Economy Of Nepal

Economy Of Nepal

 Nepal is developing county with an agricultural economy. In recent years, the country's efforts to expand into manufacturing industries and other technological sectors have achieved much progress. Farming is the main economic activity followed by manufacturing, trade and tourism. The chief sources of foreign currency earnings are merchandise export, services, tourism and Gurkha remittances. The annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is about US$ 4.3 Billion.

 Manufacturing : Manufacturing is still at the developmental stage and it represents less than 10% of the GDP. Major industries are woolen carpets, garments, textiles, leather products, paper and cement. Other products made in Nepal are steel utensils, cigarettes, beverages and sugar. There are many

 modern large-scale factories but the majority are cottage or small scale operations. Most of Nepal's industries are based in the Kathmandu Valley and a string of Small towns in the southern Terai Plains.

 Trade : Commerce has been a major occupation in Nepal since early times. Being situated at the crossroads of the ancient Trans-Himalayan trade route, trading is second nature to the Nepalese people. Foreign trade is characterized mainly by import of manufactured products and export of agricultural raw materials. Nepal imports manufactured goods and petroleum products worth about US$ 1 billion annually. The value of exports is about US$ 315 million. Woolen carpets are Nepal's largest export, earning the country over US$ 135 million per year. Garment exports account for more than US$ 74 million and handicraft goods bring in about US$ 1 million. Other important exports are pulses, hides and skins, jute and medicinal herbs.

 Tourism : In 1998, a total of 463,684 tourists visited Nepal, making tourism one of the largest industries in the Kingdom. This sector has been expanding rapidly since its inception in the 1950. Thanks to Nepal's natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and the diversity of sight-seeing and adventure opportunities available. At one time, tourism used to be the biggest foreign currency earner for the country. Nepal earned over US$ 152 million from tourism in 1998.

Rivers in Nepal

Rivers in Nepal

 Nepal can be divided into three major river systems from east to west: the Kosi River, the Narayani River (India's Gandak River), and the Karnali River. All ultimately become major tributaries of the Ganges River in northern India. After plunging through deep gorges, these rivers deposit their heavy sediments and debris on the plains, thereby nurturing them and renewing their alluvial soil fertility. Once they reach the Tarai Region, they often overflow their banks onto wide floodplains during the summer monsoon season, periodically shifting their courses. Besides providing fertile alluvial soil, the backbone of the agrarian economy, these rivers present great possibilities for hydroelectric and irrigation development. India managed to exploit this resource by building massive dams on the Kosi and Narayani rivers inside the Nepal border, known, respectively, as the Kosi and Gandak projects. None of these river systems, however, support any significant commercial navigation facility. Rather, the deep gorges formed by the rivers represent immense obstacles to establishing the broad transport and communication networks needed to develop an integrated national economy. As a result, the economy in Nepal has remained fragmented. Because Nepal's rivers have not been harnessed for transportation, most settlements in the Hill and Mountain regions remain isolated from each other. As of 1991, trails remained the primary transportation routes in the hills.
The eastern part of the country is drained by the Kosi River, which has seven tributaries. It is locally known as the Sapt Kosi, which means seven Kosi rivers (Tamur, Likhu Khola, Dudh, Sun, Indrawati, Tama, and Arun). The principal tributary is the Arun, which rises about 150 kilometers inside the Tibetan Plateau. The Narayani River drains the central part of Nepal and also has seven major tributaries (Daraudi, Seti, Madi, Kali, Marsyandi, Budhi, and Trisuli). The Kali, which flows between the Dhaulagiri Himal and the Annapurna Himal (Himal is the Nepali variation of the Sanskrit word Himalaya), is the main river of this drainage system. The river system draining the western part of Nepal is the Karnali. Its three immediate tributaries are the Bheri, Seti, and Karnali rivers, the latter being the major one. The Maha Kali, which also is known as the Kali and which flows along the Nepal-India border on the west side, and the Rapti River also are considered tributaries of the Karnali.

