Medicine & Physiotherapy - NEPAL Country Facts

Nepal

Population: 26.3 million (UN, 2005) Capital: Kathmandu Area: 147,181 sq km (56,827 sq miles) Major language: Nepali Major religions: Hinduism (official), Buddhism Life expectancy: 61 years (men), 62 years (women) Monetary unit: 1 Nepalese rupee = 100 paisa Main exports: Carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain GNI per capita: US $270 (World Bank, 2006) International dialling code: +977

Geography

Situated in Southern Asia between China and India, Nepal has a terrain which ranges from the flat river plain of the Ganges in the south to the Himalayas in the north which boast eight of the world's ten highest mountains, the highest being Mount Everest at 8850m. The climate varies from cool summers and severe winters in the north to subtropical summers and mild winters in the south. Nepal experiences natural hazards such as severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, monsoons and famine.

People

Nepal's population is made up of ten distinct ethnic groups, and while Nepali is the official language, there also exist twenty other languages which divide up into multiple different dialects. The major religions are Hindu (90%), Buddhist (5%), and Muslim (3%), and Nepal is the only official Hindu state in the world. The distinction between many Hindu and Buddhist groups is vague since they often share common temples and worship the same deities. Nepali culture has been influenced by Tibet which borders Nepal to the north, and India which borders Nepal to the south. Similarities can be seen in clothing, language and food. An important aspect of Nepali society is folklore, which has a marked presence in daily life. Music and dance are important both within and separate from folklore. Football is the most popular sport, followed by cricket and kabaddi.

Brief History

Nepal's ancient history began with the Kirati people, Hindu/Tantric sheep farmers from the east who arrived in the 7th century BC. This period also saw the introduction of Buddhism to Nepal, which lasted until 200AD when the Licchavis invaded from northern India. They overthrew the last Kirati king and re-imposed Hinduism and the caste system. The presence of the Licchavis began a golden age of Nepali art and architecture. This short-lived era was succeeded by the unsuccessful Thakuri dynasty, followed by the wealthy Malla dynasty and finally the Gurkas who conquered the Kathmandu Valley in 1768 after 27 years of fighting. In 1792 Nepal fought a war with the Chinese in Tibet which halted expansion, and the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814-16 ended in a treaty which established Nepal's current boundaries. In 1846, Nepal fell under the control of hereditary chief ministers called Ranas, who dominated the monarchy and cut the country off from the outside world until after WWII during which time the country receded into myth and legend. Rana rule ended in 1951 and the sovereignty of the crown was restored. In 1955 Nepal joined the UN. In 1959, Nepal experienced a brief attempt at multi-party politics which was quashed by King Mahendra who took sole charge of the country until his death in 1972. Democracy wasn't fully implemented until 1991 with the first elections seeing the victory of the Nepali Congress Party with Girija Prasad Koirala as prime minister. The years since 1991 have seen a string of governments, the massacre of the royal family, strikes, protests and the launch of a Maoist rebellion in 1996; since 1996 Nepal has been in a state of virtual civil war.

Politics

Since the beginning of its known history Nepal has been ruled by an absolute monarchy. Democracy was only introduced very recently in 1991 due to popular demand. Nepal is now under a system of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy with the king as the head of state and the prime minister as the head of the government. The implementation of democracy started a period of political instability and by 2001 the country had already been ruled by eleven different governments all of which had either suffered internal collapse or parliamentary dissolution by the monarch. In 1996 the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) staged an armed rebellion in rural areas, aimed at abolishing the monarchy and establishing a people's republic. Still undefeated, Maoist rebels have already caused the deaths of over 12,000 people and the displacement of over 100,000 people. The current head of state is King Gyanendra Bur Bikram Shah Dev, who assumed the throne in 2001 following the murder of the king and queen and seven other royals by the inebriated Crown Prince Dipendra. In 2005 Gyanendra sacked the government, claiming that they had failed to stem Maoist violence and to organize elections. After a year of absolute rule, the king recalled parliament and appointed the veteran political GP Koirala, leader of the Nepali Congress, Nepal's largest and oldest political party. The government has been conducting peace talks with Maoist rebels, and has agreed to bring them into a created interim government.

Economy

Nepal is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. Over 30% of the population lives below the poverty line and over 40% are unemployed. Agriculture is essential to Nepal's economy and provides a livelihood for three-quarters of the population as well as accounting for 38% of GDP. Agricultural produce includes rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane and root crops. Nepal also has industries in carpet and textiles. Nepal's main trading partner is India; India receives 54.4% of Nepal's exports, and 48.4% of Nepal's imports come from India. Another key source of foreign exchange is tourism but this potential has not yet been fully realized and has also suffered setbacks due to security concerns relating to Maoist conflict. Nepal's economy remains small and heavily dependent on foreign aid. Prospects for future economic expansion are poor due to its remote and landlocked location, its susceptibility to natural disasters, and its civil strife.