Nepal

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This article is about the country. For other uses, see Nepal (disambiguation).

सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल

Sanghiya Loktāntrik Ganatantra Nepāl
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal

Flag Emblem

Motto: जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी(Devanāgarī)

"Mother and Motherland are Greater than Heaven"

Anthem: "Sayaun Thunga Phool Ka"

Capital Kathmandu (Nepali:काठमाडौं)
(and
largest 27°42′N 85°19′E
city)

Official Nepali[1]
language(s
)

Recognise Nepal
d Bhasa, Maithili,Bhojpuri, Tharu, Gurung,Tamang, Maga
regional la r, Awadhi,Sherpa, Kiranti, Limbuand other 100 different
nguages indigenous languages.

Demonym Nepali

Governme Republic
nt

 President Ram Baran Yadav

-
 

 Vice Parmanand Jha

-President
 

 Prime Madhav Kumar Nepal(acting until next P.M. is elected)

-Minister
 

Unification

 Kingdom 21 December 1768 

-declared
 

 State 15 January 2007 

-declared
 

 Republic 28 May 2008 

-
 declared

Area

147,181 km2
 Total  (93rd)
- 56,827 sq mi 
 

 Water (%) 2.8
-
 

Population

 2009 estim 29,331,000[2] (40th)
-ate
 

 2007 cens 28,875,140 
-us
 

 Density 199.3/km2 (62nd)
- 518.1/sq mi
 

GDP (PPP 2010 estimate
)

 Total $34.880 billion[3] 

-
 

 Per capita $1,237[3] 

-
 

GDP (nom 2010 estimate
inal)

 Total $14.721 billion[3] 

-
  

 Per capita $522[3] 

-
 

Gini (2003 47.2 (high) 
–04)

HDI (2007 ▲0.553[4] (medium) (144th)
)

Currency Nepalese Rupee (NPR)

Time zone NPT (UTC+5:45)

 Summer ( not observed (UTC+5:45)

-DST)
 

Drives on left
the

ISO 3166  NP
code

Internet .np
TLD

Calling +977
code

Nepal (pronounced /nɛˈpɔːl/ ne-PAWL[5] Nepali: नेपाल   [neˈpal] (help·info)), officially the Federal Democratic

Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the
north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by theRepublic of India. With an area
of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world's
93rd largest country by land mass[6] and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and
the country's largest metropolis.
Nepal has a rich geography. The mountainous north has eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including the
highest point on Earth, Mount Everest, called Sagarmatha in Nepali. It contains more than 240 peaks over
20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level.[7] The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized.

By some measures, Hinduism is practised by a larger majority of people in Nepal than in any other nation.
[8]
 Buddhism, though a minority faith in the country, is linked historically with Nepal as the birthplace of the
Buddha. There are 3 different buddhist traditions: Himalayan Buddhism, Buddhism of Kathmandu Valley
(mostly Mahayana and Vajrayana), and also the Theravada Buddhism.

About half of the population live below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day. [9]

A monarchy throughout most of its history, Nepal was ruled by the Shah dynasty of kings from 1768,
when Prithvi Narayan Shah unified its many small kingdoms. In 2006, however, a decade-long People's
Revolution by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) along with several weeks of mass protests by all major
political parties of Nepal culminated in a peace accord, and the ensuing elections for the constituent
assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the abdication of the last Nepali monarch Gyanendra Shah and the
establishment of a federal democratic republic in 28 May 2008.[10] The first President of Nepal, Ram Baran
Yadav, was sworn in on 23 July 2008.

Contents
 [hide]

1 Etymology

o 1.1 Nepal

Bhasa origin

o 1.2 Ne Muni

2 History

o 2.1 Prehistory

o 2.2 Ancient

o 2.3 Medieval

o 2.4 Kingdom

of Nepal

o 2.5 Republic

3 Geography

o 3.1 Neotectoni

cs

4 Environment
 5 Subdivisions

6 Largest cities

7 Government and

politics

8 Military and foreign

affairs

9 Economy

10 Infrastructure

11 Demographics

o 11.1 Language

o 11.2 Religion

o 11.3 Health

12 Culture

o 12.1 Education

13 See also

14 Footnotes

15 References

16 External links

Etymology
Nepal Bhasa origin
The word "Nepal" is believed by scholars to be derived from the word "Nepa:" which refers to
the Newar Kingdom, the present day Kathmandu Valley. With Sanskritization, the Newar word Nepa became
Nepal.[11] The Newars of present day Nepal, refer to all the inhabitants of Kathmandu valley and its peripheries
(called "Nepa:") before the advent of Shah dynasty.

Ne Muni
History and local traditions say that a Hindu sage named "Ne" established himself at the valley of Kathmandu
during prehistoric times and that the word "Nepal" came into existence as the place protected ("pala" in
Sanskrit) by the sage "Ne". The etymology of the name Nepal means, "the country looked after by Ne". [12]

He used to perform religious ceremonies at Teku, the confluence of the Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers. [13] He is
said by legend to have selected a pious cowherd to be the first of the many kings of the Gopala Dynasty.
[12]
 These rulers are said to have ruled Nepal for over 500 years. [14] He selected Bhuktaman to be the first king
in the line of the Gopal (Cowherd) Dynasty.[13] The Gopal dynasty ruled for 621 years. Yakshya Gupta was the
last king of this dynasty.

