Compare Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2005) - Nepal (2002)

Compare Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2005) z Nepal (2002)

	Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2005)	Nepal (2002)

Administrative divisions	-	14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
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.)
Agriculture - products	-	rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat
Airports	-	45 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 28 (2002)
Area	total: 5 sq km land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island	total: 140,800 sq km land: 136,800 sq km water: 4,000 sq km
Area - comparative	about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC	slightly larger than Arkansas
Background	These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve.	In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. A maoist insugency, launched in 1996, has gained traction and is threatening to bring down the regime. Ten members of the royal family, including the king and queen, were massacred in a family dispute in 2001. In October 2002, the new king dismissed the prime minister and his cabinet for "incompetence" after they dissolved the parliament and were subsequently unable to hold elections because of the ongoing insurgency. The country is now governed by the king and his appointed cabinet until elections can be held at some unspecified future date.
Birth rate	-	32.94 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $665 million expenditures: $1.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)
Capital	-	Kathmandu
Climate	tropical	varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Coastline	74.1 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	-	9 November 1990
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands	conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal conventional short form: Nepal
Currency	-	Nepalese rupee (NPR)
Death rate	-	10.03 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	-	$2.55 billion (FY00/01)
Dependency status	territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of Australia)	chief of mission: Ambassador Michael E. MALINOWSKI embassy: Panipokhari, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 411179 FAX: [977] (1) 419963
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (territory of Australia)	chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Jai Pratap RANA chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534 consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international	Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef; Australia closed the surrounding waters to Indonesian traditional fishing and created a national park in the region while continuing to prospect for hydrocarbons in the vicinity	formed Joint Border committee with India in 2001 to resolve 53 disputed sections of boundary covering an area of 720 sq km; approximately 100,000 Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal, 90% of whom reside in seven UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees camps, place decades-long strains on Nepal
Economic aid - recipient	-	$424 million (FY00/01)
Economy - overview	no economic activity	Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with nearly half of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 41% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Textile and carpet production, accounteing for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in recent years, contracted significantly in 2001 due to the overall slowdown in the world economy and pressures by Maoist insurgents on factory owners and workers. Security concerns in the wake of Maoist activity, the June massacre of many members of the royal family, and the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US led to a decrease in tourism, another key source of foreign exchange. Agricultural production is growing by about 5% on average as compared with annual population growth of 2.3%. Since May 1991, the government has been moving forward with economic reforms, particularly those that encourage trade and foreign investment, e.g., by reducing business licenses and registration requirements to simplify investment procedures. The government has also been cutting expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing state industries, and laying off civil servants. More recently, however, political instability - five different governments over the past few years - has hampered Kathmandu's ability to forge consensus to implement key economic reforms. Nepal has considerable scope for accelerating economic growth by exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. The international community's role of funding more than 60% of Nepal's development budget and more than 28% of total budgetary expenditures will likely continue as a major ingredient of growth.
Electricity - consumption	-	1.431 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	-	95 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	-	174 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	-	1.454 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 10% hydro: 90% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m	lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)
Environment - current issues	NA	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
Ethnic groups	-	Brahman, Chetri, Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Tharu, and others (1995)
Exchange rates	-	Nepalese rupees per US dollar - 76.675 (January 2002), 74.961 (2001), 71.094 (2000), 68.239 (1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997)
Executive branch	-	chief of state: King GYANENDRA Bir Bikram Shah (succeeded to the throne 4 June 2001 following the death of his nephew, King DIPENDRA Bir Bikram Shah) head of government: Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur CHAND (since 11 October 2002) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch note: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev died in a bloody shooting at the royal palace on 1 June 2001 that also claimed the lives of most of the royal family; King BIRENDRA's son, Crown Price DIPENDRA, is believed to have been responsible for the shootings before fatally wounding himself; immediately following the shootings and while still clinging to life, DIPENDRA was crowned king; he died three days later and was succeeded by his uncle
Exports	-	$757 million f.o.b., but does not include unrecorded border trade with India (FY00/01 est.)
Exports - commodities	-	carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
Exports - partners	-	India 48%, US 26%, Germany 11% (FY00/01)
Fiscal year	-	16 July - 15 July
Flag description	the flag of Australia is used	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
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $35.6 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 41% industry: 22% services: 37% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $1,400 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	2.6% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	12 14 S, 123 05 E	28 00 N, 84 00 E
Geography - note	Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983	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
Highways	-	total: 13,223 km paved: 4,073 km unpaved: 9,150 km (April 1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 30% (1995-96)
Illicit drugs	-	illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West
Imports	-	$1.6 billion f.o.b. (FY00/01 est.)
Imports - commodities	-	gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer
Imports - partners	-	India 39%, Singapore 10%, China/Hong Kong 9%, (FY00/01)
Independence	-	1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)
Industrial production growth rate	-	8.7% (FY99/00)
Industries	-	tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette; cement and brick production
Infant mortality rate	-	72.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	2.1%
International organization participation	-	AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	6 (2000)
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	11,350 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	-	Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council)
Labor force	-	10 million note: severe lack of skilled labor (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 81%, services 16%, industry 3%
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2001)	arable land: 20.27% permanent crops: 0.49% other: 79.24% (1998 est.)
Languages	-	Nepali (official; spoken by 90% of the population), about a dozen other languages and about 30 major dialects; note - many in government and business also speak English (1995)
Legal system	the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply	based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	-	note: Nepal's Parliament was dissolved on 22 May 2002 and elections are scheduled for 13 November 2002 bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 3 and 17 May 1999 (next to be held 13 November 2002) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NC 37.3%, CPN/UML 31.6%, NDP 10.4%, NSP 3.2%, Rastriya Jana Morcha 1.4%, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 0.8%, NWPP 0.5%, others 14.8%; seats by party - NC 113, CPN/UML 69, NDP 11, NSP 5, Rastriya Jana Morcha 5, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 1, NWPP 1
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 58.61 years male: 59.01 years female: 58.2 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 27.5% male: 40.9% female: 14% (1995 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island	Southern Asia, between China and India
Map references	Southeast Asia	Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	none (landlocked)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force	-
Military branches	-	Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$51.5 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 6,484,343 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 3,369,454 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	17 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 292,589 (2002 est.)
National holiday	-	Birthday of King GYANENDRA, 7 July (1946)
Nationality	-	noun: Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese
Natural hazards	surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards	severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons
Natural resources	fish	quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Net migration rate	-	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
People - note	the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem	-
Political parties and leaders	-	Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Madhav Kumar NEPAL, general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP (also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP) [Surya Bahadur THAPA, chairman]; National People's Front (Rastriya Jana Morcha) [Chitra Bahadur, chairman]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP [Bhadri Prasad MANDAL, acting party president]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chair]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Sushil KOIRALA, general secretary]; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [Lila Mani POKHAREL, general secretary]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	Maoist guerrilla-based insurgency; numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island (July 2005 est.)	25,873,917 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	42% (FY95/96 est. )
Population growth rate	-	2.29% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	none; offshore anchorage only	none
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000)
Radios	-	840,000 (1997)
Railways	-	total: 59 km narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge note: all in Kosi close to Indian border (2001)
Religions	-	Hinduism 86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2% note: only official Hindu state in the world (1995)
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	-	general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephone network domestic: NA international: radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	-	236,816 (January 2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	NA
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)
Terrain	low with sand and coral	Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Total fertility rate	-	4.48 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	47% (2001 est.)
Waterways	-	none

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