1. Nepal

The population of Nepal is estimated to 21.9 million inhabitants and the yearly growth to 2.6 percent (1990-1995).

In order to slow down this growth which is thought to be too fast, the government encourages the familial planning.

Especially in the fertile valley of Katmandou and in the Teraî is concentrated the population. Most of Nepalis live in villages located near springs. Only a few towns have more than 10 000 inhabitants. Many ethnic groups are coming from a mountain to another in order to take advantage of the most suitable season climatic changes to growing and livestock farming. Some, especially iIn the mountains, are going regularly to India to get a temporary job, to do shopping and business.

Usually the Nepalis are religious and very attached to their family. Physical purity, spiritual subtlety and humility are very great values. Misfortune and good fortune are accepted commonly as well as fate or karma (generated force by a person’s behaviour which causes his future incarnation). Time is more seen as events in connection with seasons than as hours and minutes.

Most of Nepalis also believe to some extent that the bhoot (ghosts), the prêt (evil spirits), the bokshi (witches) and the graha dasha (bad planets’ position) can cause diseases for persons and cattle or accidents and destroy the crops. Therefore incense, flowers and food are given to calm spirits and planets down.

It’s also possible to sacrifice a cock or a Billy goat. Class consciousness always exists in this society who is especially embracing Hinduism and it affects deeply Nepalis’behaviour towards each other.

The men are often wearing clothes of European style but yet the traditional garment Is usual for the women: many are wearing the sari ( a long coloured-whirled round the neck dress) and a cholo (blouse). The women of Tibetan nationality are wearing a bhakhu (draped dress) and a coloured apron if they are married.

The women in South and the young girls are often wearing the Punjabi (coloured tight to the ankles trousers with a matched knee-deep coat). The hindu married-women do wear a tika (a mark with bright red powder) onto the forehead and bright red powder at the root of the hair to mean that their husband is still alive. The widows don’t wear tika, powder, jewels or coloured clothes.

The Nepali, an indo-european language connected with hindi, is being official spoken but more than 20 major languages are spoken so as several dialects. Most of inhabitants are speaking different nepali-levels, but they use more easily the language of their own ethnic group.

More and more inhabitants in urban areas are speaking English more or less fluent. In fact English Is being used for education in many schools and especially in colleges; thus its use is connected with a level at college or a high-social status. Furthermore English has become compulsory for all jobs in connection with tourism..

4. Nepalese society

Nepal is a kingdom. After the approval of a new constitution in 1990, Nepal has become a constitutional monarchy.

 The king is chief of the State and the prime minister, the chief of the government.

The parliament is composed of a high house of 60 in part elected members (national council) and a low house of 205 elected members (House of Representatives). The country is a democracy including several parts.

Young people are allowed to vote until they are 18. At local level Nepal is organised according to a pyramidal system with 3 panchayat levels (councils).

In spite of this apparent democracy press liberty doesn’t exist in practice where every year several dozens of journalists are disappearing and where politic opponents are committing suicides in their jail.

The agriculture runs the economy. It employs more than 91 percent of workforce (of which a great part is living on food crops and represents about 59 percent of G.D.P. (PIB). The manufactured industry only is set to transform these farming products. The jute and the rice are the main export crops.

Tourism represents the second great industry. The earned incomes of more than 4 million nepalis who are working in India including the soldiers gurkhas, do represent a major support to economy and the private shops which are located beyond the border, can afford supplying Nepal with necessary goods from India.

Underemployment and inflation are high-level and the standard of living of most nepalis ranks among the lowest over the world. In Nepal G.D.P. is estimated to 138 dollars (1991). About 60 percent of population are poor as the highest-social-level classes are the very income-earners.

East and Centre regions are more developed and wealthier than those of west. The currency is the rupaiya (nepali roupie).

All the main means of transport are state-owned. The roads are in a better repair and these are a lot more in the south. However not many of nepalis own a car. Most of them are going on foot or they are cycling, they also use the buses in some regions. Driving keeps to the left. They often use the animals to draw wagons.

There are a national airline company so as a few private companies and two short railway lines linking Nepal to India. The phones are only operating in urban areas. Radio-Nepal broadcasts its news almost all over the country and nearly the whole population can see the Nepalese TV programmes. The official newspaper, the Rising Nepal (the new Nepal) is published in Nepali and in English.

The literacy tuition rate is about 28 percent (1995), one of the lowest in the world and only is 14 percent for the girls. 

Today the government wants to reform the educational system in order to offer a better education and an easier admission to education. Theoretically primary school is free. The teachers of primary get payments from the state who grants subsidies to high schools and colleges. More than 90 percent of the children are registered in primary schools (official estimate), but school facilities are often out-of-date and even nonexistent.

State education system is in such a pitiful condition that people who can afford paying school fees, register their children in private schools which very often sell the degrees (guarantees for success from the registration).

In rural areas the young girls leave school when they are 12 year-old to take care of the younger children or to help to land growing.

Moreover the teachers often prefer remaining in the towns rather than settling in little mountainous villages therefore a lot of schools in the mountains have not got any teachers. And secondary schools only exist in urban areas and a lot of families can’t afford paying the school fees.

The Tribhuwan university in Katmandou is the main university; less important campus are located in the urban centres but the Mahendra Sanskrit university is the only another.

Nepal has a high infantile death rate as it is 110 for 1.000 and a low life expectancy of 54 years (1995).About 38 percent of the population only can use drinking water and diseases like meningitis, typhoid fever and hepatitis are very common. The number of the Health services is increasing slowly but the hospitals are badly equipped and a lot of people are going to consult traditional healers.