Nepal
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Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country located along the Himalayas and bordered to the north by China and to the south, east, and west by India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 square miles) and a population of approximately 29.21 million, Nepal is the world's 93rd country by size and the 41st most populous country. Nepal is separated from Bangladesh by the narrow Indian Siliguri Corridor and from Bhutan by the Indian state Sikkim.

Kathmandu is the nation's capital city and largest city. The mountainous north of Nepal which acts as natural border to China has eight of the world's tallest mountains, including the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest (Nepali: The Sagarmāthā). The plains of the Terai region are fertile and humid. And the mid-geographical hilly region between mountainous north and plains of Terai comprises 68% of the total land area of the country. The extreme variations in topography within a short distance from the worlds’ highest peaks in the North to flat lands in the South, presents great logistics infrastructure challenges.

On September 20, 2015 a new constitution established Nepal as a three-tiered federal democratic country (previously, one centralized authority) with seven provinces:

  1. Central or Federal Government based in Kathmandu, the capital.
  2. Seven Provincial Governments with 77 districts.
  3. 753 Local Governments which include six Metropolitan Cities (Mahanagarpalika), 11 Sub Metropolitan Cities (Upa-Mahanagarpalika), 276 Municipalities (Nagarpalika) and 460 Rural Municipalities (Gaunpalika).

In terms of administrative divisions, each province is composed of 8 to 14 districts. The local level is composed of wards. There are 6,743 wards in total.

The table below shows the population based on the census 2011, however, the total population as per the recent data (https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/nepal-population/) is 29.21 million.

Province

Capital

No of Districts

Area (km2)

Population (2011)

Density (people/km2)

Province 1

Biratnagar

14

25,905 km2

4,534,943

175

Province 2

Janakpur

8

9,661 km2

5,404,145

559

Bagmati Province

Hetauda

13

20,300 km2

5,529,452

272

Gandaki Province

Pokhara

11

21,504 km2

2,413,907

112

Lumbini Province

 Deukhuri

12

22,288 km2

4,891,025

219

Karnali Province

Birendranagar

10

27,984 km2

1,168,515

41

Sudurpaschim Province

Godavari

9

19,539 km2

2,552,517

130

Nepal

Kathmandu

77

147,181 km2

26,494,504

180

For more information on Nepal's provinces, districts and local level, please see the following links:

Provinces  of Nepal

List of Districts in Nepal

Nepal is a developing country with a lower-middle-income economy, Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP) for 2019 was estimated at $30 million. With an annual growth rate calculated at 6.9% in 2018, Nepal is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. However, the country ranks 166th in the world in nominal GDP per capita and 161st in GDP per capita at PPP. Nepal has been a member of WTO since 23 April 2004. Despite these challenges, Nepal has been making steady progress, with the government making a commitment to graduate the nation from least developed country status by 2022. 

Generic country information can be located from sources which are regularly maintained and reflect current facts and figures. For a generic country overview, please consult the following sources:

Nepal Wikipedia Country Information

Nepal IMF Country Information

Nepal Economist Intelligence Unit Information*

(*note - this is a paid service)

Humanitarian Info

Nepal World Food Programme Information

Nepal UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Information

Facts and Figures

Nepal Wolfram Alpha Information

Nepal World Bank Information

Nepal World Population Information

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