se displaced persons
are housed in seven United Nations Offices of the High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) camps.

Geography Nepal

Location: Southern Asia, between China and India

Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 84 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area: total: 140,800 sq km water: 4,000 sq km land: 136,800 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Arkansas

Land boundaries: total: 2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km,
India 1,690 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to
subtropical summers and mild winters in south

Terrain: Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill
region, rugged Himalayas in north

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point:
Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)

Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty,
small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 1% other: 79% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 11,350 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought,
and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the
summer monsoons

Environment - current issues: 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: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India;
contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest -
the world's tallest - on the border with China

People Nepal

Population: 25,873,917 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 40% (male 5,346,422; female 5,007,416) 15-64
years: 56.4% (male 7,476,202; female 7,125,471) 65 years and over: 3.6%
(male 453,263; female 465,143) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.29% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 32.94 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 10.03 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 p