$NA
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,000 (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 140
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force - by occupation:
note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation (1992)
Unemployment rate:
90% (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 200
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $13.5 million
expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Agriculture - products:
coconuts
Industries:
phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
31 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 202
Electricity - consumption:
28.83 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 202
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 153
Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 194
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 147
Oil - imports:
1,026 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 190
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 148
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 144
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 144
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 141
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 106
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 151
Exports:
$64,000 (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 221
Exports - commodities:
phosphates
Imports:
$20 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 215
Imports - commodities:
food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
Debt - external:
$33.3 million country comparison to the world: 195
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
Communications ::Nauru
Telephones - main lines in use:
1,800 (2008) country comparison to the world: 225
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,500 (2002) country comparison to the world: 217
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities
domestic: NA
international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (1997)
Internet country code:
.nr
Internet hosts:
47 (2009) country comparison to the world: 209
Transportation ::Nauru
Airports:
1 (2009) country comparison to the world: 228
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 24 km country comparison to the world: 217 paved: 24 km (2002)
Ports and terminals:
Nauru
Military ::Nauru
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 3,470 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,592
females age 16-49: 2,966 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 179
female: 174 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Military - note:
Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia
Transnational Issues ::Nauru
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@Navassa Island (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Navassa Island
Background:
This uninhabited island was claimed by the US in 1857 for its guano. Mining took place between 1865 and 1898. The lighthouse, built in 1917, was shut down in 1996 and administration of Navassa Island transferred from the Coast Guard to the Department of the Interior. A 1998 scientific expedition to the island described it as a unique preserve of Caribbean biodiversity; the following year it became a National Wildlife Refuge and annual scientific expeditions have continued.
Geography ::Navassa Island
Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles west of Tiburon
Peninsula of Haiti
Geographic coordinates:
18 25 N, 75 02 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 5.4 sq km country comparison to the world: 244 land: 5.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
8 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
marine, tropical
Terrain:
raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m
Natural resources:
guano
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Natural hazards:
hurricanes
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock with numerous solution holes but with enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig trees, scattered cactus
People ::Navassa Island
Population:
uninhabited
note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
Government ::Navassa Island
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Navassa Island
Dependency status:
unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996 the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island
Legal system:
the laws of the US, where applicable, apply
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of the US)
Flag description:
the flag of the US is used
Economy ::Navassa Island
Economy - overview:
Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling occur within refuge waters.
Transportation ::Navassa Island
Ports and terminals:
none; offshore anchorage only
Military ::Navassa Island
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues ::Navassa Island
Disputes - international:
claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing
page last updated on July 2, 2009
======================================================================
@Nepal (South Asia)
Introduction ::Nepal
Background:
In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing ten-year civil war between insurgents and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king. 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 November 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. Following a nation-wide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The Constituent Assembly elected the country's first president in July. The Maoists, who received a plurality of votes in the Constituent Assembly election, formed a coalition government in August 2008.
Geography ::Nepal
Location:
Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates:
28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 147,181 sq km country comparison to the world: 93 land: 143,351 sq km
water: 3,830 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Terrain:
Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural resources:
quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 83.08% (2005)
Irrigated land:
11,700 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
210.2 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 10.18 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)
per capita: 375 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
severe thunderstorms; flooding; landslides; drought and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
Environment - current issues:
deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the borders with China and India respectively
People ::Nepal
Population:
28,563,377 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 42
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36.6% (male 5,327,484/female 5,127,178)
15-64 years: 59.2% (male 8,094,494/female 8,812,675)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 566,666/female 634,880) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.8 years
male: 19.8 years
female: 21.7 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.281% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 106
Birth rate:
23.18 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 78
Death rate:
6.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 132
Net migration rate:
-3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 153
Urbanization:
urban population: 17% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 47.46 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 54 male: 47.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 47.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.46 years country comparison to the world: 165 male: 64.3 years
female: 66.67 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.64 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 88
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
70,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 56
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 45
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: Japanese encephalitis, malaria, and dengue fever (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Nepalese
Ethnic groups:
Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census)
Religions:
Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census)
note: only official Hindu state in the world
Languages:
Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu (Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi 2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census)
note: many in government and business also speak English (2001 est.)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48.6%
male: 62.7%
female: 34.9% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male: 10 years
female: 8 years (2003)
Education expenditures:
3.4% of GDP (2003) country comparison to the world: 133
Government ::Nepal
Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal
local long form: Sanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal
local short form: Nepal
Government type:
federal democratic republic
Capital:
name: Kathmandu
geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E
time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Independence:
1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 29 May; Democracy Day, 24 April
Constitution:
15 January 2007 (interim Constitution); note - in April 2008, a Constituent Assembly was elected to draft and promulgate a new constitution by May 2010
Legal system:
based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ram Baran YADAV (as of 23 July 2008); Vice President Paramananda JHA (as of 23 July 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar NEPAL (as of 25 May 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar GACHHEDAR
cabinet: cabinet formed in August 2008 by a majority coalition made up of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist, Madhesi People's Rights Forum, and several smaller parties
elections: president elected by Parliament; term extends until the new constitution is promulgated; election last held 21 July 2008; date of next election NA
election results: Ram Baran YADAV elected president by the Constituent Assembly in a second round of voting on 21 July 2008; Ram Baran YADAV 308, Ram Jaja Prasad SINGH 282
Legislative branch:
unicameral Constituent Assembly (601 seats; 240 seats decided by direct popular vote; 335 seats by proportional representation; 26 appointed by the Cabinet (Council of Ministers))
elections: last held 10 April 2008 (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote by party - CPN-M 38%, NC 19%, CPN-UML 19%,Madhesi People's Right Forum 9%, Terai-Madhes Democratic Party and Sadbhavana Party 5%, other 10%; seats by party - CPN-M 220, NC 110, CPN-UML 103, Madhesi People's Rights Forum 52, Terai-Madhes Democratic Party 20, Sadbhawana Party 9, other smaller parties 61; note - 26 seats filled by the new Cabinet
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (the president appoints the chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the chief justice appoints other judges on the recommendation of the Judicial Council)
Political parties and leaders:
Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekata Party [Keshav Prasad MAINALI]; Communist
Party of Nepal (ML) [C.P. MAINALI]; Communist Party of Nepal
(Unified) [Raj Singh SHRIS]; Communist Party of Nepal (United)
[Ganesh SHAH]; Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or
CPN/UML [Jhalanath KHANAL]; Dalit Janajati Party [Vishwendraman
PASHWAN]; Madhesi People's Rights Forum [Upendra YADAV]; National
Democratic Party or NDP [Pashupati Shumsher RANA] (also called
Rastriya Prajatantra Party or RPP); Nepal Loktantrik Samajbadi Dal
[Upendra GACHCHHADAR]; Nepal Pariwar Dal [Vinod DANGI]; Nepal
Rastriya Party [Khushilal YADAV]; Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi
Devi) [Shyam Sundar GUPTA]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP
[Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad
KOIRALA]; Nepali Janata Dal [Bharat Prasad MAHATO]; Rastriya
Janamorcha [Chitra BAHADUR K.C.]; Rastriya Janamukti Party [Malwar
Singh THAPA]; Rastriya Janashakti Party or RJP [Surya Bahadur
THAPA]; Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal [Kamal THAPA]; Sadbhavana
Party (Mahato) [Rajendra MAHATO]; Samajbadi Prajatantrik Janata
Party Nepal [Prem Bahadur SINGH]; Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch
[Kamal CHHARAHANG]; Terai-Madhes Democratic Party [Mahantha THAKUR];
United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also
known as PRACHANDA, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: several small armed Madhesi groups along the southern border with India; a variety of groups advocating regional autonomy for individual ethnic groups
International organization participation:
ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent),
ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC,
SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS,
UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kali POKHREL
chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy J. POWELL
embassy: Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [977] (1) 400-7200
FAX: [977] (1) 400-7272
Flag description:
red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun
Economy ::Nepal
Economy - overview:
Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with almost one-third of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for three-fourths of the population and accounting for about one-third of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural products, including pulses, jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Bumper crops, better security, improved transportation, and increased tourism pushed growth past 5% in 2008, after growth had hovered around 3% - barely above the rate of population growth - for the previous three years. The deteriorating world economy in 2009 will challenge tourism and remittance growth, a key source of foreign exchange. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness and landlocked geographic location, its civil strife and labor unrest, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$31.39 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104 $29.81 billion (2007 est.)
$28.86 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$12.28 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 81 3.3% (2007 est.)
3.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,100 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 210 $1,100 (2007 est.)
$1,100 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 32.5%
industry: 16.6%
services: 50.9% (FY07 est.)
Labor force:
14.6 million country comparison to the world: 39 note: severe lack of skilled labor (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 76%
industry: 6%
services: 18% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
46% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 191 42% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
30.9% (2004)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 40.6% (2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
47.2 (2008) country comparison to the world: 35 36.7 (1996)
Budget:
revenues: $1.7 billion
expenditures: $2.3 billion (FY08)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 122 6.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
6.5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 72 6.25% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA% (31 December 2008)
Stock of money:
$2.106 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 69 $2.184 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$4.885 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 70 $4.745 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$5.556 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 80 $5.636 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$5.5 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 88 $4.909 billion (31 December 2007)
$1.805 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
pulses, rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, jute, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat
Industries:
tourism, carpets, textiles; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production
Industrial production growth rate:
1.8% (FY08) country comparison to the world: 110
Electricity - production:
2.781 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 129
Electricity - consumption:
2.243 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 132
Electricity - exports:
140 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
213 million kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 154
Oil - consumption:
18,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 128
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 148
Oil - imports:
16,920 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 120
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 149
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 145
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 142
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 107
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Current account balance:
$241 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 53 $58 million (2007)
Exports:
$868 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 153 $830 million (2006)
Exports - commodities:
clothing, carpets, leather goods, jute goods, pulses, grain
Exports - partners:
India 59.2%, US 8.7%, Bangladesh 8.3%, Germany 4.3% (2008)
Imports:
$3.229 billion (2008) country comparison to the world: 135 $2.398 billion (2006)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, machinery and equipment, electrical goods
Imports - partners:
India 55.4%, China 13.3%, Singapore 2% (2008)
Debt - external:
$3.285 billion (2008) country comparison to the world: 118 $3.07 billion (March 2006)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: