Wayzata World Factbook 1995/World Factbook - 1995 Edition - Wayzata Technology (1995).iso/mac/text/Build/orig BACKGR/BNOT0077.TXT

Text File | 1994-11-21 | 31KB | 552 lines

National Trade Data Bank
ITEM ID     : ST BNOTES NEPAL
DATE        : Oct 28, 1994

AGENCY      : U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
PROGRAM     : BACKGROUND NOTES
TITLE       : Background Notes - NEPAL

Source key      : ST
Program key     : ST BNOTES
Update sched.   : Occasionally
Data type       : TEXT
End year        : 1992
Date of record  : 19941018
Keywords 3      :
Keywords 3      : | NEPAL

NEPAL BACKGROUND NOTES (AUGUST 1990)
PUBLISHED BY THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
US DEPARTMENT OF STATE

August 1990

PROFILE
Geography
Area: 147,181 sq. km. (56,136 sq. mi.); slightly larger than Arkansas.  Cities:
Capital--Kathmandu (pop. 422,237).  Other cities--Patan, Bhaktapur,
Pokhara, Biratnagar, Birganj.  Terrain: Three distinct topographical regions:
flat and fertile in the south; the lower Himalayas and swiftly flowing mountain
rivers forming the hill country in the center; and the high Himalayas forming
the border with Tibet in the north.  Climate: Ranges from subtropical in the
south to cool summers and severe winters in the northern mountains.

People
Nationality: Noun--Nepalese (sing. and pl.).  Adjective--Nepalese or Nepali.
Population (1989 est.): 18 million.  Annual growth rate: 2.6%. Ethnic groups:
Brahmans, Chetris, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Newars, Bhotias, Rais,
Limbus, Sherpas.  Religions: Hinduism (89.5%), Buddhism (5.3%), Islam
(2.6%) and others (2.6%).  Languages: Nepali and more than 12 others.
Education: Years compulsory--3.  Attendance--primary 77.4%, secondary
22.6%.  Literacy--(1987) 33%.  Health (1987): Infant mortality
rate--107/1,000.  Life expectancy--54.4 yrs. (male), 51.6 yrs. (female).  Work
force: Agriculture--91.1%.  Industry--2%.  Services--5%.  Other--1.9%.

Government
Type: Monarchy.  Constitution: December 16, 1962; first amendment--Jan.
27, 1967; second amendment--Dec. 12, 1975; third amendment--Dec. 15,
1980.

Branches: Executive--king (chief of state), prime minister (head of
government).  Legislative--Rastriya Panchayat (National Parliament).
Judicial--Supreme Court.

Subdivisions: 14 zones and 75 districts.

Political parties: In transition.  Suffrage: Universal over 21; September 1990
constitution expected to lower age to 18.

Central government budget (FY 1989-90): $733.4 million.

Defense (FY 1989-90): $40.4 million or 5.5% of government budget.

National Day: December 29, King Birendra's birthday.

Flag: Two blue-edged red triangles pointing away from staff, with symbols
of the sun and moon in white.

Economy
GDP (FY 1989-90) $2.7 billion.  Annual growth rate: 4.8% (at constant
1974-75 prices).  Per capita income: $150.  Avg. inflation rate (1985-89):
10.1%.

Natural resources: Water, timber, hydroelectric potential, scenic beauty,
limited but fertile agricultural land.

Agriculture (60% of GDP): Products--rice, wheat, jute, millet, maize,
sugarcane, oilseed, potatoes.  Land--16.5% cultivated (1981 est).

Industry (5.7% of GDP): Types--cigarettes, garments, soap, matches, bricks,
sugar, lumber, jute, hydroelectric power, cement.

Trade (FY 1987-88): Exports--$187.0 million: agricultural products, timber.
Major market--India.  Imports--$630.4 million: textiles, other manufactured
goods.  Major supplier--India.

Official exchange rate (Aug. 1989): 27.70 Nepalese rupees=US$1.

Fiscal year: Mid-July to mid-July.

Membership in International Organizations
UN and all but two of its specialized and related agencies, including the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Nonaligned
Movement, Colombo Plan, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).  South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

GEOGRAPHY
The Kingdom of Nepal is located in central Asia on the southern slopes of
the Himalayan Mountains.  This landlocked country of 965 kilometers (500
mi.) by 161 kilometers (100 mi.) is bordered by India and the Tibetan region
of China.

