Nepal

Government
In Nov. 1990, King Birendra promulgated a new constitution and introduced a multiparty parliamentary democracy in Nepal. King Gyanendra dissolved the government in 2002 and has since ruled as an absolute monarch.

Geography
A landlocked country the size of Arkansas, lying between India and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China, Nepal contains Mount Everest (29,035 ft; 8,850 m), the tallest mountain in the world. Along its southern border, Nepal has a strip of level land that is partly forested, partly cultivated. North of that is the slope of the main section of the Himalayan range, including Everest and many other peaks higher than 8,000 m.

Historical Background
In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. A Maoist insurgency, launched in 1996, has gained traction and is threatening to bring down the regime. In 2001, the crown prince massacred ten members of the royal family, including the king and queen, and then took his own life. The king in February 2005 dissolved the government, declared a state of emergency, imprisoned party leaders, and assumed power. The king's government subsequently released party leaders and officially ended the state of emergency in May 2005, but the monarch retained absolute power until April 2006. On 18th May, 2006 in an unprecedented move Nepal was declared a secular country & King was stripped off his Kingship. A new constitution has already been drafted & adopted by the Nepalese Parliament. In April 2008, millions of voters turned out to elect a 601-seat Constituent Assembly that will write a new constitution. The Maoist rebels, who recently signed a peace agreement with the government that ended the guerrilla's 10 year insurgency, won 120 out of 240 directly elected seats. In May, the assembly voted to dissolve the 239-year-old monarchy, thus completing the transition to a republic. Maoists said they would not participate in the government when their candidate for president, Ramraja Prasad Singh, was defeated. Other parties in the Constituent Assembly united to elect Ram Baran Yadav as the country's first president. A Maoist was elected prime minister in August, however. The Constituent Assembly voted 464 to 113 in favor of Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, known as Prachanda, over Sher Bahadur Deuba, a member of the Nepali Congress Party who served as prime minister three times.

Capital

Kathmandu (Nepali)
   
Language

Nepali

Religion

The overwhelming majority in Nepal follow Hinduism. Shiva is regarded as the guardian deity of the country.[60] Nepal is home to the largest Shiva temple in the world, the famous Pashupatinath Temple, where Hindus from all over the world come for pilgrimage. According to mythology, Sita Devi of the epic Ramayana was born in the Mithila Kingdom of King Janaka Raja.

Area

147,181 km2 (93rd) 56,827 sq mi 

Population

2009 estimate 29,331,000[2] (40th) 2007 census 28,875,140

Currency

Nepalese rupee

GDP(PPP)

2010 estimate Total $34.880 billion

GDP(nominal)

2010 estimate Total $14.721 billion