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 ten-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. Following a nation-wide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The Constituent Assembly elected the country's first president in July. The Maoists, who received a plurality of votes in the Constituent Assembly election, formed a coalition government in August 2008, but resigned in May 2009 after the president overruled a decision to fire the chief of the army staff. The Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist and the Nepali Congress party then formed a new coalition government with several smaller parties. The prime minister's resignation in June 2010 ushered in seven months of political gridlock until Jhala Nath KHANAL was elected as replacement in February 2011. His pressing tasks are to conclude the drafting of a new constitution by the late May 2011 deadline and to determine the future of the former Maoist combatants.

Location:
Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates:
28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 147,181 sq km
country comparison to the world: 94
land: 143,351 sq km
water: 3,830 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Terrain:
Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural resources:
quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 83.08% (2005)

11,680 sq km (2008)

Population:
29,391,883 (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
Age structure:
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.2% (male 4,610,861/female 4,264,580)
15-24 years: 21.73% (male 3,220,431/female 3,164,292)
25-54 years: 36.58% (male 4,847,427/female 5,900,442)
55-64 years: 6.32% (male 897,999/female 959,405)
65 years and over: 5.17% (male 753,771/female 765,089) (2017 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.6 years
male: 20.7 years
female: 22.5 years (2011 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.596% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
Birth rate:
14.401 births/1,000 population (2018)
country comparison to the world: 78
Death rate:
2.937 deaths/1,000 population (2017)
country comparison to the world: 144
Net migration rate:
28.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015)
country comparison to the world: 61

Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal
local long form: Sanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal
local short form: Nepal
Government type:
federal democratic republic
Capital:
name: Kathmandu
geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E
time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Independence:
1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 29 May; Democracy Day, 24 April
Constitution:
15 January 2007 (interim Constitution); note - in April 2008, a Constituent Assembly was elected to draft and promulgate a new constitution by May 2010, but the deadline has been extended

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world, with almost one-quarter 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 about one-third of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural products, including pulses, jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower, with an estimated 42,000 MW of feasible capacity, but political instability hampers foreign investment. Additional challenges to Nepal's growth include its landlocked geographic location, civil strife and labor unrest, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$35.81 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
$34.25 billion (2009 est.)
$32.66 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$15.84 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
4.9% (2009 est.)
6.1% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,200 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
$1,200 (2009 est.)
$1,200 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 33%
industry: 15%
services: 52% (FY09 est.)

Telephones - main lines in use:
858,237 (2016)
country comparison to the world: 86
Telephones - mobile cellular:
7.618 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 77
Telephone system:
general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile-cellular telephone network
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone service subscribership base only about 30 per 100 persons
international: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)
Broadcast media:
state operates 2 television stations as well as national and regional radio stations; more than 60 independent radio stations and a small number of independent television stations (2007)
Internet country code:
.np
Internet hosts:
43,928 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 91
Internet users:
577,800 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 116

Airports:
47 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 93
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 1 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 31 (2010)
Railways:
total: 59 km
country comparison to the world: 130
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2010)
Roadways:
total: 17,282 km
country comparison to the world: 118
paved: 10,142 km
unpaved: 7,140 km (2007)