Nepal has three distinct topographical regions, each running laterally
through the country.  In the south, a flat, fertile strip of territory called the
Terai is part of the Ganges Basin plain.  Central Nepal, known as the "hill
country," is crisscrossed by the lower ranges of the Himalayas and by
swiftly flowing mountain rivers.  The high Himalayas form the border with
Tibet in the north.  Eight of the world's ten highest peaks are in this area.
The highest, Mt. Everest, is 8,847 meters (29,028 ft.) above sea level.
Kathmandu, the capital, is in a broad valley at 1,310 meters (4,300 ft.)
elevation in the middle hill region.

Nepal's climate ranges from subtropical in the south to cool summers and
severe winters in the northern mountains.  At Kathmandu, the average high
temperature is 30 0C (86 0F) in May, and the average low is 1.6 0C (33 0F)
in December.  The monsoon season is from June through September and
brings 75 to 150 centimeters (30-60 in.) of rain.  Showers occur almost
every day and can continue for several days.  From October through
March, sunny days and cool nights prevail.

PEOPLE
The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations from India, Tibet,
and central Asia.  Among the earliest inhabitants were the Newars of the
Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharus in the southern Terai region.  The
ancestors of the Brahman and Chetri caste groups came from India, while
other ethnic groups trace their origins to central Asia and Tibet, including
the Gurungs and Magars in the west, Rais and Limbus in the east, and
Sherpas and Bhotias in the north.

In the Terai, a part of the Ganges Basin plain, much of the population is
physically and culturally similar to the Indo-Aryan people of northern India.
People of Indo-Aryan and/or Mongoloid stock live in the hill region.  About
one-half of Nepal's population lives in the Terai--about 20% of the land
area--while the other half lives in the central or hilly region.  The
mountainous highlands are sparsely populated.  Kathmandu Valley, in the
central region, constitutes a small fraction of the nation's area but is the
most densely populated, with almost 5% of the population.

Religion is important in Nepal.  Kathmandu Valley has more than 2,700
religious shrines.  Temples, stupas, and pagodas vary in size and shape;
some are austere in their simplicity, while  others are ornate.  Officially,
Nepal is Hindu, with about 90% of the population nominally Hindu.
However, Hinduism has been influenced by and has influenced a large
Buddhist minority; the result is a synthesis of the two.  Because of this
relationship, Hindu temples and Buddhist shrines are mutually respected,
and Buddhist and Hindu festivals are occasions for common worship and
celebration.  In addition, Nepal has small Muslim and Christian minorities.
Certain animistic practices of old indigenous religions also exist.

Nepali is the official language, although a dozen different languages and
about 30 major dialects are spoken throughout the country.  Derived from
Sanskrit, Nepali is related to the Indian language, Hindi, and is spoken by
about 90% of the population.  Many Nepalese in government and business
also speak English.

HISTORY
Modern Nepal was created in the latter half of the 18th century when Prithvi
Narayan Shah, the ruler of the small principality of Gorkha, formed a unified
country from a number of independent hill states.  The country was
frequently called the Gorkha Kingdom, the source of the term "Gurkha" for
Nepalese soldiers.

After 1800, the heirs of Prithvi Narayan Shah proved unable to maintain firm
political control over Nepal.  A period of internal turmoil followed, heightened
by Nepal's defeat in a war with the British from 1814 to 1816.  Stability was
restored after 1846 when the Rana family gained power, entrenched itself
through hereditary prime ministers, and reduced the monarch to a
figurehead.  The Rana regime, a tightly centralized autocracy, pursued a
policy of isolating Nepal from external influences.  This policy helped Nepal
maintain its national independence during the colonial era, but it also
impeded the country's economic development.

In 1950, King Tribhuvan, a direct descendant of Prithvi Narayan Shah, fled
his "palace prison" to newly independent India, touching off an armed revolt
against the Rana administration.  This allowed the return of the Shah family
to power and, eventually, the appointment of a non-Rana as prime minister.
The 1950s was a period of quasiconstitutional rule during which the
monarch, assisted by the leaders of fledgling political parties, governed the
country.  At times, the government was led by prime ministers from these
parties who represented a variety of views; during other periods the
monarch ruled directly.  King Tribhuvan was succeeded after his death in
1955 by his son, King Mahendra.  During this decade, efforts were made to
frame a constitution for Nepal that would establish a representative form of
government, patterned on a modified British model.