According to Skanda Purana, a rishi called "Ne" or "Nemuni" used to live in Himalaya.[15] In the Pashupati
Purana, he is mentioned as a saint and a protector.[16] He is said to have practised meditation at the Bagmati
and Kesavati rivers[17] and to have taught his doctrines there too.[12]

History

Main article:  History of Nepal

Prehistory

Kathmandu Valley

Neolithic tools found in the Kathmandu Valley indicate that people have been living in the Himalayan region for
at least 9,000 years. It appears that Kiratethnicity people were the first people to settle in Nepal and ruled
Nepal for about 2,500 years.[18]

Ancient
Terai News writes, "Nepal has been highlighted for the last several centuries in  Sanskrit literature like 'Skand
Purana'. 'Skanda Purana' has a separate volume known as 'Nepal Mahatmya', which explains in more details
about the beauty and power of Nepal."[19] Nepal is also mentioned in Hinduscriptures such as the Narayana
Puja[20] and the Atharva Siras (800–600 BC).[20] Around 1000 BC, small kingdoms and confederations of clans
arose in the region. From one of these, the Shakya confederation, arose a prince named Siddharta
Gautama (563–483 BC), who later renounced his royalty to lead an ascetic life and came to be known as
the Buddha ("the enlightened one"). The 7th Kirata king, Jitedasti, was on the throne in the Nepal valley at the
time. By 250 BC, the region came under the influence of the Mauryan Empire of northern India, and later
became a vassal state under the Gupta Empire in the fourth century AD. In the fifth century, rulers
called the Licchavis governed the majority of its area. There is a good and quite detailed description of the
kingdom of Nepal in the account of the renowned Chinese Buddhist pilgrim monk Xuanzang, dating from c. 645
AD.[21][22] The Licchavi dynasty went into decline in the late eighth century and was followed by a Newari era,
from 879, although the extent of their control over the entire country is uncertain. By the late 11th century,
southern Nepal came under the influence of the Chalukaya Empire of southern India. Under the Chalukayas,
Nepal's religious establishment changed as the kings patronised Hinduism instead of the prevailing Buddhism.

Medieval
By the early 12th century, leaders were emerging whose names ended with the Sanskrit
suffix malla ("wrestler"). Initially their reign was marked by upheaval, but the kings consolidated their power and
ruled over the next 200 years; by the late 14th century, much of the country began to come under a unified rule.
This unity was short-lived; in 1482 the region was carved into three kingdoms: Kathmandu, Patan,
and Bhaktapur.

Kingdom of Nepal
Main article:  Kingdom of Nepal

Hindu temples in Patan, capital of one of the three medieval Newar kingdoms

After centuries of petty rivalry between the three kingdoms, in the mid-18th century, Prithvi Narayan Shah,
a Gorkha King, set out to unify the kingdoms. Seeking arms and aid from India, and buying the neutrality of
bordering Indian kingdoms, he embarked on his mission in 1765. After several bloody battles and sieges, he
managed to unify the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding territory three years later in 1768. However, an actual
battle never took place to conquer the Kathmandu valley; it was taken over by Prithvi Narayan and his troops
without any effort, during Indra Jatra, a festival of Newars, when all the valley's citizens were celebrating the
festival. This event marked the birth of the modern nation of Nepal.

In 1788 the Nepalese overran Sikkim and sent a punitive raid into Tibet. Kangra in northern India was also
occupied by the Nepalese. In 1809, Ranjit Singh the ruler of the Sikh state in the Punjab, had intervened and
drove the Nepalese army east of the Satluj river.[23]
Statue of a Gurkhasoldier

At its maximum extent, Greater Nepal extended from the Tista River in the east, to Kangara, across the Sutlej
River in the west as well as further south into the Terai plains and north of the Himalayas than at present. A
dispute and subsequent war with Tibet over the control of mountain passes forced the Nepalese to retreat and
pay heavy reparations to China.

Rivalry between Nepal and the British East India Company over the annexation of minor states bordering Nepal
eventually led to the Anglo-Nepalese War (1815–16). At first the British underestimated the Nepalese and were
badly defeated until committing more military resources than they had anticipated needing. They were greatly
impressed by the valor and competence of their adversaries. Thus began the reputation of "Gurkhas" as fierce
and ruthless soldiers. The war ended in the Treaty of Sugauli, under which Nepal ceded recently captured
portions of Sikkim and lands in Terai as well as the right to recruit soldiers.

Factionalism inside the royal family had led to a period of instability. In 1846 a plot was discovered revealing
that the reigning queen had planned to overthrow Jung Bahadur Rana, a fast-rising military leader. This led to
the Kot Massacre; armed clashes between military personnel and administrators loyal to the queen led to the
execution of several hundred princes and chieftains around the country. Jung Bahadur Rana emerged
victorious and founded the Rana lineage.

The king was made a titular figure, and the post of Prime Minister was made powerful and hereditary. The
Ranas were staunchly pro-British and assisted them during the IndianSepoy Rebellion in 1857 (and later in
both World Wars). Some parts of the Terai Region were given back to Nepal by the British as a friendly
gesture, because of her military help to sustain British control in India during the Sepoy Rebellion. In 1923, the
United Kingdom and Nepal formally signed an agreement of friendship, in which Nepal's independence was
recognized by the UK.
Nepalese royalty in the 1920s

Slavery was abolished in Nepal in 1924. [24] Nevertheless debt bondage even involving debtors' children has
been a persistent social problem in the Terai.

In the late 1940s, newly emerging pro-democracy movements and political parties in Nepal were critical of the
Rana autocracy. Meanwhile, with the assertion of Chinese control in Tibet in the 1950s, India sought to
counterbalance the perceived military threat from its northern neighbour by taking pre-emptive steps to assert
more influence in Nepal. India sponsored both King Tribhuvan (ruled 1911–55) as Nepal's new ruler in 1951
and a new government, mostly comprising the Nepali Congress Party, thus terminating Rana hegemony in the
kingdom.

