| Nepal: Basic Fact Sheet |
| Official Name: | Kingdom of Nepal (Nepal Adhirajya) |
| Abbreviation | NP |
| Capital | Kathmandu |
| Head of State | His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (from June 2001) |
| Head of Government | Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa (Since June 04,2003 ) |
| Population | 22367048 (1999 estimate) |
| Area | 147,181 sq. km. (54,633 sq. mi.) |
| Time Zone | 5 hours 45 minutes ahead of GMT |
| Language | Nepali (official) |
| Religion | Hinduism and Buddhism |
| Unit of Currency | Rupee |
| National Flag |  |
| National Emblems | The rhododendron; a white cow; a green pheasant; two Gurkha soldiers, one carrying a khukri and a bow and an arrow and the other a modern rifle; peaks of the Himalaya Mountains; the moon and the sun, both with faces showing Hindu caste marks, two crossed Nepali flags and khukris; the footprints of Gorakhnath, the guardian deity of the Gurkhas; and the royal headdress. At the base of the design a red scroll carries the national motto in Sanskrit: “The Motherland Is Worth More than the Kingdom of Heaven.” |
| National Anthem | “May Glory Crown Our Illustrious Sovereign” |
| National Holidays | National Day (Birthday of King): c. December 28 Prithvi Jayanti: c. January 11 Independence Day: c. February 18 Plus other Hindu and Buddhist festivals |
| National Calendar | The Nepali year begins in mid-April and is divided into 12 months: Baisakh, Jestha, Asadh, Shrawan, Bhadra, Aswin, Kartik, Marga, Poush, Phalgun, Chaitra. Saturday is the official weekly holiday. |
| Physical Quality of Life Index | 36 |
| Date of Unification | 1768 (by Prithvi Narayan Shah) |
| Date of Constitution | November 9, 1990 |
| Weights and Measures | Traditional measures are commonly used. The most important of these are ropani = 0.05 ha.(0.8 ac.); bigha = 0.1 ha.,(1.67 ac.); murhi = 72 kg.(160 lb.). |
| Per capita income | $170 (FY92) |
| Map |  |
