About Nepal

Nepal, with a population of 27 million people, has been open to the west since 1951, and has had a democratic government since only 1990. Situated between India and China, with topography ranging from the Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world, to the Tarai, sea-level plains, Nepal is ethnically, ecologically and politically diverse. After a ten-year-long civil conflict that ended with a UN-monitored peace treaty in November 2006, Nepal held democratic elections in April 2008. The Maoists won those elections, and led the government until spring 2009, when Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigned, and the United Marxist-Leninist party formed a new coalition government led by Madhav Kumar Nepal.

Nepal's economy is largely supported by foreign aid, tourism and remittances from Nepalis working abroad. The increase in consumer loans over the past few years has provided the middle class with new purchasing power, which can be seen in the proliferation of private vehicles and new motorcycles on the roads of Kathmandu and other cities, as well as brand new shopping centers and gated housing colonies.

Although television was introduced to Nepal in the early 1980s, until 2002, the majority of programming available was imported from India and the West; Nepal had only one television station, which was government owned. Now there are six private commercial television stations operating in addition to the government-owned Nepal Television and Nepal One Channel. The first private commercial FM radio station, Kantipur FM, began broadcasting in 1998, and now the radio dial is bursting with newly licensed stations.

The rise in domestic radio and television production since 1998 and 2002, respectively, has introduced a new variety of Nepali programming that is heavily influenced by Western media. These include television programs like an "American Idol" -type talent show and music video shows aimed at teenagers and young adults, and radio programs with call-in shows for love and advice, and request and dedication shows with all types of popular Western and Nepali music. Further, print media in Nepal aimed at teenagers and young adults features fashion spreads with young Nepali models wearing the latest Western styles. Additionally, the rise in the popularity and accessibility of the Internet has seen an increase in both the production and consumption of websites featuring fashion and music aimed at teenagers and young adults.