After years of power wrangling between the king and the government, King Mahendra (ruled 1955–72)
scrapped the democratic experiment in 1959, and a "partyless" panchayat system was made to govern Nepal
until 1989, when the "Jan Andolan" (People's Movement) forced King Birendra (ruled 1972–2001) to accept
constitutional reforms and to establish a multiparty parliament that took seat in May 1991. [25] In 1991–
92, Bhutan expelled roughly 100,000 ethnic Nepalis, most of whom have been living in seven refugee camps in
eastern Nepal ever since.[26]

In 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) started a bid to replace the royal parliamentary system with a
people's socialist republic by violent means. This led to the long Nepal Civil War and more than 12,000 deaths.
On 1 June 2001, there was a massacre in the royal palace. King Birendra, Queen Aiswarya, Crown Prince
Dipendra and seven other members of the royal family were killed. Dipendra was accused of patricide and of
committing suicide thereafter. This outburst was alleged to have been Dipendra's response to his parents'
refusal to accept his choice of wife. Nevertheless there are speculation and doubts among Nepalese citizens
about who was responsible.

Following the carnage, Birendra's brother Gyanendra inherited the throne. On 1 February 2005, Gyanendra
dismissed the entire government and assumed full executive powers to quash the violent Maoist movement,
[25]
 but this initiative was unsuccessful because a stalemate had developed where the Maoists were firmly
entrenched in large expanses of countryside yet could not dislodge the military from numerous towns and the
largest cities. In September 2005, the Maoists declared a three-month unilateral ceasefire to negotiate.

In response to the 2006 democracy movement King Gyanendra agreed to relinquish sovereign power to the
people. On 24 April 2006 the dissolved House of Representatives was reinstated. Using its newly acquired
sovereign authority, on 18 May 2006 the House of Representatives unanimously voted to curtail the power of
the king and declared Nepal a secular state, ending its time-honoured official status as a Hindu Kingdom. On
28 December 2007, a bill was passed in parliament to amend Article 159 of the constitution — replacing
"Provisions regarding the King" by "Provisions of the Head of the State" – declaring Nepal a federal republic,
and thereby abolishing the monarchy.[27] The bill came into force on 28 May 2008, as the constituent assembly
overwhelmingly voted to abolish royal rule.[28]

Republic
The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) won the largest number of seats in the Constituent Assembly
election held on 10 April 2008, and formed a coalition government which included most of the parties in the CA.
Although acts of violence occurred during the pre-electoral period, election observers noted that the elections
themselves were markedly peaceful and "well-carried out." [29]

The newly elected Assembly met in Kathmandu on 28 May 2008, and, after a polling of 564 constituent
Assembly members, 560 voted to form a new government, [28][30] with the monarchist Rastriya Prajatantra Party,
which had four members in the assembly, registering a dissenting note. At that point, it was declared that Nepal
had become a secular and inclusive democratic republic,[31] with the government announcing a three-day public
holiday from 28 to 30 May. The King was thereafter given 15 days to vacate the Narayanhiti Royal Palace, to
re-open it as a public museum.

Nonetheless, political tensions and consequent power-sharing battles have continued in Nepal. In May 2009,
the Maoist-led government was toppled and another coalition government with all major political parties barring
the Maoists was formed. Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) was
made the Prime Minister of the coalition government.

Geography

Main articles: Geography of Nepal and Geology of Nepal

Map of Nepal.

Topographic map of Nepal.

Nepal is of roughly trapezoidal shape, 800 kilometres (497 mi) long and 200 kilometres (124 mi) wide, with an
area of 147,181 km2(56,827 sq mi). See List of territories by size for the comparative size of Nepal.

Nepal is commonly divided into three physiographic areas: the Mountain, Hill, Siwalik region and Terai
Regions. These ecological belts run east-west and are vertically intersected by Nepal's major, north to south
flowing river systems.

The southern lowland plains or Terai bordering India are part of the northern rim of the Indo-Gangetic plains.
They were formed and are fed by three major Himalayan rivers: the Kosi, the Narayani, and the Karnali as well
as smaller rivers rising below the permanent snowline. This region has a subtropical to tropical climate. The
outermost range of foothills called Shiwalik or Churia Range cresting at 700 to 1,000 metres (2,297 to 3,281 ft)
marks the limit of the Gangetic Plain, however broad, low valleys called Inner Tarai (Bhitri Tarai Uptyaka) lie
north of these foothills in several places.
Mount Everest

Barun Valley – There are many such valleys in the Himalaya created by glacier flows.

Gosainkunda Lake in Langtang.

The Hill Region (Pahad) abuts the mountains and varies from 800 to 4,000 metres (2,625 to 13,123 ft) in
altitude with progression from subtropical climates below 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) to alpine climates above
3,600 metres (11,811 ft). The Mahabharat Lekh reaching 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,921 to 9,843 ft) is the
southern limit of this region, with subtropical river valleys and "hills" alternating to the north of this range.
Population density is high in valleys but notably less above 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) and very low above
2,500 metres (8,202 ft) where snow occasionally falls in winter.

The Mountain Region (Parbat), situated in the Great Himalayan Range, makes up the northern part of Nepal.
It contains the highest elevations in the world including 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) height Mount
Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepali) on the border with China. Seven other of the world's eight thousand metre
peaks are in Nepal or on its border with China: Lhotse, Makalu, Cho
Oyu, Kanchenjunga,Dhaulagiri, Annapurna and Manaslu.

The arid and barren Himalayan landscape

Nepal has five climatic zones, broadly corresponding to the altitudes. The tropical and subtropical zones lie
below 1,200 metres (3,937 ft), the temperate zone 1,200 to 2,400 metres (3,937 to 7,874 ft), the cold
zone 2,400 to 3,600 metres (7,874 to 11,811 ft), the subarctic zone 3,600 to 4,400 metres (11,811 to 14,436 ft),
and the Arctic zone above 4,400 metres (14,436 ft).

Nepal experiences five seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. The Himalaya blocks cold
winds from Central Asia in the winter and forms the northern limit of the monsoon wind patterns. In a land once
thickly forested, deforestation is a major problem in all regions, with resulting erosion and degradation of
ecosystems.

