_#_Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydroelectric potential, scenic beauty; small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
_#_Land use: arable land 17%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 13%; forest and woodland 33%; other 37%; includes irrigated 2%
_#_Environment: contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
_#_Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India
_*People #_Population: 19,611,900 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 39 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 98 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 50 years female (1991)