Climate in Nepal

Climate in Nepal

Nepal has a great deal of variation in climate. Its latitude is about the same as that of Florida, and a tropical and subtropical climate exists in the Tarai Region. Outside the Tarai, however, the climate is completely different. The remarkable differences in climatic conditions are primarily related to the enormous range of altitude within such a short north-south distance. The presence of the east-west-trending Himalayan massifs to the north and the monsoonal alteration of wet and dry seasons also greatly contribute to local variations in climate. Scholar Sharad Singh Negi identifies five climatic zones in Nepal based on altitude: the tropical and subtropical zone of below 1,200 meters in altitude; the cool, temperate zone of 1,200 to 2,400 meters in altitude; the cold zone of 2,400 to 3,600 meters in altitude; the subarctic climatic zone of 3,600 to 4,400 meters in altitude; and the arctic zone above 4,400 meters in altitude. In terms of natural vegetational regimes or distribution patterns, altitude again plays a significant role. Below 1,200 meters, the dominant form of vegetation consists of tropical and subtropical rain forests.

Altitude also affects annual rainfall or precipitation patterns. Up to about 3,000 meters, annual rainfall totals increase as the altitude increases; thereafter, annual totals diminish with increasing altitude and latitude. In addition to this latitudinal differentiation in rainfall, two other patterns can be discerned. First, given the northwestward movement of the moisture-laden summer monsoon (June to September), the amount of annual rainfall generally decreases from east to west. However, there are certain pockets with heavy annual rainfall totals, for example, the Pokhara Valley in central Nepal. Second, the horizontal extension of hill and mountain ranges creates a moist condition on southand eastfacing slopes whereas it produces a major rain shadow on the northern sides of the slopes. The aridity increases with altitude and latitude, especially on the northern slopes, and reaches its climax in the inner Himalayan region and on the Tibetan Plateau. Eastern Nepal receives approximately 2,500 millimeters of rain annually, the Kathmandu area about 1,420 millimeters, and western Nepal about 1,000 millimeters.

The towering Himalayas play a critical role, blocking the northwesterly advances of moist, tropical air from the Bay of Bengal, and ultimately leading to its conversion to rain in the summer. In the winter, this range prevents the outbursts of cold air from Inner Asia from reaching southern Nepal and northern India, thus ensuring warmer winters in these regions than otherwise would be the case.

In addition, there are seasonal variations in the amount of rainfall, depending on the monsoon cycle. Bishop divides the monsoon cycle into four seasons: premonsoon, summer monsoon, postmonsoon, and winter monsoon. The premonsoon season generally occurs during April and May; it is characterized by the highest temperatures, reaching 40° C during the day in the Tarai Region and other lowlands. The hills and mountains, however, remain cool.

The summer monsoon, a strong flow of moist air from the southwest, follows the premonsoon season. For the vast majority of southern Asians, including Nepalese, the term monsoon is synonymous with the summer rainy season, which makes or breaks the lives of hundreds of millions of farmers on the subcontinent. Even though the arrival of the summer monsoon can vary by as much as a month, in Nepal it generally arrives in early June, is preceded by violent lightning and thunderstorms, and lasts through September, when it begins to recede. The plains and lower Himalayas receive more than 70 percent of their annual precipitation during the summer monsoon. The amount of summer monsoon rain generally declines from southeast to northwest as the maritime wedge of air gradually becomes thinner and dryer. Although the success of farming is almost totally dependent on the timely arrival of the summer monsoon, it periodically causes such problems as landslides; subsequent losses of human lives, farmlands, and other properties (not to mention great difficulty in the movement of goods and people); and heavy flooding in the plains. Conversely, when prolonged breaks in the summer monsoon occur, severe drought and famine often result.

The postmonsoon season begins with a slow withdrawal of the monsoon. This retreat leads to an almost complete disappearance of moist air by mid-October, thus ushering in generally cool, clear, and dry weather, as well as the most relaxed and jovial period in Nepal. By this time, the harvest is completed and people are in a festive mood. The two biggest and most important Hindu festivals-- Dashain and Tihar (Dipawali)--arrive during this period, about one month apart. The postmonsoon season lasts until about December.