Nepal is popular for mountaineering, containing some of the highest and most challenging mountains in the
world, including Mount Everest. Technically, the south-east ridge on the Nepali side of the mountain is easier to
climb; so, most climbers prefer to trek to Everest through Nepal. Morever Nepal has 8 of the top 10 highest
mountains of the world with postcard beauty.

Neotectonics

The collision between the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian continent, which started in Paleogene time and
continues today, produced the Himalaya and theTibetan Plateau, a spectacular modern example of the effects
of plate tectonics. Nepal lies completely within this collision zone, occupying the central sector of the Himalayan
arc, nearly one third of the 2,400 km (1,500 mi)-long Himalayas.[32][33][34][35][36][37]

The Indian plate continues to move north relative to Asia at the rate of approximately 50 mm (2.0 in) per year.
[38]
 Given the great magnitudes of the blocks of the Earth's crust involved, this is remarkably fast, about twice
the speed at which human fingernails grow. As the strong Indian continental crust subducts beneath the
relatively weak Tibetan crust, it pushes up the Himalayan mountains. This collision zone has accommodated
huge amounts of crustal shortening as the rock sequences slide one over another.
Erosion of the Himalayas is a very important source of sediment, which flows via several great rivers
(the Indus to the Indian Ocean, and the Ganges andBrahmaputra river system) to the Bay of Bengal.[39]

Environment

The dramatic differences in elevation found in Nepal result in a variety of biomes, from tropical savannas along
the Indian border, to subtropical broadleaf and coniferous forests in the Hill Region,
to temperate broadleaf andconiferous forests on the slopes of the Himalaya, to montane grasslands and
shrublands and rock and ice at the highest elevations.

At the lowest elevations is the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion. These form a mosaic with
theHimalayan subtropical broadleaf forests, which occur from 500 to 1,000 metres (1,600 to 3,300 ft) and
include the Inner Terai Valleys. Himalayan subtropical pine forests occur between 1,000 and 2,000 metres
(3,300 and 6,600 ft).

Above these elevations, the biogeography of Nepal is generally divided from east to west by the Gandaki River.
Ecoregions to the east tend to receive more precipitation and to be more species-rich. Those to the west are
drier with fewer species.

From 1,500 to 3,000 metres (4,900 to 9,800 ft), are temperate broadleaf forests: the eastern and western
Himalayan broadleaf forests. From 3,000 to 4,000 metres (9,800 to 13,000 ft) are the easternand western
Himalayan subalpine conifer forests. To 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) are the eastern and western Himalayan alpine
shrub and meadows.

Subdivisions

Main articles: Regions of Nepal, Zones of Nepal, and  Districts of Nepal

Subdivisions of Nepal.

Nepal is divided into 14 zones and 75 districts, grouped into five development regions. Each district is headed
by a permanent chief district officer responsible for maintaining law and order and coordinating the work of field
agencies of the various government ministries. The five regions and 14 zones are:
  Eastern Region (Purwanchal)

 Koshi

 Mechi

 Sagarmatha

 Central Region (Madhyamanchal)

 Bagmati

 Janakpur

 Narayani

 Western Region (Pashchimanchal)

 Dhawalagiri

 Gandaki

 Lumbini

 Mid-Western Region (Madhya Pashchimanchal)

 Bheri

 Karnali

 Rapti

 Far-Western Region (Sudur Pashchimanchal)

 Mahakali

 Seti
Largest cities

The 10 largest cities (by population)[40]

1. Kathmandu (Pop.: 1,442,271)

2. Pokhara (Pop.: 200,000)

3. Patan (Pop.: 183,310)

4. Biratnagar (Pop.: 182,324)

5. Birgunj (Pop.: 133,238)

6. Dharan Bazar (Pop.: 108,600)

7. Bharatpur (Pop.: 107,157)

8. Janakpur (Pop.: 93,767)

9. Dhangarhi (Pop.: 92,294)

10. Butwal (Pop.: 91,733)

Government and politics
Main article:  Politics of Nepal

Flag of Nepal

Nepal has seen rapid political changes during the last two decades. Until 1990, Nepal was a monarchy running
under the executive control of the king. Faced with a Communist movement against the absolute
monarchy, King Birendra, in 1990, agreed to large-scale political reforms by creating a parliamentary
monarchy with the king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of the government. Nepal has
also been noted for its recent speed of development, such as being one of the few countries in Asia to abolish
the death penalty[41] and the first country in Asia to rule in favor of same-sex marriage, which the government
has a seven-person committee studying after a November 2008 ruling by the nation's Supreme Court, which
ordered full rights for LGBTindividuals, including the right to marry.[42]

Nepal's legislature was bicameral, consisting of a House of Representatives called the Pratinidhi Sabha and
a National Council called the Rastriya Sabha. The House of Representatives consisted of 205 members
directly elected by the people. The National Council had 60 members: ten nominated by the king, 35 elected by
the House of Representatives, and the remaining 15 elected by an electoral college made up of chairs of
villages and towns. The legislature had a five-year term but was dissolvable by the king before its term could
end. All Nepali citizens 18 years and older became eligible to vote.

The executive comprised the King and the Council of Ministers (the cabinet). The leader of the coalition or party
securing the maximum seats in an election was appointed as the Prime Minister. The Cabinet was appointed
by the king on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Governments in Nepal tended to be highly unstable,
falling either through internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch, on the recommendation of
the prime minister, according to the constitution; no government has survived for more than two years since
1991.

The movement in April 2006 brought about a change in the nation's governance: an interim constitution was
promulgated, with the King giving up power, and an interim House of Representatives was formed with Maoist
members after the new government held peace talks with the Maoist rebels. The number of parliamentary
seats was also increased to 330. In April 2007, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) joined the interim
government of Nepal.

