Introduction
The ensuing 10-year civil war between Maoist and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king in 2002. 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 late 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. Following a nationwide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent Assembly (CA) declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The CA elected the country’s first president in July.
Between 2008 and 2011 there were four different coalition governments, led twice by the United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, which received a plurality of votes in the 2008 CA election, and twice by the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist (UML). After the CA failed to draft a constitution by the May 2012 deadline set by the Supreme Court, then Prime Minister Baburam BHATTARAI dissolved the CA. Months of negotiations ensued until March 2013 when the major political parties agreed to create an interim government headed by then Chief Justice Khil Raj REGMI with a mandate to hold elections for a new CA. Elections were held in November 2013, in which and the Nepali Congress won the largest share of the seats in the CA and in February 2014 formed a coalition government with the second place UML and with Nepali Congress President Sushil KOIRALA as prime minister
Geography
Area:
total: 147,181 sq km
country comparison to the world: 94
land: 143,351 sq km
water: 3,830 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Economy
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$42.06 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104
$40.57 billion (2012 est.)
$38.7 billion (2011 est.)
note: data are in 2013 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$19.34 billion (2013 est.)
GDP – real growth rate:
3.6% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
4.9% (2012 est.)
3.4% (2011 est.)
GDP – per capita (PPP):
$1,500 (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
$1,500 (2012 est.)
$1,400 (2011 est.)
note: data are in 2013 US dollars
Exports:
$1.06 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
$1.004 billion (2012 est.)
Exports – commodities:
clothing, pulses, carpets, textiles, juice, pashima, jute goods
Exports – partners:
India 93.9%, Bangladesh 4%, Italy 0.4% (2013 est.)
Imports:
$6.329 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119
$5.951 billion (2012 est.)
Imports – commodities:
petroleum products, machinery and equipment, gold, electrical goods, medicine
Imports – partners:
India 79.4%, South Korea 3.1%, China 2.5% (2013 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$6.574 billion (15 January 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
$5.833 billion (15 July 2013 est.)
Debt – external:
$3.956 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
$3.673 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment – at home:
$103 million
country comparison to the world: 107
Energy
3.431 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
Electricity – consumption:
2.745 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
Electricity – exports:
30 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
Electricity – imports:
694 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72
Electricity – installed generating capacity:
721,000 kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
Electricity – from fossil fuels:
7.9% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
Electricity – from nuclear fuels:
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Electricity – from hydroelectric plants:
92.1% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
Refined petroleum products – consumption:
18,430 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
Refined petroleum products – exports:
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
Refined petroleum products – imports:
21,960 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
3.173 million Mt (2011 est.)