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Fact
Sheet :
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Area : 140,800
sq km
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Population : 28,901,790 (July 2007 est.)
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Capital :
Kathmandu
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Languages : Nepali
90% (official)
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Currency : Nepalese
rupee (NPR)
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Régime politique : parliamentary
democracy and constitutional monarchy
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Elements of History :
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. In October 2002, the new king
dismissed the prime minister and his cabinet for "incompetence"
after they dissolved the parliament and were subsequently
unable to hold elections because of the ongoing insurgency. While stopping short of reestablishing parliament, the king in June 2004 reinstated the most recently elected prime minister who formed a four-party coalition government. Citing dissatisfaction with the government's lack of progress in addressing the Maoist insurgency and corruption, 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. After nearly three weeks of mass protests organized by the seven-party opposition and the Maoists, the king allowed parliament to reconvene on 28 April 2006. Following the November 2006 peace accord between the government and the Maoists, an interim constitution was promulgated and the Maoists were allowed to enter parliament in mid-January 2007. Parliamentary elections, orginally planned for June 2007, were postponed to November 2007.
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Climate :
varies
from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical
summers and mild winters in south
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