Member Countries - Nepal

• Nepal Key Indicators

The documented history of Nepal begins with the Changu Narayan temple inscription of King Manadeva I (464 A.D.) followed by Malla rulers among other important ones. Before Nepal’s emergence as a unified nation in the latter half of the eighteenth century, the designation of Nepal was applied only to the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal had been segmented into more than 52 small principalities. Prithvi Narayan Shah, the Great King of Gorkha was the maker of modern Nepal who united the country by 1769 by conquering Kathmandu Valley and making it the Capital.

Nepal has a population of about 23.9 million made up of over 61 ethnic groups living in different regions speaking 70 languages and dialects. Nepali is the national language. Hinduism is the official religion of Nepal and Hindus constitute over 85% of the population. Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in Nepal about 563 B.C. and Buddhists account for 7.8% of the population. A small minority of Nepalese adheres to Islam and Christianity.

The President of Nepal is the Head of State and the Prime Minister serves as Head of Government. Currently Nepal has intrerim constitution.

The mainstay of the Nepalese economy is agriculture, which accounts for 41% of the GDP with more than 80% of the people dependent on it. The main crops grown are paddy, maize and wheat. Manufacturing, trade and tourism follow farming as the main economic activities of the country. Hand knitted woolen carpets and readymade garments are flourishing industries in the country whose total share in the exports figures is almost 32 percent. Petroleum products, chemicals and drugs, food and live animals, vehicles, machinery and equipment are the major imports of Nepal.