This section is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can
help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate.Editing help is
available. (November 2009)

On 10 April 2008, the first election in Nepal for the constitution assembly took place. The Maoist party led the
poll results but failed to gain a simple majority in the parliament.[43]

On 10 December 2007, the interim parliament passed a bill that would make Nepal a federal republic, with the
Prime Minister becoming head of state. On 28 May 2008, lawmakers in Nepal legally abolished the monarchy
and declared the country a republic, ending 239 years of royal rule in the Himalayan nation. The newly elected
assembly, led by the former communist rebels, adopted the resolution at its first meeting by an overwhelming
majority. King Gyanendra was given 15 days to leave the former Royal Palace in central Kathmandu by the
Nepalese Constituent Assembly. He left the former Royal Palace on 11 June. [44]

On 26 June 2008, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala tendered his resignation to the Nepalese Constituent
Assembly, which is also functioning as the Nepalese Parliament; however, a new Prime Minister has yet to be
elected by the Nepalese Constituent Assembly.

On 19 July 2008, the first round of voting for the election of the country's president and vice president took
place in the Constituent Assembly. Parmanand Jha became the first vice president of Nepal. However, the two
presidential frontrunners, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav of Nepali Congress and the Maoist-backed candidate Ram
Raja Prasad Singh, both failed to gain the minimum 298 votes needed to be elected, with Yadav receiving 283
votes and Singh receiving 270. Of 594 CA members, 578 registered in the voter list had cast their votes, of
which 24 were invalid.

On 21 July 2008, the second round of voting was held. Yadav received 308 of the 590 votes cast, securing his
election as president.[45]

On 15 August 2008, Maoist leader Prachanda (Pushpa Kamal Dahal) was elected Prime Minister of Nepal, the
first since the country's transition from a monarchy to a republic. On 4 May 2009, Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal
resigned over on-going conflicts over sacking of the Army chief.
Since Dahal's resignation, the country has been in a serious political deadlock – one of the big issues being the
proposed integration of the former Maoist combatants, also known as the People's Liberation Army, into the
national security forces.[46]

Military and foreign affairs

Main articles: Military of Nepal  and  Foreign relations of Nepal

A member of the Nepalese Quick Reactionary Force (QRF).

Nepal's military consists of the Nepalese Army, which includes the Nepalese Army Air Service (the air force
unit under it.) Nepalese Police Force is the civilian police and the Armed Police Force Nepal[47] is the
paramilitary force. Service is voluntary and the minimum age for enlistment is 18 years. Nepal spends $99.2
million (2004) on its military—1.5% of its GDP. Much of the equipment and arms are imported from India.
Consequently, the US provided M16s M4s and other Colt weapons to combat communist (Maoist) insurgents.
As of now, the standard-issue battle rifle of the Nepalese army is the Colt M16. [48]

Nepal has close ties with both of its neighbours, India and China. In accordance with a long-standing treaty,
Indian and Nepalese citizens may travel to each others' countries without a passport or visa. Nepalese citizens
may work in India without legal restriction.

Although Nepal and India typically have close ties, from time to time Nepal becomes caught up in the
problematic Sino-Indian relationship. Recently, China has been asking Nepal to curb protests in Nepal against
China's Policy on Tibet,[49] and on 17 April 2008, police arrested over 500 Tibetan protestors [50] citing a need to
maintain positive relations with China.

Economy

Main article:  Economy of Nepal

Terraced farming on the foothills of the Himalayas.

A Rs.500 banknote of The Republic of Nepal. For economical reasons, the watermark on the right still contains a picture of
King Gyanendra, obscured by printing a rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal.[51]

Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP) for 2008 was estimated at over $12 billion (adjusted to Nominal GDP),
making it the 115th-largest economy in the world. Agriculture accounts for about 40% of Nepal's GDP, services
comprise 41% and industry 22%. Agriculture employs 76% of the workforce, services 18% and
manufacturing/craft-based industry 6%. Agricultural produce — mostly grown in the Terai region bordering
India — includes tea, rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, and water buffalo meat. Industry mainly
involves the processing of agricultural produce, including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain.

Its workforce of about 10 million suffers from a severe shortage of skilled labour. The spectacular landscape
and diverse, exotic cultures of Nepal represent considerable potential for tourism, but growth in this hospitality
industry has been stifled by recent political events. The rate of unemployment and underemployment
approaches half of the working-age population. Thus many Nepali citizens move to India in search of work; the
Gulf countries and Malaysia being new sources of work. Nepal receives $50 million a year through
the Gurkha soldiers who serve in the Indian and British armies and are highly esteemed for their skill and
bravery. The total remittance value is worth around $1 billion, including money sent from the Persian Gulf and
Malaysia, who combined employ around 700,000 Nepali citizens.

A long-standing economic agreement underpins a close relationship with India. The country receives foreign
aid from India, Japan, the UK, the US, the EU, China, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries. Poverty is
acute; per-capita income is around $1,000.[52] The distribution of wealth among the Nepalis is consistent with
that in many developed and developing countries: the highest 10% of households control 39.1% of the national
wealth and the lowest 10% control only 2.6%.

The government's budget is about $1.153 billion, with expenditure of $1.789 billion (FY05/06). The Nepalese
rupee has been tied to the Indian Rupee at an exchange rate of 1.6 for many years. Since the loosening of
exchange rate controls in the early 1990s, the black market for foreign exchange has all but disappeared. The
inflation rate has dropped to 2.9% after a period of higher inflation during the 1990s.