After the postmonsoon, comes the winter monsoon, a strong northeasterly flow, which is marked by occasional, short rainfalls in the lowlands and plains and snowfalls in the high-altitude areas. The amount of precipitation resulting from the northeast land trade winds varies considerably but increases markedly with elevation. The secondary winter precipitation in the form of snowfalls in the Himalayas is important for generating a sufficient volume of spring and summer meltwaters, which are critical for irrigation in the lower hills and valleys where agriculture predominates. Winter precipitation is also are indispensable for the success of winter crops, such as wheat, barley, and numerous vegetables.

Terai Region

Terai Region 

Terai region lies from 70m to 600m. In whole Nepal terai region covers about 17% .and 48% of population lives in this region . terai region is also known as greeneryof Nepal . Terai can also be divided into three parts they are : 1) terai 2) Bhabar tract and 3) Inner terai
20 districts of Terai Region are:
   1) Jhapa 6) Kailali 11) Banke 16) Sarlahi
   2) Dhanusha 7) Kanchanpur 12) Rautahat 17) Nawalparasi
   3)Parsa 8) Morang 13) Siraha 18) Bardia
   4) Dang 9) Mahottari 14) Kapilbastu 19) Rupandehi
   5)Saptari 10) Chitwan 15) Sunsari 20) Bara
In complete topographic contrast to the Mountain and Hill regions, the Tarai Region is a lowland tropical and subtropical belt of flat, alluvial land stretching along the Nepal-India border, and paralleling the Hill Region. It is the northern extension of the Gangetic Plain in India, commencing at about 300 meters above sea level and rising to about 1,000 meters at the foot of the Siwalik Range. The Tarai includes several valleys (dun), such as the Surkhet and Dang valleys in western Nepal, and the Rapti Valley (Chitwan) in central Nepal.

The word tarai, a term presumed to be derived from Persian, means "damp," and it appropriately describes the region's humid and hot climate. The region was formed and is fed by three major rivers: the Kosi, the Narayani (India's Gandak River), and the Karnali. A region that in the past contained malaria-infested, thick forests, commonly known as char kose jhari (dense forests approximately twelve kilometers wide), the Tarai was used as a defensive frontier by Nepalese rulers during the period of the British Raj (1858-1947) in India. In 1991 the Tarai served as the country's granary and land resettlement frontier; it became the most coveted internal destination for land-hungry hill peasants.

In terms of both farm and forest lands, the Tarai was becoming Nepal's richest economic region. Overall, Tarai residents enjoyed a greater availability of agricultural land than did other Nepalese because of the area's generally flat terrain, which is drained and nourished by several rivers. Additionally, it has the largest commercially exploitable forests. In the early 1990s, however, the forests were being increasingly destroyed because of growingdemands for timber and agricultural land.

The Hilly Region

The Hilly Region

Hilly region  lies in 600m and 3000m .hilly region covers about 68% of whole Nepal and 44.3 % of population lives hilly region .capital city of Nepal Kathmandu also lies in Hilly region . most of the people in hilly region does agriculture there are10 districts Zones in this hilly region they are listed below:

1. Panchthar 11) Sindhuli 21) Ilam 31) Udayapur
2. Okhaldhunga 12) Bhaktapur 22) Khotang 32) Kathmnadu
3. Kavrepalanchowk 13) Nuwakot 23) Lalitpur 33) Tanahun
4. Maygdi 14) Syangja 24) Lamjung 34) Kaski
5. Arghakhanchi 15) Baglung 25) Parbat 35) Gulmi
6. Surkhet 16) Palpa 26) Pyuthan 36) Rolpa
7. Achham 17) Rukum 27) Dallekh 37) Salyan
8. Makwanpur 18) Jajarkot 28) Doti 38) Bajura
9. Dhankuta 19) Bhajang 29) Therathum 39) Dadeldhura
10. Bhojpur 20) Baitadi 30) Ramechhap

