How Powerful Is Nepal?
it is best known for the most famous mountain in the world, Mount Everest, geographically, Nepal is actually fairly small At roughly 57 thousand square miles, the country is about the size of the the US state of Iowa, but with ten times the population, at more than 30 million people.
Nepal is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world.
About half of the population is unemployed, and roughly a quarter live below the poverty line.
Its GDP of less than $20 billion dollars means that per-capita, the nation is on par with Rwanda.
As a developing country, agriculture is the backbone of Nepal’s economy, contributing to the livelihood of nearly 70 percent of the population.
For the rest, Nepal relies on tourism and remittances, or people working overseas and sending their income back home.
But revenue from both of these industries has plummeted since 2015, when two major earthquakes resulted in more than 30 thousand casualties and an estimated $10 billion dollars in damage.
In the aftermath, tourism screeched to a halt, and many Nepalese working overseas were forced to return home to rebuild.
When it comes to defense, Nepal also leaves much to be desired With roughly 150,000 active military personnel, the country spends just over one percent of its GDP on defense.
Nepal does get considerable military backing from China and the United States, which have two of the strongest militaries in the world.
other financial support has kept Nepal at China’s will, especially when it comes to neighboring Tibet, which has been seeking autonomy from China for decades.
Under pressure from China, Nepal has increasingly hindered Tibetan refugees from seeking asylum in the country, and has placed new restrictions on those already living there.
Nepal is often held captive to its neighbors’ demands For instance in 2015, India refused to recognize Nepal’s new constitution, and instituted a trade embargo This forced Nepal to import more goods from China, including oil, which they have exclusively purchased from India for the last four decades.
In early 2016, Nepal amended its constitution to appease India, however India still has major qualms.
Nepal is still stuck between two regional powers With little influence in their region and on the world stage, the country can only be described as ‘powerless’.
Climbing Mount Everest would be impossible without the Sherpas of Nepal to help foreign visitors make the trip despite their integral role, Nepal’s government is not entirely supportive.
Nepal is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world.
About half of the population is unemployed, and roughly a quarter live below the poverty line.
Its GDP of less than $20 billion dollars means that per-capita, the nation is on par with Rwanda.
As a developing country, agriculture is the backbone of Nepal’s economy, contributing to the livelihood of nearly 70 percent of the population.
For the rest, Nepal relies on tourism and remittances, or people working overseas and sending their income back home.
But revenue from both of these industries has plummeted since 2015, when two major earthquakes resulted in more than 30 thousand casualties and an estimated $10 billion dollars in damage.
In the aftermath, tourism screeched to a halt, and many Nepalese working overseas were forced to return home to rebuild.
When it comes to defense, Nepal also leaves much to be desired With roughly 150,000 active military personnel, the country spends just over one percent of its GDP on defense.
Nepal does get considerable military backing from China and the United States, which have two of the strongest militaries in the world.
other financial support has kept Nepal at China’s will, especially when it comes to neighboring Tibet, which has been seeking autonomy from China for decades.
Under pressure from China, Nepal has increasingly hindered Tibetan refugees from seeking asylum in the country, and has placed new restrictions on those already living there.
Nepal is often held captive to its neighbors’ demands For instance in 2015, India refused to recognize Nepal’s new constitution, and instituted a trade embargo This forced Nepal to import more goods from China, including oil, which they have exclusively purchased from India for the last four decades.
In early 2016, Nepal amended its constitution to appease India, however India still has major qualms.
Nepal is still stuck between two regional powers With little influence in their region and on the world stage, the country can only be described as ‘powerless’.
Climbing Mount Everest would be impossible without the Sherpas of Nepal to help foreign visitors make the trip despite their integral role, Nepal’s government is not entirely supportive.
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