In early 1959, such a constitution was issued by King Mahendra, and
shortly thereafter the first democratic elections were held for a national
assembly.  The Nepali Congress Party, a moderate socialist group, gained
a substantial victory in the election.  Its leader, B.P. Koirala, was called upon
to form a government and serve as prime minister.

Less than 18 months later, however, King Mahendra declared the
experiment in parliamentary democracy a failure, dismissed the Koirala
government, suspended the constitution, and again ruled directly from the
palace.  The king charged the Nepali Congress Party's government with
corruption, misuse of power, and inability to maintain law and order.  He
declared that Nepal needed a democratic political system closer to
Nepalese traditions.  To meet this need, the King promulgated a new
constitution on December 16, 1962, establishing a partyless system of
panchayats (councils).  This was a pyramidal structure progressing from
village assemblies to a National Parliament (Rastriya Panchayat), with
panchayats elected at the village, town, and district levels by their respective
assemblies.  With the panchayat system firmly established by 1967, King
Mahendra began working out an accommodation with former political party
members, and participation in the government by former political leaders
was encouraged.  The parties thereby gained a degree of legitimacy despite
their official nonexistence--a situation which still exists.

In January 1972, King Mahendra died of a heart attack and was succeeded
by his 27-year-old son, King Birendra.  In the spring of 1979, student
demonstrations and antiregime activities led to a call by King Birendra for
a national referendum to decide on the nature of Nepal's government--either
the continuation of the panchayat system or the establishment of a
multiparty system.  In a December 1979 speech, the king promised to
further democratize the constitution if the panchayat system was retained.
The referendum was held in May 1980, and the partyless panchayat system
won a narrow victory.  The king carried out the promised reforms, providing
for election to the Rastriya Panchayat by universal suffrage.  The Panchayat
also was granted greater power than it had previously, including selection
of the prime minister.

A second round of voting was held in the spring of 1981 to elect a new
Panchayat.  The election was boycotted by most of the major political
groups, which had expressed unhappiness with the king's political reforms
(political parties were still banned).  Nevertheless, the election attracted a
broad array of candidates and a good turnout at the polls.  Surya Bahadur
Thapa, prime minister from the time of the student uprisings in 1979 until
the election, was renominated by an overwhelming majority of Panchayat
members when they convened in June 1981.  Thapa's government was
removed following a "no confidence" motion in the Panchayat in 1983.  He
was replaced by Lokendra B. Chand, who continued as prime minister until
announcement of the 1986 Panchayat elections.

Negotiations to allow individuals to run who were identified as political party
supporters broke down at the last moment.  Major parties again sat out the
election, with the exception of certain leftist groups.  These groups
managed to elect about a dozen candidates under the panchayat
guidelines, which required running without party affiliation.  A majority of the
incumbents seeking reelection were defeated, including several veteran
panchayat system supporters.  Marich Man Singh Shrestha was named as
the first ethnic Newar prime minister.

April 1990 saw many democratic changes following an agitation movement
led by the Nepali Congress Party and the United Left Front (a coalition of
seven communist parties), which led to demonstrations and strikes primarily
in the major cities of Nepal during February and March.  The king
responded by dissolving the panchayat system, lifting the ban on all political
parties, and removing all references to the "partyless" structure from the
constitution.  At the same time, all political prisoners were released.  An
interim government sworn in on April 19th and headed by Prime Minister
Krishna Prasad Bhattarai was charged with running the country and guiding
democratic reforms until elections could be held.  The interim government
is made up of members of the Nepali Congress Party, the communist
parties of Nepal, royal appointees, and independents.  Members of the
national Panchayat have formed at least two political parties.  A Constitution
Reforms Commission was named by the king in late May to draft a new
constitution prior to holding elections, which are expected in early 1991.


GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Pending adoption of a new constitution resulting from a democratic reform
process which began in April 1990, there is a multi-party political coalition
leading a transitional interim government until democratic elections are held.
The former "partyless" panchayat system of government, formally
established in 1962, granted the king (chief of state) sole authority for all
institutions.  The government consisted of a Council of Ministers (cabinet),
functioning as the executive arm, and the panchayat structure.  The Rastriya
Panchayat, the National Parliament, with 112 members elected by universal
suffrage and 28 members appointed by the king, topped this structure
along with a Raj Sabha (Council of State).  Nepal is divided into 14 zones
and 75 districts.  Zonal commissioners and their assistants and chief district
officers--all appointees of the central government--administered these areas.
The post of zonal commissioner has now been abolished.  The former
system of local government consisted of town and village panchayats, with
every citizen 21 and older being a member of one of these assemblies.

