f His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)

Executive branch: monarch, chairman of the Council of State, Council
of State, prime minister

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Rashtriya Panchayat)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat)

Leaders:
Chief of State--King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (since 31 January
1972, crowned King 24 February 1985); Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA
Bir Bikram Shah Dev, son of the King (born 21 June 1971);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Marich Man Singh SHRESTHA (since
15 July 1986)

Political parties and leaders: all political parties outlawed but operate
more or less openly; Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Ganesh Man Singh, K. P.
Bhattarai, G. P. Koirala

Suffrage: universal at age 21

Elections:
National Assembly--last held on 12 May 1986 (next to be held May 1991);
results--all independents since political parties are officially banned;
seats--(140 total, 112 elected) independents 112

Communists: Communist Party of Nepal (CPN); factions include V. B.
Manandhar, Man Mohan Adhikari/Sahana Pradhan, Bharat Raj Joshi, Rai Majhi,
Tulsi Lal, Krishna Raj Burma

Other political or pressure groups: numerous small, left-leaning student
groups in the capital; Indian merchants in Tarai and capital; several small,
radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups operating from north India

Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mohan Man SAINJU; Chancery at 2131
Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 667-4550; there is a
Nepalese Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador Julia Chang BLOCH; Embassy at Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu;
telephone p977o 411179 or 412718, 411601

Flag: red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping
right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the
larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun

- Economy
Overview: Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the
world with a per capita income of only $158. Real growth averaged 4% in the
1980s until FY89, when it plunged to 1.5% because of the ongoing
trade/transit dispute with India. Agriculture is the mainstay of the
economy, providing a livelihood for over 90% of the population and
accounting for 60% of GDP and about 75% of exports. Indust