TTARAI (president),
Girija Prasad KOIRALA, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur DEUBA; National
Democratic Party (NDP), leader NA; Terai Rights Sadbhavana
(Goodwill) Party, Gajendra Narayan SINGH; Nepal Workers and Peasants
Party (NWPP), leader NA; Nepal Sadbhavana Party, leader NA; Rastriya
Prajantra Party, leader NA

Other political or pressure groups: numerous small, left-leaning
student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese
antimonarchist groups

International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN,
UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIH, UNPROFOR, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Basudev Prasad DHUNGANA
chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
consulate(s) general: New York

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sandra L. VOGELGESANG
embassy: Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [977] (1) 411179
FAX: [977] (1) 419963

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
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Economic overview: Nepal is among the poorest and least developed
countries in the world. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy,
providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting
for about one-half of GDP. Industrial activity is limited, mainly
involving the processing of agricultural produce (jute, sugarcane,
tobacco, and grain). Production of textiles and carpets has expanded
recently and accounted for 85% of foreign exchange earnings in
FY93/94. Apart from agricultural land and forests, exploitable
natural resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural
production in the late 1980s grew by about 5%, as compared with
annual population growth of 2.6%. More than 40% of the population is
undernourished. Since May 1991, the government has been moving
forward with economic reforms particularly those that encourage
trade and foreign investment, e.g., by eliminating business licenses
and registration requirements in order to simplif