At present, Prime Minister Bhattarai heads the interim coalition government.
He also maintains his position as acting president of the Nepali Congress
Party.  Upon taking office on April 19, 1990, he announced three goals for
the interim government: to establish a constitutional reform process, to
resolve the dispute with India, and to guide the country to free and fair
multi-party elections within 1 year.  The king and members of the former
government have given full and public support for the democratization
process and the goals outlined by the interim government.  Two of the
goals have already been attained.  In May 1990, a Constitutional Reforms
Commission was established to oversee the drafting of a new constitution
within 90 days.  On June 10, 1990, India and Nepal agreed to restore
economic relations to the way they were prior to April 1, 1987.  Once the
new constitution has been drafted, the Nepalese are expected to hold
elections  in March or April of 1991.

Political parties were forced to operate underground from 1960 until the
recent democratic reforms.  The Nepali Congress Party, while maintaining
a low-key public profile during this period, was the leading opposition
against the panchayat system.  The leadership of the Nepali Congress Party
is elderly and cautious, and the party has historic ties with the Indian
Congress Party.  The communist groups cover a wide range of leftist
political ideologies and, in the past, were unable to unite.

In January 1990, seven of the nine leftist groups joined into a loose coalition
called the United Left Front.  The leftist groups, which had also previously
been unwilling to unite with the Nepali Congress Party to form a
broad-based front against the former government, agreed in February to
support the Nepali Congress Party's "movement to restore democracy."
This unprecedented alliance eventually negotiated with King Birendra, who
agreed to the formation of an interim government.  Both groups agree,
however, that the institution of the monarchy should remian in some form
because it lends stability to the political system and provides an important
symbol of national identity for the culturally diverse Nepali people.

Nepal's judiciary has been legally independent of the executive and
legislative branches but generally was not assertive in challenging the
executive.  During the transition period beginning in April, the judiciary has
remained legally independent.  Under the 1962 constitution, appointments
to the Supreme Court and the regional courts are made by the king, while
appointments to the lower courts are made by the cabinet on the
recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission.  All lower court
decisions, including acquittals, are subject to appeal, and the Supreme
Court is the court of last appeal.  The king has held executive privilege to
grant pardons and set aside judgments.

There are hundreds of small, privately owned newspapers which are now
free to expound divergent viewpoints as a result of the elimination of all
press restrictions following the change of government in April.  The press
had been strictly constrained by laws forbidding criticism of the monarchy
and of the partyless system and by regulations requiring registration and
fixed publication schedules.


Interim Cabinet (formed April 19, 1990)
Chief of State
King--Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
Queen--Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah

Council of Ministers
Prime Minister, Royal Palace Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Defense--Krishna
Prasad Bhattarai (NCP)
Home and Communications--Yog Prasad Upadhyaya (NCP)
Finance--Dr. Davendra Raj Pandey (I)
Industry and Commerce--Mrs. Sahana Pradhan (ULF)
Agriculture, Land Reform and Management, and Forests and Soil
Conservation--Jhala Nath Khanal (ULF)
Law and Justice, Labor and Social Welfare, and Tourism--Nilambar Acharya
(ULF)
Health--Dr. Mathura Prasad Shrestha (I)
Education and Culture and General Administration--Dr. Keshar Jung
Rayamajhi (K)
Housing and Physical Planning--Achyut Raj Regmi (K)
Water Resources and Local Devlopment--Mahendra Narayan Nidhi (NCP)
Supplies and Works and Transport--Marshal Julum Shakya (NCP)

Key:
NCP-Nepali Congress Party

ULF-United Left Front

K-appointed by king

I-independent

Other Officials
Chief Justice--Dhanendra Bahadur Singh
Chairman, Standing Committee of Raj Sabha (Council of State)--Anirudra
Prasad Singh
Chief of Army Staff--Gen. Satchit Shum-shere J.B. Rana
Ambassador to the United States--Dr. Mohan Man Sainju
Ambassador to the United Nations--Jai Pratap Rana

Nepal maintains an embassy in the United States at 2131 Leroy Place, NW,
Washington, DC 20008 (tel. [phone]).  The Nepalese Mission to the
United Nations is at 300 E. 46th Street, New York, NY 10017.

ECONOMY
Nepal ranks among the world's poorest countries, with a per capita income
of about $150. It maintained a self-imposed isolation until the middle of this
century. When its modern era began in 1951 with the ouster of the Rana
regime, Nepal had virtually no schools, hospitals, roads,
telecommunications, electric power, industry, or civil service.  Its economic
structure was based on subsistence agriculture.  A start has been made
toward sustainable economic growth through government efforts and
substantial amounts of external assistance, principally from India, the
People's Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and
several multilateral organizations (e.g., the World Bank, UN Development
Program).  Nepal has completed six economic development plans, and
1990 will be the final year of the seventh plan.  The first four emphasized the
development of transportation and communication facilities, agriculture, and
industry.  Plans since 1975 also have placed emphasis on improved
government administration and on rural development efforts that respond
more directly to the needs of rural people.

The economic development plans have brought some progress, especially
in social services and infrastructure.  A countrywide primary education
system is under development, and Tribhuvan University has several dozen
campuses.  Malaria was controlled in the fertile but previously uninhabitable
Terai, although its resurgence is requiring additional control efforts.
Kathmandu is linked to India, Tibet, and nearby hill regions by road, and the
highway network is expanding.  Major towns are now connected to the
capital by telephone network and national airline service.  A system of
internal finance and public administration has been established.  Industry,
concentrated in the Kathmandu Valley and the southeastern part of the
country, is small and generally produces items for local consumption.
However, the garment and carpet industries, oriented toward exports, have
experienced rapid growth in recent years.  Efforts also are being made to
develop a network of cottage industries specializing in textiles, furniture, and
soap.

Progress also has been made in exploiting Nepal's major economic
resources--hydroelectric potential and tourism.  Several hydroelectric
projects have been completed.  The swift rivers flowing south through the
Himalayas to the plains afford considerable potential for developing
hydroelectric power.  India and Nepal have joint irrigation-hydroelectric
projects on the Kosi, Trisuli, and Gandaki Rivers.  A feasibility study is
underway on a dam project to tap the enormous potential of the Karnali
River in western Nepal.  The 60-megawatt hydroelectric project at
Kulekhani--funded by the World Bank, Kuwait, and Japan--began operation
in 1982.  Kulekhani II, adding 32 megawatts, went into operation in 1987,
and work on the 69-megawatt Marsyangdi hydroelectric project is nearing
completion.  A national distribution grid is in place, and electricity
consumption is increasing at 15%-20% per year.  The next large
hydroelectric project planned is the 402-megawatt Arun III Project.
Engineering design works for the project should be completed in early 1991.
Construction work should start in early 1992, with completion of the project
in 1997.

Agriculture is still Nepal's principal economic activity, employing more than
90% of the population and providing more than one-half of the country's
income.  Only about 20% of the total area is cultivable, while another 33%
is forested.  Rice and wheat are the main food crops.  The Terai region
produces an agricultural surplus, part of which supplies the food-deficient
hill areas.

Mineral surveys are underway, but the steep mountain terrain makes
exploitation difficult; however, small deposits of limestone, magnesite, zinc,
copper, iron, mica, and cobalt have been found.  Royal Dutch Shell and a
US company, Triton, have received a concession to explore for petroleum
in southeastern Nepal.

Nepal's foreign trade has continued to be seriously out of balance in recent
years.  In FY 1987-88 Nepal exported $187 million worth of goods, up from
$139 million the year before.  However, imports totaled $630 million in FY
1987-88, up from $507 million a year earlier.  The structural adjustment
program undertaken since FY 1986-87 to speed up economic development
has slightly improved macroeconomic management.  Gross domestic
product (GDP) in FY 1987-88 grew by almost 10% at 1974-75 prices.
Exports grew by 34% over the previous year, reaching 6% of GDP.  Better
use of foreign aid, along with increased exports and earnings from tourism
and other services, improved  balance of payments and increased
international reserves through FY 1989.  As a result, Nepal's balance of
payments showed a small surplus, with foreign exchange reserves raised
to the equivalent of about 7 months' imports.  However, a trade embargo
imposed by India in March 1989 because of lapsed trade and transit
agreements greatly set back economic growth in Nepal and placed an
enormous financial burden on the economy.

