on May 28, 2008, Nepal was declared a Federal Democratic Republic.

Capital

Kathmandu

Languages

Nepali

Religion

Hinduism

Government

Absolute monarchy(17681990)
constitutional
monarchy (19902008)

Monarch
- 17681775

Prithvi Narayan Shah(first)

- 19501951;

Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah

20012008

Dev (last)

Prime
Minister
- 1846-1856

Jang Bahadur Rana(first)

- 2006-2008

Girija Prasad Koirala(last)

Legislature

Curia regis
(17681990)

Parliament
(19902002)

Curia regis
(20022006)

Parliament
(20062007)

Interim legislature
(20072008)

History
- Unification
underPrithvi
Narayan
Shah

25 September 1768[4]

- Rana
dynasty

18461953

- constitutional
monarchy

19902007

- Republic

28 May 2008

Currency

Nepalese mohar(17681932)
Nepalese rupee(19322008)

Republic
The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) won the largest number of seats in
the Constituent Assembly election held on April 10, 2008, and formed a coalition government
which included most of the parties in the CA. Although acts of violence occurred during the preelectoral period, election observers noted that the elections themselves were markedly peaceful
and "well-carried out".[51]
The newly elected Assembly met in Kathmandu on May 28, 2008, and, after a polling of 564
constituent Assembly members, 560 voted to form a new government,[50] with the
monarchist Rastriya Prajatantra Party, which had four members in the assembly, registering a
dissenting note. At that point, it was declared that Nepal had become a secular and inclusive
democratic republic,[52][53] with the government announcing a three-day public holiday from May
2830.[citation needed] The king was thereafter given 15 days to vacateNarayanhity Palace so it could
reopen as a public museum.[54]
Nonetheless, political tensions and consequent power-sharing battles have continued in Nepal.
In May 2009, the Maoist-led government was toppled and another coalition government with all
major political parties barring the Maoists was formed.[55] Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist
Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) was made the Prime Minister of the coalition
government.[56] In February 2011 the Madhav Kumar Nepal Government was toppled and Jhala
Nath Khanal of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified MarxistLeninist) was made the Prime
Minister.[citation needed][57] In August 2011 the Jhala Nath Khanal Government was toppled and Baburam
Bhattarai of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) was made the Prime Minister.[58]
The political parties were unable to draft a constitution in the stipulated time. [59] This led to
dissolution of the Constituent Assembly to pave way for new elections to strive for a new political
mandate. In opposition to the theory of separation of powers, then Chief Justice Khila Raj Regmi
was made the chairman of the caretaker government. Under Regmi, the nation saw peaceful
elections for the constituent assembly. The major forces in the earlier constituent assembly
(namely CPN Maoists and Madhesi parties) dropped to distant 3rd and even below.[60][61]
In February 2014, after consensus was reached between the two major parties in the constituent
assembly, Sushil Koirala was sworn in as the new prime minister of Nepal. [17][62]

Main article: April 2015 Nepal earthquake

On April 25, 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal.[63] Two weeks later, on May 12,
another earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 hit Nepal, killing more than 150 people in Nepal and
more than 200 people in total.

April 2015 Nepal earthquake

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Nepalese earthquake that happened on 25 April 2015. For the major
aftershock on 12 May 2015, see May 2015 Nepal earthquake.

2015 Nepal earthquake

Kathmandu

Date

25 April 2015

Origin

11:56:26 NST[1]

time

Magnitude 7.8Mw[1] or 8.1 Ms[2]

Depth

15.0 km (9.3 mi)[1]

28.147N 84.708ECoordinates:

Epicenter

28.147N 84.708E[1]

Type

Thrust[1]

Areas
affected

Nepal

India

China


Total

Bangladesh

$5 billion (about 25% ofGDP)[3]

damage
Max.

IX (Violent)[1]

intensity
Aftershock 7.3Mw on 12 May at 12:51[4]
s

6.7Mw on 26 April at 12:54[5]

No. of aftershocks( >=4ML )=329 (as of 24
June 2015)[6]

Casualties

8,786 dead in Nepal (officially) and 8,947

in total[7][8] 21,952 injured (officially)[7]

The April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as the Gorkha earthquake)[6][9] killed more than
8,800 people and injured more than 23,000. It occurred at 11:56 NST on 25 April, with a
magnitude of 7.8Mw[1] or 8.1Ms[2] and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of IX (Violent).
Its epicenter was east of the district of Lamjung, and its hypocenter was at a depth of
approximately 15 km (9.3 mi).[1] It was the worst natural disaster to strike Nepal since the 1934
NepalBihar earthquake.[10][11][12]
The earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest, killing at least 19,[13] making April 25,
2015 the deadliest day on the mountain in history.[14] The earthquake triggered another huge
avalanche in the Langtang valley, where 250 people were reported missing.[15][16]
Hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless with entire villages flattened, [15][17][18] across
many districts of the country. Centuries-old buildings were destroyed at UNESCO World Heritage
sites in the Kathmandu Valley, including some at the Kathmandu Durbar Square,
the Patan Durbar Squar, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the Changu Narayan Temple and
the SwayambhunathStupa. Geophysicists and other experts had warned for decades that Nepal
was vulnerable to a deadly earthquake, particularly because of its geology, urbanization, and
architecture.[19][20]
Continued aftershocks occurred throughout Nepal within 1520 minute intervals, with one shock
reaching a magnitude of 6.7 on 26 April at 12:54:08 NST.[5] The country also had a continued risk
of landslides.[21]
A major aftershock occurred on 12 May 2015 at 12:51 NST with a moment magnitude (Mw) of
7.3.[22] The epicenter was near the Chinese border between the capital of Kathmandu and Mt.
Everest.[23] More than 200 people were killed and more than 2,500 were injured by this
aftershock.[24]

