Nepal:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Nepal:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition 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. An insurgency led by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing nine-year civil war between insurgents and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists and government officials, and culminated in a November 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. The newly formed interim parliament declared Nepal a democratic federal republic at its first meeting in May 2008, the king vacated the throne in mid-June 2008, and parliament elected the country's first president the following month.

Location	Definition Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates	Definition 28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map references	Definition Asia
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 147,181 sq km land: 143,181 sq km water: 4,000 sq km
Area - comparative	Definition slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries	Definition total: 2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline	Definition 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims	Definition none (landlocked)
Climate	Definition varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Terrain	Definition Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
Natural resources	Definition quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 16.07% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 83.08% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 11,700 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 210.2 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 10.18 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%) per capita: 375 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	Definition severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
Environment - current issues	Definition deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions
Environment - international agreements	Definition party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note	Definition landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the borders with China and India respectively