Situated south of the Mountain Region, the Hill Region (called Pahar in Nepali) is mostly between 1,000 and 4,000 meters in altitude. It includes the Kathmandu Valley, the country's most fertile and urbanized area. Two major ranges of hills, commonly known as the Mahabharat Lekh and Siwalik Range (or Churia Range), occupy the region. In addition, there are several intermontane valleys. Despite its geographical isolation and limited economic potential, the region always has been the political and cultural center of Nepal, with decision-making power centralized in Kathmandu, the nation's capital. Because of immigration from Tibet and India, the hill ranges historically have been the most heavily populated area. Despite heavy out-migration, the Hill Region comprised the largest share of the total population in 1991.

Although the higher elevations (above 2,500 meters) in the region were sparsely populated because of physiographic and climatic difficulties, the lower hills and valleys were densely settled. The hill landscape was both a natural and cultural mosaic, shaped by geological forces and human activity. The hills, sculpted by human hands into a massive complex of terraces, were extensively cultivated.

Like the Mountain Region, the Hill Region was a food-deficit area in the early 1990s, although agriculture was the predominant economic activity supplemented by livestock raising, foraging, and seasonal migrating of laborers. The vast majority of the households living in the hills were land-hungry and owned largely pakho (hilly) land. The poor economic situation caused by lack of sufficient land was aggravated by the relatively short growing season, a phenomenon directly attributable to the climatic impact of the region's higher altitude. As a result, a hill farmer's ability to grow multiple crops was limited. The families were forced to adapt to the marginality, as well as the seasonality, of their environment, cultivating their land whenever they could and growing whatever would survive. Bishop has noted

that "as crop productivity decreases with elevation, the importance of livestock in livelihood pursuits . . . increases. For many Bhotia [or Bhote] living in the highlands . . . animal husbandry supplants agriculture in importance." During the slack season, when the weather did not permit cropping, hill dwellers generally became seasonal migrants, who engaged in wage labor wherever they could find it to supplement their meager farm output. Dependence on nonagricultural activities was even more necessary in the mountain ecological belt.

The Mountain Region

The Mountain Region

The Himalayan range runs northwest to southeast in a 2,400 kilometers (1,500mi) long arc. The range varies in width from 400 kilometers (250mi) in the west to 150 kilometers (93mi) in the east.The Himalayan range is one of the youngest mountain ranges on the planet. world 's highest peak Sagarmatha also lies in Himalayan region . and many other peaks .Himalayan region lies in 3000m to 8848m . among 75 district ,there are 16 district in Himalayan region .names of districts are listed below :

1 Mugu
2 Darchula
3 Gorkha 
4 Shankhuwasava
5. Taplejung
6. Sindhupalchowk
7. Manang
8. Kalikot
9. Dhading
10. Mustang
11. Jumla
12. Solukhumbu
13. Rasuwa
14. Dolpa
15. Humla
16. Dolkha
Mount Everest in the Himalayas The Mountain Region (called Parbat in Nepali) is situated at 4,000 meters or more above sea level to the north of the Hill Region. The Mountain Region constitutes the central portion of the Himalayan range originating in the Pamirs, a high altitude region of Central Asia. Its natural landscape includes Mount Everest and the other seven of the world's ten highest peaks, which are the legendary habitat of the mythical creature, the yeti, or abominable snowman. In general, the snow line occurs between 5,000 and 5,500 meters. The region is characterized by inclement climatic and rugged topographic conditions, and human habitation and economic activities are extremely limited and arduous. Indeed, the region is sparsely populated, and whatever farming activity exists is mostly confined to the low-lying valleys and the river basins, such as the upper Kali Gandaki Valley.