Aftermath
Disastrous events in very poor and politically paralyzed nations such as Nepal often become a
long drawn out chain of events, in that one disaster feeds into another for years or even decades
upon end. The after effects from the earthquake have knock effects on a myriad seemingly
unrelated aspects: human trafficking, labor cost and availability, rental and property cost
burdens, urbanization, private and public debt burdens, mental health, politics, tourism, as well
as disease and healthcare system damages, disasters that come with the monsoon season. The
first monsoon related effects: a landslip on June 11th has claimed 53 lives [55] meanwhile a glacial
lake had burst in particularly hard hit Solukhumbhu district; [56] whether or not the quake had
contributed such events is often unknown and unresearched, but certainly possible.

International aid
UNICEF appealed for donations, as close to 1.7 million children had been driven out into the
open, and were in desperate need of drinking water, psychological counsel, temporary shelters,
sanitation and protection from disease outbreak. It distributed water, tents, hygiene kits, water
purification tablets and buckets.[138] Numerous other organizations provided similar support. [139]
India was the first to respond within hours, being Nepal's immediate neighbour,[140] with Operation
Maitri which provided rescue and relief by its armed forces. It also evacuated its own and other
countries' stranded nationals. The United Kingdom has been the largest bilateral aid donor to
Nepal following the earthquake.[141][142] The United States, China and other nations have provided
helicopters as requested by the Nepali government.[143][144]
On 26 April 2015, international aid agencies and governments mobilized rescue workers and aid
for the earthquake. They faced challenges in both getting assistance to Nepal and ferrying
people to remote areas as the country had few helicopters.[145][146] Relief efforts were also
hampered by Nepalese government insistence on routing aid through the Prime Minister's
Disaster Relief Fund and its National Emergency Operation Center. After concerns were raised, it
was clarified that "Non-profits" or NGOs already in the country could continue receiving aid
directly and bypass the official fund.[145][147] Aid mismatch and supply of "leftovers" by donors,[148] aid
diversion in Nepal,[149] mistrust over control of the distribution of funds and supplies,[150][151]
[152]

congestion and customs delays at Kathmandu's airport and border check posts were also

reported.[153][154] On 3 May 2015, restrictions were placed on heavy aircraft flying in aid supplies
after new cracks were noticed on the runway at the Tribhuvan airport (KTM), Nepal's only widebody jet airport.[155][156][157]

Foreign relations and military

Main articles: Nepalese Armed Forces and Foreign relations of Nepal

Nepal has close ties with both of its neighbors, India and China. In accordance with a longstanding treaty, Indian and Nepalese citizens may travel to each other's countries without a
passport or visa. Nepalese citizens may work in India without legal restriction. The Indian
Army maintains seven Gorkha regiments consisting of Gorkha troops recruited mostly from
Nepal.

Khukuri symbolic weapon of the Nepalese Army and Gurkha

However, since the Government of Nepal has been dominated by socialists, and India's
government has been controlled by more right-wing parties, India has been remilitarizing the
"porous" Indo-Nepali border to stifle the flow of Islamist groups.[86]
Nepal established relations with the People's Republic of China on 1 August 1955, and relations
since have been based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Nepal has aided China in
the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and China has provided economic assistance for
Nepali infrastructure. Both countries have cooperated to host the 2008 Summer Olympics
summit of Mt. Everest.[87] Nepal has assisted in curbing anti-China protests from the Tibetan
diaspora.[88]
Nepal's military consists of the Nepalese Army, which includes the Nepalese Army Air Service.
The Nepalese Police Force is the civilian police and the Armed Police Force Nepal[89] is the
paramilitary force. Service is voluntary and the minimum age for enlistment is 18 years. Nepal
spends $99.2 million (2004) on its military1.5% of its GDP. Much of the equipment and arms
are imported from India. Consequently, the US provided M16s M4s and other Colt weapons to
combat communist (Maoist) insurgents. The standard-issue battle rifle of the Nepalese army is
the Colt M16.[90]
In the new regulations by Nepalese Army, female soldiers have been barred from participating
in combat situations and fighting in the frontlines of war. However, they are allowed to be a part
of the army in sections like intelligence, headquarters, signals and operations.[91]

Constitution: several previous; latest entered into force 15 Januar y 2007 (interim); note -a
Constituent Assem bly (CA) elected in 2008 to draft and promulgate a new constitution was
unsuccessful and was dissolved in mid-2012; a new CA was elected in late 2013 and the parties
have committed to promulgating a new constitution by mid-Februar y 2015 (2014)
Political pressure groups and leaders: The Communist Party of Nepal - Maoist (CPN-M); note - this
party split from the UCPN(M) in June 2012,opposed the November 2013 elections, and is not
represented in the current Constituent Assem bly
other: a variet y of groups advocating regional autonom y such as the Federal State Lim buwan
Council in far eastern Nepal