status to be decided by upcoming Constituent Assembly.
Constitution: Interim constitution promulgated on January 15, 2007.
Branches: Executive--Prime Minister (head of government), interim Council of Ministers formed on April 1, 2007. Legislative--interim Parliament is the unicameral House of Representatives, consisting of 329 members; 194 were members of the old Parliament, 14 were former National Assembly members, 73 were appointed by the Maoists, and 48 were appointed by the various political parties. Judicial--Supreme Court, 16 appellate courts, 75 district courts.
Subdivisions: 5 development regions, 14 zones, and 75 districts. 75 district development committees, 58 municipalities, 3,913 village development committees, and 36,023 ward committees.
Political parties: Nepali Congress Party, Nepali Congress-Democratic Party, Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist, Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (still on the U.S. terrorist exclusion list), National Democratic Party (RPP), Nepal Goodwill Party-Ananda Devi (NSP-A), People's Front Nepal, United Left Front, and others.
Elections: No national elections since 1999; Constituent Assembly election planned.
Suffrage: Universal over 18.
Defense/police (FY 2006/2007): $248 million.
National Day: Democracy Day, Falgun 7 (mid-February).
Economy
GDP (2005/2006): $7.7 billion.
Annual growth rate of real GDP (FY 2005/2006): 2.38%.
Per capita income (gross national product, FY 2005/2006): $322.
Avg. inflation rate (Consumer Price Index, November 2006 est.): 8.6%.
Natural resources: Water, hydropower, scenic beauty, limited but fertile agricultural land, timber.
Agriculture (38% of GDP): Products--rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, oilseed, jute, millet, potatoes.
Cultivated land--25%.
Industry (10% of GDP): Types--carpets, pashmina, garments, cement, cigarettes, bricks, sugar, soap, matches, jute, hydroelectric power.
Trade (2005/2006): Exports--$834 million: carpets, pashmina, garments. Major markets--Germany and the U.S. Imports--$2.2 billion: manufactured goods. Major supplier--India.
Central government budget (FY 2006/2007): $1.9 billion; military allocation $139 million.
Official exchange rate (as of July 16, 2006): 74.10 Nepalese rupees=U.S. $1.00.
Fiscal year: July 16-July 15.
PEOPLE
Perched on the southern slopes of the Himalayan Mountains, Nepal is as ethnically diverse as its terrain of fertile plains, broad valleys, and the highest mountain peaks in the world. The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations from India, Tibet, and central Asia.
Among the earliest inhabitants were the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharus in the southern Terai region. The ancestors of the Brahman and Chetri caste groups came from India, while other ethnic groups trace their origins to central Asia and Tibet, including the Gurungs and Magars in the west, Rais and Limbus in the east, and Sherpas and Bhotias in the north.
The Terai, a part of the Ganges Basin with 20% of Nepal's land, is the country's breadbasket. Much of the population is physically and culturally similar to the Indo-Aryan people of northern India. People of Indo-Aryan and Mongoloid origin live in the hill regions. The mountainous highlands are sparsely populated. The Kathmandu Valley, in the middle hill region, constitutes a small fraction of the nation's area but is the most densely populated, with over 7% of the population.
Religion is important in Nepal; the Kathmandu Valley alone has more than 2,700 religious shrines. According to the 2001 census, Nepal is about 81% Hindu. Buddhists account for about 11% of the population. The interim constitution promulgated on January 15, 2007 declared the country a "secular state." Buddhist and Hindu shrines and festivals are respected and celebrated by many. The government celebrates most Hindu and some Buddhist holidays. Nepal also has small Muslim and Christian minorities. Certain animistic practices of old indigenous religions also survive.
Nepali is the official language, although a dozen different languages and about 30 major dialects are spoken throughout the country. Derived from Sanskrit, Nepali is related to the Indian language, Hindi, and is spoken by about 90% of the population. Many Nepalese in government and business also speak Hindi and English.Nepal
Nepal
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