257 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
257 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
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NEPAL
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 140,800 km2; land area: 136,800 km2
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Comparative area: slightly larger than Arkansas
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Land boundaries: 2,926 km total; China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
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Coastline: none--landlocked
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Maritime claims: none--landlocked
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Climate: varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to
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subtropical summers and mild winter in south
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Terrain: Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central
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hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
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Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydroelectric potential,
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scenic beauty; small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
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Land use: arable land 17%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 13%; forest and woodland 33%; other 37%; includes irrigated 2%
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Environment: contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks;
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deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
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Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India
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PEOPLE
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Population: 19,611,900 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)
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Birth rate: 39 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 98 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 50 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 5.5 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Nepalese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Nepalese
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Ethnic divisions: Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars,
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Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas, as well as many smaller groups
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Religion: only official Hindu state in world, although no sharp
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distinction between many Hindu (about 90% of population) and Buddhist
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groups (about 5% of population); Muslims 3%, other 2% (1981)
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Language: Nepali (official); 20 languages divided into numerous
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dialects
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Literacy: 26% (male 38%, female 13%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 4,100,000; agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry 2%;
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severe lack of skilled labor
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Organized labor: Teachers' Union and many other nonofficially
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recognized unions
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Kingdom of Nepal
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Type: constitutional monarchy
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Capital: Kathmandu
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Administrative divisions: 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural);
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Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur,
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Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi,
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Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
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Independence: 1768, unified by Prithyi Narayan Shah
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Constitution: 9 November 1990
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Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law;
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has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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National holiday: Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December
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(1945)
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Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Council of Ministers
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Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of
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an upper house or National Council and a lower house or House of
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Representatives
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (since 31 January
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1972, crowned King 24 February 1985); Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA
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Bir Bikram Shah Dev, son of the King (born 21 June 1971);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since
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29 May 1991)
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Political parties and leaders:
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ruling party--Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Girija Prasad KOIRALA,
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Ganesh Man SINGH, Krishna Prasad BHATTARAI;
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center--the NDP has two factions: National Democratic
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Party/Chand (NDP/Chand), Lokinra Bahadur CHAND, and
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National Democratic Party/Thapa (NDP/Thapa), Surya Bahadur THAPA;
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Terai Rights Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party, G. N. Naryan SINGH;
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Communist--Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist and
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Leninist (CPN/UML), Man Mohan ADIKHARY;
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United People's Front (UPF), N. K. PRASAI;
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Rohit Party, N. M. BIJUKCHHE;
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Democratic Party, leader NA
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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House of Representatives--last held on 12 May 1991 (next to be
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held May 1996);
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results--NCP 38%, CPN/UML 28%, NDP/Chand 6%, UPF 5%, NDP/Thapa
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5%, Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 4%, Rohit 2%, CPN (Democratic) 1%,
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independent 4%, other 7%;
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seats--(205 total) NCP 110, CPN/UML 69, UPF 9, Terai Rights
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Sadbhavana Party 6, NDP/Chand 3, Rohit 2, CPN (Democratic) 2,
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NDP/Thapa 1, independent 3;
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note--the new Constitution of 9 November 1990 gives Nepal a multiparty
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democracy system for the first time in 32 years
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Communists: Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)
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Other political or pressure groups: numerous small, left-leaning
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student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese
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antimonarchist groups
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Member of: AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
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IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM,
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SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mohan Man SAINJU; Chancery at
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2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 667-4550; there
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is a Nepalese Consulate General in New York;
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US--Ambassador Julia Chang BLOCH; Embassy at Pani Pokhari,
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Kathmandu; telephone 977 (1) 411179 or 412718, 411601, 411613, 413890
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Flag: red with a blue border around the unique shape of two
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overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white
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stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries
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in the world with a per capita income of less than $200. Real growth
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averaged 4% in the 1980s until FY89, when it plunged to 1.5% because of
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a trade/transit dispute with India. Though the impasse is over,
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political turmoil and inflated energy costs will probably constrain
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growth to under 4%. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy,
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providing a livelihood for over 90% of the population and
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accounting for 60% of GDP. Industrial activity is limited, mainly
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involving the processing of agricultural produce (jute, sugarcane,
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tobacco, and grain). Production of textiles and carpets has expanded
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recently and accounted for 87% of foreign exchange earnings in FY89.
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Apart from agricultural land and forests, the only other exploitable
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natural resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural
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production in the late 1980s grew by about 5%, compared
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with a population growth of 2.6%. Forty percent or more of the
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population is undernourished partly because of poor distribution.
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Economic prospects for the 1990s are poor, with economic growth
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probably outpacing population growth only slightly.
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GDP: $3.0 billion, per capita $160; real growth rate 2.1% (FY90)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.0% (FY90 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 5%; underemployment estimated at 25-40% (1987)
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Budget: revenues $316.5 million; expenditures $618.5 million,
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including capital expenditures of $398 (FY91 est.)
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Exports: $125 million (f.o.b., FY90), but does not include
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unrecorded border trade with India;
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commodities--clothing, carpets, leather goods, grain;
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partners--India 38%, US 23%, UK 6%, other Europe 9% (FY88)
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Imports: $454.3illion (c.i.f., FY90 est.);
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commodities--petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10%;
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partners--India 36%, Japan 13%, Europe 4%, US 1% (FY88)
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External debt: $2.5 billion (April 1990 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 6% (FY90 est.); accounts
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for 7% of GDP
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Electricity: 280,000 kW capacity; 540 million kWh produced,
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30 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette,
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textiles, carpets, cement, brick; tourism
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Agriculture: accounts for 60% of GDP and 90% of work force; farm
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products--rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, buffalo meat;
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not self-sufficient in food, particularly in drought years
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Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and
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international drug markets
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $304
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1980-88), $2.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $30 million;
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Communist countries (1970-89), $286 million
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Currency: Nepalese rupee (plural--rupees);
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1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa
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Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1--30.805 (January
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1991), 29.370 (1990), 27.189 (1989), 23.289 (1988), 21.819 (1987), 21.230
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(1986), 18.246 (1985)
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Fiscal year: 16 July-15 July
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 52 km (1990), all 0.762-meter narrow gauge; all in
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Terai close to Indian border; 10 km from Raxaul to Birganj is
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government owned
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Highways: 7,080 km total (1990); 2,898 km paved, 1,660 km gravel
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or crushed stone; also 2,522 km of seasonally motorable tracks
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Civil air: 5 major and 11 minor transport aircraft
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Airports: 37 total, 37 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair
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radio communication and broadcast service; international radio
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communication service is poor; 50,000 telephones (1990); stations--88
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AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Royal Nepalese Army, Royal Nepalese Army Air Service,
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Nepalese Police Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,669,421; 2,420,398 fit for
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military service; 233,404 reach military age (17) annually
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Defense expenditures: $38 million, 2% of GDP (FY91)
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