Nepal @ Glance

Nepal, the Himalayan kingdom of Asia has its border with China on the North and India on Southeast and West. It is located between

latitude 26 22' North to 30 27' North and Longitude 80 4' East to 88 12' East. Being landlocked country, the sea access is about 1150Km from the border.

Ecologically the country is divided into three regions running East to West i.e. the Mountains, the Hills & the Terai.The Mountain area

lies at an altitude ranging from 4877 meters to 8848 meters above the sea level. It constitutes the 15% total area of Nepal. Most of the high snow-capped mountains including the world's highest peak Mt.Everest (Mt.Sagarmatha) are located in this region. The Hills, the middle region that covers the 64% of total area lies between the altitude ranging between 610 meters and 4877 meters. above the sea level. This region has numerous attractive valleys, basins, lakes and hills. The Terai region that is low flat land is situated along the southern side of the country. Most of the fertile lands and dense forest area of the country are located in this region. This region covers 17.1 area of the country.


Climate:

The climate of the country varies with its topography.the climate ranges from tropical to artic varying with the altitude.The Himalayan Mountain region with an altitude above 3353 maters has alpine climate with considerably low temperature in winter. The mid-land regions are pleasant all the year. The Terai region has not humid climate. Nepal has four seasons:

Spring- March, April, May

Summer-June, July, and Aug

Autumn-September, October, November

Winter-December, January, February



Population(2001 Census Preliminary):
 

Administrative Division:

The country is administratively divided into 5 Development Regions, 14 Zones and 75 Districts.

Literacy rate (2001 census):

Total:53.74% , Male :65.08% , Female : 42.49%


Language:

Nepali (Official language)

English (Widely spoken)


Religion:

Hinduism:90% Buddhism:6 % Others: 4%


Time:

GMT+5hrs 45 min.


Foreign Exchange:

In US $ 1: Rs 76.84 as per June 6 ,2003



GDP Growth:

At the constant prices of the fiscal year 1984/85 , GDP (at factory cost) is estimated to increase by 0.8% the fiscal year 2001/2002.

The preliminary estimate is that GDP at the current prices (at factory cost) is estimated to grow by 4.3% during the fiscal year 2001/2002.


Per capita GNP:

Rs. 18,369 (Revised F.Y. 2000/2001)


Weight & Measure:

Metric system.


Public Holidays :

New year (Nepal Calender) , Buddha Jayanti , Krishna Janmasthami, Indra Jatra, Dashain Festival (Over a week),

Tihar festival, Constitutional Day, King's Birthday, National Unity Day, Martyrs' Day, Maha Shivaratri, National - Democracy Day , Holi Festival etc.



Working Hour (Official) :

Monday - Friday :9.00 a.m. to 17.00 p.m (for 3 months in winter , 9.00 a.m. to 16.00 p.m.)

Saturday- Sunday: Official holidays


Ports:

No ports in the country.


Nearest Port :

Kolkata (India)

Chittagoan , Mangola (Bangladesh)


Road:

Road Network is of about 15,702 k.m.(F.Y.2000/2001)


Air:

Nepal has one Tribhuvan International Airport and 44 airfields. International servicing airlines are Royal Nepal Airlines,

Aeroflot, Bangladesh Biman, China South East Airlines, Druk Airlines, Gulf Airways, Indian Airlines, Lufthansa,

Pakistan Airlines Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airlines etc. Various internal airlines are in operation for domestic flights.


Railways:

Janakpur - Jayanagar Railway service operation of about 52 k.m.