Nepal

NEPAL

Information about travelling to Nepal

Nepal is located in Southern Asia, between China and India

Facts about Nepal
Population29,519,114 (July 2008 est
CapitalKathmandu
Time zoneUTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Location Southern Asia, between China and India

General info about Nepal
In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing nine-year civil war between insurgents and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists and government officials, and culminated in a November 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. The newly formed interim parliament declared Nepal a democratic federal republic at its first meeting in May 2008, the king vacated the throne in mid-June 2008, and parliament elected the country's first president the following month.
Disease threats
degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
Languages spoken
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 (2001 est.)
What about drugs?
illicit producer of cannabis and hashish for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West
Ethnic division
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)
HIV/AIDS prevalence rate
0.5% (2001 est.)
Climate
varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Resources
quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Economy
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. Bumper crops, better security, improved transportation, and increased tourism pushed growth past 4% in 2008, after growth had hovered around 2.3% - the rate of population growth - for the previous three years.
Environment
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

Cities in Nepal

baglung     banepa     bhadrapur     bhaktapur     bharatpur     biratnagar     birganj     butwal     dhangadhi     dhankuta     dharan     gaur     gulariya     hetauda     ilam     itahari     janakpur     jumla     kalaiya     kathmandu     khandbari     kirtipur     lahan     lalitpur     mahendranagar     malangwa     nepalganj     pokhara     rajbiraj     siddharthanagar     siraha     tansen     tikapur     tulsipur     waling    


Airports in Nepal
BhadrapurBDP
BaglungBGL
BhojpurBHP
BharatpurBHR
BiratnagarBIR
BaitadiBIT
BajhangBJH
Bajura AirportBJU
BhairawaBWA
DarchulaDAP
DhangarhiDHI
DangDNP
GorkhaGKH
SimikotIMK
JiriJIR
JanakpurJKR
JumlaJUM
NepalganjKEP
TribhuvanKTM
LangtangLTG
LuklaLUA
MeghauliMEY
ManangNGX
PokharaPKR
PhapluPPL
RamechhapRHP
RajbirajRJB
RukumkotRUK
RumjatarRUM
SimaraSIF
SurkhetSKH
TaplejungTPJ
TikapurTPU
MahendranagarXMG


Beer in Nepal (0.33l)
Kathmandu~ 0.8 EUR

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