Nepal's exports of mainly carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods and grain total $822 million. Import
commodities of mainly gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products and fertilizer total US$2 bn. India
(53.7%), the US (17.4%), and Germany (7.1%) are its main export partners. Nepal's import partners include
India (47.5%), the United Arab Emirates (11.2%), China (10.7%), Saudi Arabia (4.9%), and Singapore (4%). [53]

Infrastructure

Nepal remains isolated from the world's major land, air and sea transport routes although, within the country,
aviation is in a better state, with 48 airports, ten of them with paved runways; flights are frequent and support a
sizable traffic. The hilly and mountainous terrain in the northern two-thirds of the country has made the building
of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. There were just over 8,500 km (5,282 mi) of paved
roads, and one 59-km railway line in the south in 2003. There is only one reliable road route from India to
the Kathmandu Valley.

The only practical seaport of entry for goods bound for Kathmandu is Calcutta in India. Internally, the poor state
of development of the road system (22 of 75 administrative districts lack road links) makes volume distribution
unrealistic. Besides having landlocked, rugged geography, few tangible natural resources and poor
infrastructure, the long-running civil war is also a factor in stunting the economic growth. [54]

There is less than one telephone per 19 people. Landline telephone services are not adequate nationwide but
are concentrated in cities and district headquarters. Mobile telephony is in a reasonable state in most parts of
the country with increased accessibility and affordability; there were around 175,000 Internet connections in
2005. After the imposition of the "state of emergency", intermittent losses of service-signals were reported, but
uninterrupted Internet connections have resumed after Nepal's second major people's revolution to overthrow
the King's absolute power.[53]

Demographics

Main article:  Demographics of Nepal

The population density map of Nepal

Nepal’s population has grown from 9 million people in 1950 to 29 million in 2010. [55] At the time of the 1981
census, the total population of Nepal was 15 million, the average family was made up of 5.8 persons. [56]

The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations from India, Tibet, and
North Burma and Yunnan viaAssam. Even though Indo-Nepalese migrants were latecomers to Nepal relative to
the migrants from the north, they have come to dominate the country not only numerically, but also socially,
politically, and economically.[57]

Among the earliest inhabitants were the Kirat of east mid-region, Newar of the Kathmandu Valley and
aboriginal Tharu in the southern Terai region. The ancestors of the Brahmin and Chetri caste groups came
from India's present Kumaon, Garhwal and Kashmir regions, while other ethnic groups trace their origins to
North Burma and Yunnan and Tibet, e.g. the Gurung and Magar in the west, Rai and Limbu in the east (from
Yunnan and north Burma via Assam), and Sherpa and Bhutia in the north (from Tibet).

In the Terai, a part of the Ganges Basin with 20% of the land, much of the population is physically and culturally
similar to the Indo-Aryans of northern India. Indo-Aryan and East-Asian-looking mixed people live in the hill
region. Indo-Aryan ancestry has been a source of prestige in Nepal for centuries, and the ruling families have
been of Indo-Aryan and Hindu background.[58] The mountainous highlands are sparsely populated. Kathmandu
Valley, in the middle hill region, constitutes a small fraction of the nation's area but is the most densely
populated, with almost 5% of the population.

Nepal is a multilingual society. These data are largely derived from Nepal's 2001 census results published in
the Nepal Population Report 2002.
According to the World Refugee Survey 2008, published by the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants,
Nepal hosted a population of refugees and asylum seekers in 2007 numbering approximately 130,000. Of this
population, approximately 109,200 persons were from Bhutan and 20,500 from People's Republic of China. [59]
[60]
 The government of Nepal restricted Bhutanese refugees to seven camps in the Jhapa and Morang districts,
and refugees were not permitted to work in most professions. [59] At present, the United States is working
towards resettling more than 60,000 of these refugees in the US. [26]

Languages Spoken in Nepal.

Population Structure

Data Size

Population 28,676,547 (2005)

Growth Rate 2.2%

Population below 14 Years old 39%

Population of age 15 to 64 57.3%

Population above 65 3.7%

 The median age (Average) 20.07

The median age (Male) 19.91

The median age (Females) 20.24

Ratio (Male:Female) 1, 000:1,060

Life expectancy (Average) 59.8 Years

Life expectancy (Male) 60.9

Life expectancy (Female) 59.5

Literacy Rate (Average) 53.74%

Literacy Rate (Male) 68.51%

Literacy Rate (Female) 42.49%

Despite the migration of a significant section of the population to the southern plains or terai in recent years, the
majority of the population still lives in the central highlands. The northern mountains are sparsely populated.

Kathmandu, with a population of around 800,000 (metropolitan area: 1.5 million), is the largest city in the
country.

Languages
Nepal's diverse linguistic heritage evolved from four major language groups: Indo-Aryan, Tibeto-
Burman, Mongolian and various indigenous language isolates. The major languages of Nepal (percent spoken
as mother tongue)
are Nepali (48.61%), Maithili (12.30%), Bhojpuri (7.53%), Tharu (5.86%), Tamang (5.19%), Newari/Nepal
Bhasa (3.63%), Magar (3.39%), Awadhi (2.47%), Rai (2.79%), Limbu(1.47%), and Bajjika (1.05%).
Derived from Sanskrit, Nepali has roots in Sanskrit and is written in Devanagari script. Nepali is the official
national language and serves as lingua franca among Nepalis of different ethnolinguistic groups. Regional
dialects Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Maithili and rarely Hindi are spoken in the southern Terai Region. Many Nepalis in
government and business speak English as well. Dialects of Tibetan are spoken in and north of the higher
Himalaya where standard literary Tibetan is widely understood by those with religious education. Local dialects
in the Terai and hills are mostly unwritten with efforts underway to develop systems for writing many in
Devanagari or the Roman alphabet.