In the early 1990s, pastoralism and trading were common economic activities among mountain dwellers. Because of their heavy dependence on herding and trading, transhumance was widely practiced. While the herders moved their goths (temporary animal shelters) in accordance with the seasonal climatic rhythms, traders also migrated seasonally between highlands and lowlands, buying and selling goods and commodities in order to generate muchneeded income and to secure food supplies.

Geographical Structure of Nepal

Geographical Structure of Nepal

Location : The kingdom of Nepal lies between 80º 4' and 88º 12' east longitude and 26º 22' north latitude. It borders with China in the North and India in the South.
Area: 1,47,181 sq. Kms.
Altitude :  Varies from 70 to 8848 meters.
Capital : Kathmandu.
Population: 18.5 million (as of 1993)
Language :Nepali, the national language is the common language in Nepal. However different ethnic groups have their own mother languages like Tamang, Gurung, Newari, Maithili, Sherpa, Bhojpuri, Rai, Tharu etc.
Population Density: 122 per sq. Kms.
Geographical Structure of Nepal

Nepal is a small, landlocked country, situated between Tibet (China) to its north, and India to its east, west and south. At latitudes between 26 and 30 degrees north and longitudes between 80 and 88 degrees east, the country covers an area of 147,181sq.km and stretches approximately 145-241 km. north to south and 850 km. west to east. It has been said that, even though Nepal's area is actually much the same as that of the state of Florida in USA, if Nepal could be taken off the face of the earth and laid flat, its area would equal that of the whole of the United States of America!
However, in fact, although occupying just 0.1% of the earth's surface,  Nepal is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of bio-diversity due to its unique geographical position and attitudinal variation. The elevation of the country ranges from less than 100 meters above sea level in the Terai, to the highest point on earth, the summit of Mt. Everest, at 8,848 meters, all within a distance of about 150km, resulting in climatic conditions ranging from sub-tropical to Arctic.
Nepal is topographically divided into three regions: the Himalaya to the north, the middle hills consisting of the Mahabharat range and the Churia Hills, and the Terai to the south. The Himalaya and its foothills make up the northern border of the country and represent 16% of the total land area. This is the least inhabited region of Nepal, with less than 8% of the population living there. Most permanent settlements are at less than 4000m altitude, although there are summer settlements as high as 5000m.

The middle hills cover about 65% of the total land area and are home to around 45% of the population of the country. This area is the home of the ancient ethnic people of Nepal. The climate is very good and most of Nepal's lakes and beautiful valleys are located in the middle hills. Areas in the eastern hills receive most rainfall because of  the monsoon clouds, which come from the Bay of Bengal. The middle hills provide a very good habitat for wild life, such as leopard, deer, bear, monkeys, butterflies and over four hundred indigenous species of birds.

The Terai is the southern part of Nepal and is an extension of the Gangetic plains of India. It covers 17% of the total land area, providing excellent farming land as well as space for large industrial areas. Until 1950, the Terai was predominantly an area of heavily malarial sub-tropical forest, inhabited only by the Royal Bengal tiger, leopard, wild boar, several species of deer, one-horned rhino, wild elephant and gharial and mugger crocodiles. But after the eradication of malaria in the 1960s, many people from the middle hills migrated to the Terai in search of farming land. Today, about 48% of the population occupies this region.

So Nepal has a very interesting and exciting bio-diversity due to its unique geographical position and altitudinal variation. Probably, Nepal is only country in the world, which could provide such opportunity: in a period of just two weeks it is possible to travel from sub-tropical lowlands to alpine glaciers, to experience altitudes from as low as 60m to the base of the highest mountain on the earth, temperatures from +40 degrees celsius to -40 degrees celsius and a climate ranging from monsoon and humid to dry rain shadow and frozen zone.

Nepal is occupying only 0.1% of the earth  is home to:
- 2% of all the flowering plant species in the world;
- 8% of the world's population of birds (more than 848 species);
- 4% of mammal species on earth;
- 11 of the world's 15 families of butterflies (more than 500 species);
- 600 indigenous plant families;
- 319 species of exotic orchids.