Nepal Current time:
Area: Approximately 147,000 sq km, stretching 800km from east to west and from 90 to 230km north to south.
Population: An estimated 30.03 million (2021 est.). The annual rate of growth of 2.3%.
Capital city: Kathmandu. The population of about 1.442 million in the city itself. Believed to be approximately 1.5m in the fertile Kathmandu valley.
Peoples: Indigenous peoples include Gurung, Limbu, Newar, Rai, Sherpa, Tamang, and Tharu with diverse smaller groups. The major caste groups are the Brahmans and Chhetris. Large numbers of Indians and some Tibetans make their home in the country.
Language(s): Nepali 58% (of official language), Newari 3%, mainly in Kathmandu. Tibeto-Burman languages (20%) are mainly in the hill areas, and Indian languages (20%) mainly in the Terai areas bordering India. Nepal has over 30 Languages and dozens of dialects.
Religion(s): Officially 90% Hindu, 8% Buddhist, and 2% Muslim – but these figures are thought misleading. Hinduism and Buddhism overlap considerably in Nepal. Other estimates also suggest that there are some 400,000 Christians in the country.
Currency: Nepalese Rupee (NPR) which is pegged to the Indian Rupee. (1 INR = 1.6 NPR)
There are seven major political parties in the federal parliament: Nepali Congress (NC), CPN (UML), CPN (Maoist-centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), People’s Socialist Party, Nepal, Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, Nepal, and People’s Progressive Party.
Government: Constitutionally, Nepal is a parliamentary democracy with a largely ceremonial President as Head of State and a Prime Minister as Head of Government. Elections are held for a 601-seat Constituent Assembly cum legislature. General elections are held every five years.
Membership of international groupings/organizations: United Nations, South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), Council of Democracies, and others.