Kingdom of Nepal

Ruler: King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva (2001)

Prime Minister: vacant

Land area: 52,819 sq mi (136,801 sq km); total area: 54,363 sq mi (140,800 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 28,287,147 (growth rate: 2.2%); birth rate: 31.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 65.3/1000; life expectancy: 60.2; density per sq mi: 536

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Kathmandu, 1,203,100 (metro. area), 729,000 (city proper)

Other large cities: Biratnagar, 174,600; Lalitpur, 169,100

Monetary unit: Nepalese rupee

Languages: Nepali 48% (official), Maithali 12%, Bhojpuri 7%, Tharu 6%, Tamang 5%, others. English spoken by many in government and business (2001)

Ethnicity/race: Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Chetri 15.5%, 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)

Religions: Hindu 81%, Buddhist 11%, Islam 4%, Kirant 4% (2001)

Literacy rate: 45% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $42.26 billion; per capita $1,500. Real growth rate: 2.5%. Inflation: 7.8% (Oct. 2005 est.). Unemployment: 42% (2004 est.). Arable land: 16%. Agriculture: rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat. Labor force: 10.4 million; note: severe lack of skilled labor (2004 est.); agriculture 76%, industry 6%, services 18%. Industries: tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production. Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore. Exports: $822 million f.o.b. (2005 est.), but does not include unrecorded border trade with India: carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain. Imports: $2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer. Major trading partners: India, U.S., Germany, China, UAE, Saudi Arabia (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 236,816 (Jan. 2000); mobile cellular: n.a. Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (Jan. 2000). Radios: 840,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998). Televisions: 130,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000). Internet users: 60,000 (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 59 km (2002). Highways: total: 13,223 km; paved: 4,073 km; unpaved: 9,150 km (1999 est.). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 45 (2002).

International disputes: 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.

 

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