1 Nepal Country Profile
Generic Information Humanitarian Info Facts and Figures
Generic Information
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 Sagarmth). 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 Density (people/km2 ) (2011) )
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
Page 1 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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