Religion
Main article:  Religion in Nepal

Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Nepal religiosity
religion percent
Hinduism    80.6%
Buddhism    10.7%
Islam    4.2%
Mundhum    3.6%
Christianity 0.5%
Other 0.4%

The overwhelming majority in Nepal follow Hinduism. Shiva is regarded as the guardian deity of the country.
[61]
 Nepal is home to the largest Shiva temple in the world, the famous Pashupatinath Temple, where Hindus
from all over the world come for pilgrimage. According to mythology, Sita Devi of the epicRamayana was born
in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka Raja.
Near the Indian border, Lumbini, is a Buddhist pilgrimage site and UNESCO World Heritage Site site in
theKapilavastu district. It is held to be the birthplace in about 563 B.C. of Siddhartha Gautama, a Kshatriya
caste prince of the Sakya clan, who, as the Buddha Gautama, gave birth to the Buddhist tradition. The holy site
of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone, in which only monasteries can be built. All three main
branches of Buddhism exist in Nepal and the Newar people have their own branch of the faith. Buddhism is the
dominant religion of the thinly populated northern areas, which are inhabited by Tibetan-related peoples, such
as the Sherpa.

The Buddha, born as a Hindu, is also said to be a descendant of Vedic Sage Angirasa in many Buddhist texts.
[62]
 The Buddha's family surname is associated with Gautama Maharishi.[63] Differences between Hindus and
Buddhists have been minimal in Nepal due to the cultural and historical intermingling of Hindu and Buddhist
beliefs. Morever traditionally Buddhism and Hinduism were never two distinct religions in the western sense of
the word. In Nepal, the faiths share common temples and worship common deities. Among other natives of
Nepal, those more influenced by Hinduism were the Magar, Sunwar,Limbu and Rai and the Gurkhas.[18] Hindu
influence is less prominent among the Gurung, Bhutia, and Thakali groups who employ Buddhist monks for
their religious ceremonies.[18][53] Most of the festivals in Nepal are Hindu.[64] The Machendrajatra festival,
dedicated to Hindu Shaiva Siddha, is celebrated by many Buddhists in Nepal as a main festival. [65] As it is
believed that Ne Muni established Nepal,[66] some important priests in Nepal are called "Tirthaguru Nemuni".

Islam is a minority religion in Nepal, with 4.2 % of the population being Muslim according to a
2006 Nepalese census.[67] However, a more recent estimate indicates that Muslims constitute approximately 5-
10% of the population.[68]

Health
Main article:  Health in Nepal

The fertility rate in Nepal was at 3.7 births per woman in the early 2000s. [69] Public expenditure on health was
at 1.5 % of the GDP in 2004.[69] Private expenditure on health was 4.1 % in 2004.[69] In the early 2000s, there
were 21 physicians per 100,000 people. [69] Infant mortality was 56 per 1000 life births in 2005.[69]

Culture

Main article:  Culture of Nepal

A typical Nepalese meal is dal-bhat-tarkari. Dal is a spicy lentil soup, served over bhat (boiled rice), served
with tarkari (curried vegetables) together with achar (pickles) or chutni (spicy condiment made from fresh
ingredients).. The Newar community, however, has its own unique cuisine. It consists of non-vegetarian as well
as vegetarian items served with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Mustard oil is the cooking medium and
a host of spices, such as cumin, coriander, black peppers, sesame seeds, turmeric, garlic, ginger, methi
(fenugreek), bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, chillies, mustard seeds, etc., are used in the cooking. The
cuisine served on festivals is generally the best.

Costumed Hindu-girls in Nepal. The two small children represent the godKrishna and his consort Radha. Sitting behind are
the god Vishnu and his consort Laxmi.

Main article:  Music of Nepal

The Newari Music orchestra consists mainly of percussion instruments, though wind instruments, such as flutes
and other similar instruments, are also used. String instruments are very rare. There are songs pertaining to
particular seasons and festivals. Paahan chare music is probably the fastest played music whereas the Dapa
the slowest. There are certain musical instruments such as Dhimay and Bhusya which are played as
instrumental only and are not accompanied with songs. The dhimay music is the loudest one. In the hills,
people enjoy their own kind of music, playing saarangi (a string instrument), madal and flute. They also have
many popular folk songs known as lok geet and lok dohari.

The Newar dances can be broadly classified into masked dances and non-masked dances. The most
representative of Newari dances is Lakhey dance. Almost all the settlements of Newaris organise Lakhey
dance at least once a year, mostly in the Goonlaa month. So, they are called Goonlaa Lakhey. However, the
most famous Lakhey dance is the Majipa Lakhey dance; it is performed by the Ranjitkars of Kathmandu and
the celebration continues for the entire week that contains the full moon of Yenlaa month. The Lakhey are
considered to be the saviors of children.

Folklore is an integral part of Nepalese society. Traditional stories are rooted in the reality of day-to-day life,
tales of love, affection and battles as well as demons and ghosts and thus reflect local lifestyles, cultures and
beliefs. Many Nepalese folktales are enacted through the medium of dance and music.
The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months. Saturday is the official weekly holiday. Main
annual holidays include the National Day, celebrated on the birthday of the king (28 December), Prithvi Jayanti
(11 January), Martyr's Day (18 February), and a mix of Hindu and Buddhist festivals such asdashain in autumn,
and tihar in late autumn. During tihar, the Newar community also celebrates its New Year as per their local
calendar Nepal Sambat.

Most houses in rural lowland of Nepal are made up of a tight bamboo framework and walls of a mud and cow-
dung mix. These dwellings remain cool in summer and retain warmth in winter. Houses in the hills are usually
made of unbaked bricks with thatch or tile roofing. At high elevations construction changes to stone masonry
and slate may be used on roofs.

Nepal's flag is the only national flag in the world that is non-quadrilateral in shape, and one of only two non-
rectangular flags in use (the other being the flag of the US state of Ohio). According to its official description,
the red in the flag stands for victory in war or courage, and is also color of the rhododendron, the national
flower of Nepal. Red also stands for aggression. The flag's blue border signifies peace. The curved moon on
the flag is a symbol of the peaceful and calm nature of Nepalese, while the sun represents the aggressiveness
of Nepalese warriors.

