Best Bitcoin Card for Nepal
With an area of 147 181 km², Nepal is about twice as large as the German state of Bavaria. The country in South Asia lies as a narrow strip in the southern Himalayas between China in the north and India in the south. Approximately two thirds of the national surface lie above 1 000 m (about 28% over 3 000 m).
From south to north, Nepal has a share in four major geographical regions: The Terai is part of the fertile Gangestie lowlands, most of which belong to India. To the north, the country rises to the Siwalik chain (also known as Churia chain), a promontory up to 100 km wide, which forms the southernmost part of the Himalayas and reaches altitudes of up to 1,800 m. The country’s highest point is the Himalayas. Between the mountain ranges there are basin landscapes such as the Kathmandu Valley, which is about 100 km long and at an altitude of about 1,350 m. The Kathmandu Valley, for example, is a small mountain range with a large basin. To the north the Vorderhimalaja joins, here the mountain country rises up to 4 000 m. This is followed by Nepal’s share of the High Himalayas, where eight of the world’s ten eight-thousand-metre peaks lie, including Mount Everest (Tibetan: Chomolungma), the highest mountain in the world at 8,848 m, on the border between Nepal and Tibet.
The other over 8 000 meter high mountains are: Lhotse (8 516 m), Makalu (8 481 m), Dhaulagiri (8 167 m), Manaslu (8 156 m), Cho Oyu (8 153 m) and Annapurna (8 091 m).
All rivers in the Himalayas flow into the Ganges, the longest being the Kosi (720 km in total and 350 km in Nepal). The capital of the country, Kathmandu (812 000 inhabitants in the region), lies in the high valley of the same name.
Political system
Since 2008 Nepal has been a Democratic Federal Republic. Its transitional constitution of 2007 establishes a multi-party parliamentary democracy.
Since July 2008 Ram Baran Yadav has been President of the Republic (with mainly representative functions). The prime minister (since February 2014 Sushil Koirala) is also commander-in-chief of the army. The executive power lies with the Council of Ministers.
The Constituent Assembly also functions as a parliament. Its mandate is five years. 575 seats were allocated on the basis of majority and proportional representation. There are also 26 members appointed by the President.
Nepal is divided into five development regions, 14 administrative zones and 75 districts.
Economy
With a per capita income of almost 700 US dollars, Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. The ten-year civil war, the high unemployment rate, the lack of trained workers and the unfavourable geographical situation are among the reasons for this.
More than half of the population is employed in agriculture, which accounts for 36% of the gross domestic product. The most productive cultivation areas are located in the Terai, in the mountain landscapes up to altitudes of about 4 000 m agriculture is practiced. Rice (also for export), buckwheat, millet, potatoes, barley, maize, wheat and jute are cultivated. In the mountain regions sheep, goats and house yaks are kept, in the Terai mainly water buffalos and poultry.
The industry is only moderately developed and is largely limited to the processing of agricultural products. Textiles, jute products and carpets are produced for export. In the inaccessible regions of the Himalayas, mineral resources are suspected, but have not yet been used. Mica, limestone, lignite and hard coal are already being mined. The many small hydroelectric power stations, which cover the majority of the energy demand, serve the energy supply. Larger dam projects (such as the Pancheswar dam) are controversial due to the earthquake risk in the region. Nepal’s most important trading partners are above all India Import (mainly machines, vehicles, chemical products, food are imported) and India as well as China for export.
Tourism in the Kathmandu Valley, the tropical rainforest of the Terai and the Himalayas is an important source of foreign exchange income.
Almost two thirds of the 17,000 km of roads are paved and open all year round. The capital Kathmandu has an international airport. In the mountain regions, mules and carriers play an important role. The currency is the Nepalese rupee.