World Potential (NEPAL)

Country Brief
The Kingdom of Nepal lies along the southern slopes of the Himalayan mountains. It is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to its north and India to its south. Nepal has over 25,000 feet of altitude change within its borders. The population of Nepal is approximately 24 million.

Roughly 75 percent of the country is covered by mountains, including the tallest in the world, Mount Everest. The central plateau of Nepal has fertile valleys and there is some cultivated land along the border with India. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. It has a per capital income of roughly $300 Cdn. About 90 per cent of the population relies on agriculture for a living and over half of the people survive on less than $1 a day.

The country's primary industries are carpets, clothing, and tourism. However, agriculture still accounts for 40 per cent of the country's GDP. The life expectancy rate in Nepal is only 57 years and at 28 per cent, it has one of the lowest adult literacy rates in the world. Nepal's form of currency is the Nepalese rupee. (45.32 rupees = 1 Canadian dollar). The major language of Nepal is Nepali.

Water Resources
Energy Sector
Hydropower Development & Micro Hydro in Nepal
Small Hydro in Nepal
Conclusions