Education
About two thirds of female adults and one third of male adults are illiterate. [69] Net primary enrollment rate was
74% in 2005.[69] It now is at about 90%.[70] In 2009 the World Bank has decided to contribute a further $130
million towards meeting Nepal's Education for All goals.[70] Nepal has several universities.

See also
Nepal portal

SAARC portal

Main article:  Outline of Nepal

 List of Nepal-related topics

 Nepali language

 Nepali People
Footnotes

1. ^ According to Interim Constitution Nepali is only the official language (article

5, point 2). Other languages spoken as the mother tongue in Nepal are the

national languages (article 5, point 1). According to article 5, point 3, all

 languages are accepted as official languages at the regional

level. Nepal_Interim_Constitution2007

2. ^ Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (2009)

(PDF). World Population Prospects, Table A.1. 2008 revision. United Nations.

Retrieved 12 March 2009.

3. ^ a b c d "Nepal". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 21 April 2010.

4. ^ "Human Development Report 2009. Human development index trends:
Table G". The United Nations. Retrieved 5 October 2009.

5. ^ "Nepal". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd ed. 1989.

6. ^ "The World Factbook : Rank order population". CIA.
7. ^ Shaha (1992), p. 1.
8. ^ "CIA Factbook, Nepal, "People" section". Cia.gov. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
9. ^ Human Development Indices, Table 3: Human and income poverty, p. 34.
Retrieved on 1 June 2009

10. ^ "Nepal's first president sworn in". Radio Australia. 24 July 2008.
11. ^ Newa-Author:Shrestha, Moolookha Publication
12. ^ a b c W.B., P. 34 Land of the Gurkhas
13. ^ a b "The Ancient Period". Infoclub.com.np. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
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16. ^ Prasad, P. 4 The life and times of Maharaja Juddha Shumsher Jung
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17. ^ Khatri, P. 16 The Postage Stamps of Nepal

18. ^ a b c "A Country Study: Nepal". Federal Research Division,  Library of
Congress. Retrieved 23 September 2005.

19. ^ Terai News

20. ^ a b P. 17 Looking to the Future: Indo-Nepal Relations in Perspective By Lok
Raj Baral

21. ^ Li, Rongxi (translator). 1995. The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the
Western Regions, pp. 219–220. Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and

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32. ^ Beek van der Peter, Xavier Robert, Jean-Louis Mugnier, Matthias Bernet,
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33. ^ Berger Antoine, Francois Jouanne, Riadm Hassani and Jean Louis
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Nepal: how cylindrical is the Main Himalayan Thrust in Nepal?",

Geophys.J.Int., 156, 94–114, 2004.

34. ^ Bilham Roger and Michael Jackson,"Constraints on Himalayan Deformation

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Geophysical Research, vol. 99, 897–912, 10 July 1994.

35. ^ Chamlagain Deepak and Daigoro Hayashi, "Neotectonic Fault Analysis by

2D Finite Element Modeling for Studying the Himalayan Fold and Thrust belt

in Nepal," University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Journal of Asian Earth

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36. ^ F. Jouanne et al., "Current Shortening Across the Himalayas of Nepal",
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37. ^ Pandey M.R, R.P. Tandukar, J.P. Avouac, J. Vergne and Th. Heritier,
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38. ^ Bilham et al., 1998; Pandey et al., 1995.

39. ^ Summerfield & Hulton, 1994; Hay, 1998.
40. ^ "Biggest Cities Nepal". Geonames.org. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
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43. ^ "Nepal's election The Maoists triumph". Economist.com. 17 April 2008.

Retrieved 29 July 2009.

44. ^ Nepal's Lawmakers Abolish the Country's Monarchy[dead link]

45. ^ Presidentofnepal.com
46. ^ Kaphle, Anup (7 July 2010). "Long stalemate after Maoist victory disrupts
life in Nepal". The Washington Post.

47. ^ "Official Website of Armed Police Force Nepal". Apf.gov.np. Retrieved 29

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48. ^ AU.af.mil
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50. ^ Haviland, Charles (17 April 2008). "Nepal Arrests Tibetan Protesters". BBC
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51. ^ "Nepal king's head spared on new banknotes". Retrieved 7 October 2007.
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62. ^ The Life of Buddha as Legend and History, by Edward Joseph Thomas
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68. ^ Ramadan set to kick off tomorrow
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 Joe Simpson (1997). Storms of Silence. Mountaineers

Books. ISBN 0898865123.

 Samrat Upadhyay (2001). Arresting God in Kathmandu. Mariner

Books. ISBN 0618043713.

 Joseph R. Pietri (2001). The King of Nepal. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana Creative

Arts.ISBN 061511928X.

 Maurice Herzog (1951). Annapurna. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1558215492.

 Dervla Murphy (1968). The Waiting Land: A Spell in Nepal. Transatlantic

Arts. ISBN 0719517451.

 Rishikesh Shaha (2001). Modern Nepal: A Political History. Manohar

Publishers and Distributors.ISBN 8173044031.

External links
Find more about Nepal on Wikipedia's sister
projects:

Definitions from Wiktionary

Images and media from Commons

Learning resources from Wikiversity

News stories from Wikinews

Quotations from Wikiquote

Source texts from Wikisource

Textbooks from Wikibooks

 Official website
  Nepal entry at The World Factbook

 Nepal at the Open Directory Project

 Wikimedia Atlas of Nepal

 Nepal travel guide from Wikitravel

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 Nepal topics
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International membership

Coordinates:  26°32′N 86°44′E

Categories: Nepal | South Asian countries | South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation member

states | Landlocked countries | Newar | Least Developed Countries | Federal countries |Republics | Former
monarchies of Asia | States and territories established in 1768

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