Population pressure on natural resources will increase in Nepal.  The
country's population probably will reach 20-22 million by the turn of the
century.  Overpopulation is already straining the "carrying capacity" of the
middle hill areas.  Forest reserves have been depleted for crop land, fuel,
and fodder, contributing to land erosion and flooding.  The government has
approved a long-term policy for forestation and forestry management
reform.

DEFENSE
Nepal's military consists of an army of about 35,000 troops organized into
a royal guards brigade, seven infantry brigades, five battalions (parachute,
artillery, Royal Military Police, engineer, and signal), and several separate
companies.  There is a modest army air wing but no navy.  Training
assistance is provided by India and the United Kingdom and by the United
States through a $100,000 International Military Education and Training
(IMET) Program.  The Royal Nepalese Army has served with distinction in
three UN peacekeeping missions and currently has a battalion-sized
contingent attached to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Nepalese troops have fought in the British Army since the early 19th century
and for the Indian Army since 1947.  Agreements allowing the British and
Indians to recruit in Nepal still are maintained.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
As a small, landlocked country wedged between two larger and far stronger
powers, Nepal seeks good relations with both India and China.  Nepal
formally established relations with China in 1955 and since then their
bilateral relations have generally been very good.  Because of strong
cultural, religious, linguistic, and economic ties, Nepal's association with
India traditionally has been closer than with China.

In March 1989, however, the trade and transit agreements regulating
commerce between Nepal and India lapsed and were not renewed by India.
The Chinese have contributed large amounts of economic assistance to
Nepal and in mid-1988 provided, for the first time, some military assistance
as well--antiaircraft weapons, small arms, and trucks.  The 1989 dispute
appears to be related to India's security concerns over Nepal's relations
with China, and this arms delivery reportedly was one of the factors which
precipitated it.  This dispute abruptly decreased bilateral cross-border trade,
leading to severe shortages in Nepal of petroleum, oil, lubricants, spare
parts, and raw materials.  Nepal and India agreed in June 1990 to restore
relations to what they were prior to April 1987, and they expect to
renegotiate trade and transit terms.

Nepal and the United Kingdom have maintained various forms of
representation for more than 150 years.  For many years, the British were
the only foreign power permitted to maintain a mission in Kathmandu.
Nepal's relations with the United Kingdom continue to be quite friendly.

The Soviet Union opened an embassy in Nepal in 1959 and during the
1960s provided Nepal with economic assistance, largely in industry and
transportation.  In recent years Soviet aid has been inconsequential, limited
mainly to training and technical assistance.  A significant number of
scholarships in the USSR are offered to members of the Communist Party
of Nepal.

On international issues, Nepal has followed a nonaligned policy and often
votes with the nonaligned group in the United Nations.  Nepal participates
in a number of UN specialized agencies and was president of the UN
Security Council during the month of February 1989.

US-NEPALESE RELATIONS
US-Nepalese relations, formally established in 1947, have been friendly.
The US Embassy was opened in Kathmandu in 1959. King Birendra made
a state visit to the United States in December 1983.  US policy toward Nepal
has three objectives: support for peace and stability in south Asia; support
for Nepalese independence and territorial integrity; and support for one of
the world's least developed countries in meeting its development needs
through selected programs of economic aid and technical assistance.

The United States has provided more than $300 million in economic
assistance to Nepal since 1951.  In recent years, bilateral U.S. economic
assistance through the Agency for International Development (AID) has
averaged $15 million a year.  AID supports agriculture, health, family
planning, and reforestation efforts in Nepal.  The United States also
contributes to international institutions and private voluntary organizations
working in Nepal.  These multilateral contributions to date have exceeded
$250 million, including humanitarian assistance.  The Peace Corps has
projects in Nepal in agriculture, education, health, and other rural programs.
The first Peace Corps volunteers came to Nepal in 1962, and currently there
are about 140 volunteers posted there.

Principal US Officials
Ambassador--Julia Chang Bloch
Deputy Chief of Mission--Albert A. Thibault, Jr.
Political and Economic Officer--Todd Greentree
Economic and Commercial Officer--Carol Tyson Reynolds
Administrative Officer--Norma L. Kleiber
Consular Officer--Charles Parish
AID Director--Kelly Kammerer
Public Affairs Officer--Janey Cole
Peace Corps Director--Jonathan Darrah
The US Embassy in Nepal is located in Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu (tel.
411179 or 412718).