Capital Kathmandu. Population: 1.5 million (2005).
Government Constitutional monarchy. Recent history: King Gyanendra ascended the throne in June 2001 soon after then Crown Prince Dipendra gunned down his parents King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya and seven other royals before killing himself. On 1 February 2005, the King dismissed Prime
Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his Government, for failing in its mandate to hold elections and to restore peace. He took power directly himself. His move was also accompanied by a state of emergency, which included a number of measures including censorship of the press and suspension of many fundamental rights. He subsequently appointed a mainly pro-monarchist Cabinet to govern under him, largely drawn from the pre-democratic Panchayati era. The escalating crisis between the King, political parties and the Maoist insurgents culminated in mass strikes and demonstrations against the King’s direct rule in spring 2006. The King recalled Parliament in April 2006 and appointed Girija Prasad Koirala, the leader of the largest political party Nepali Congress, as Prime Minister.
Language The official language is Nepali (spoken by 49 per cent). There are many other languages, including Maithili and Bhojpuri. English is spoken in business circles and by people involved in the travel trade.
Religion Mainly Hindu (81 per cent) and Buddhist (11 per cent), with a small Muslim minority (4 per cent).
Time GMT + 5.75.
Electricity 220 volts AC, 50Hz. There are frequent power cuts.
Head of Government Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala since April 2006.
Head of State King Maharajadhira Gyanendra since 2001.
Telephone Country code: 977. The Telecommunication Office, Tripureshwar, deals with telephone calls and cables. The International Telephone Office is open Mon-Thurs 0900-1400 and Fri 0900-1330. Hotels and private communication centers provide long-distance telephone services (ISD, STD).
Mobile Telephone Roaming agreements exist with some international mobile phone companies. Coverage is sporadic and variable.
Internet There are Internet cafes in Kathmandu, Patan and Pokhara. Internet services are also provided by hotels.
Media The Maoist rebellion in Nepal, and the efforts to suppress it, have had a profound impact on the media. Media rights groups say attacks on media workers have been perpetrated by both sides in the conflict. It is reported that in 2004, for the third consecutive year, more journalists had been arrested in Nepal than in any other country. Press freedoms were suspended under a state of emergency invoked by King Gyanendra in February 2005. The restrictions were enshrined in a media law in October. As a result, some newspapers have left their editorial pages blank, or have published editorials on deliberately bland topics. Up to 60 private FM radio stations have been ordered not to broadcast political news and to restrict their coverage to sport, education, environment and health matters. The government publishes a Nepali-language daily and an English-language newspaper. It operates national radio and TV services.
Post Postal services are available in most centers. Make sure that letters are hand-cancelled at the post office (post boxes should not be used for important communications).
Post office hours: The general post office in Kathmandu (near the Dharahara Tower) is open Mon-Fri 0900-1700. Main hotels will also handle post.
Press • English-language newspapers available in Nepal are The Himalayan Times (website: www.thehimalayantimes.com), The Kathmandu Post (website: www.kantipuronline.com) and Rising Nepal. • Other dailies include Kantipur and Annapurna Post. • The International Herald Tribune, Newsweek and Time can all be found in Kathmandu. • State-owned Gorkhapatra is Nepal’s oldest newspaper.
Radio • Radio Nepal is state-run. • HBC 94 FM is operated by the Himalayan Broadcasting Company. • FM station Radio Sagarmatha is a public, community station. • Kantipur FM, Image FM and Hits FM are commercial stations. • BBC World Service is available on FM in Kathmandu.
Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.
2007 23 Jan Vasant Panchami. 30 Jan Martyrs’ Day. 19 Feb Rashtriya Prajatantra Divas (National Democracy Day). Mar Ghode Jatra (Festival of Horses). 4 Mar Holi. 6 Mar Shivaratri (in honor of Lord Shiva). 8 Mar Nepalese Women’s Day. 27 Mar Ram Nawami (Birthday of Lord Ram). Mar/Apr Chaite Dashain. 14 Apr Navabarsha (New Year’s Day). 2 May Buddha Jayanti (Birthday of Lord Buddha). 20 Aug Children’s Day. 28 Aug Rakshya Bandhan (Janai Purnima). 3 Sep Krishna Janmashtami. 18 Sep Fulpati Saptami. 19 Sep Maha Asthami. 20 Sep Maha Nawami. 21 Sep Vijaya Dashami. 11 Oct Laxhmi Puja. 12 Oct Ghatasthapana. 12 Oct Gobardhan Puja. 9 Nov Constitution Day. 2008 Jan* Vasant Panchami. 30 Jan Martyrs’ Day. 19 Feb Rashtriya Prajatantra Divas (National Democracy Day). Mar* Ghode Jatra (Festival of Horses). Mar* Holi. Mar* Ram Nawami (Birthday of Lord Ram). Mar* Shivaratri (in honor of Lord Shiva). 8 Mar Nepalese Women’s Day. Mar/Apr* Chaite Dashain. 14 Apr Navabarsha (New Year’s Day). May* Buddha Jayanti (Birthday of Lord Buddha). Aug* Rakshya Bandhan (Janai Purnima). 20 Aug Children’s Day. Aug/Sep* Krishna Janmashtami. Sep* Fulpati Saptami. Sep* Maha Asthami. Sep* Maha Nawami. Sep* Vijaya Dashami. Oct* Laxhmi Puja. Oct* Ghatasthapana. Oct* Gobardhan Puja. 9 Nov Constitution Day.
Note Some of the above are Hindu festivals, which are declared according to local astronomical observations. It is not possible to predict the exact dates of festivals occuring and the dates published are approximations. Travelers should check locally nearer the time for precise dates.
*These dates are currently unconfirmed.
Contact Information:
Nepal Tourism Board Bhrikuti Mandap, PO Box 11018, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: (1) 425 6909 or 6229. Website: www.welcomenepal.com
Royal Nepalese Embassy in the UK 12A Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QU, UK Tel: (020) 7229 1594 or 6231. Website: www.nepembassy.org.uk Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700; 1000-1200 (consular section).
Royal Nepalese Embassy in the USA 2131 Leroy Place, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA Tel: (202) 667 4550. Website: www.nepalembassyusa.org
Royal Nepalese Consulate General in the USA 820 Second Avenue, Suite 17B, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: (212) 370 3988/9.
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