Download - Country Analysis of Nepal
NEPALBY
PORSCHE NICHOLS
@porschenichols
Nepal Basics
• Capital: Kathmandu
• Currency: Nepalese rupee (NPR)
• Languages: Nepali (official) 47.8%Maithali 12.1%
• Religion: Hindu 80.6%
• Population: Approx 30.5 Million
• Country Risk Rating: D
Up until 1951, “the modern era”, Nepal had no
Schools
Hospitals
Roads
Telecommunications
Electric Power
Industry
Civil Service
Fun Fact
Government
• Parliamentary Democracy
• Chief of State: President Ram Baran YadavHead of Gov: PM Baburam Bhattarai
• Governments in Nepal have tended to be highly unstable; no government has survived for more than two years since 1991
• Still have not formed an official government
Geography
Land locked between India and China
Lots of Hills
Nepal has eight of the worlds’s ten highest mountain peaks– Himalayas/Mt Everest – 8,848 M tall
Culture
GREETINGS:
• Men/Men & Women/Women: Meetings begin w/palms pressed together, at chest, saying “Namaste” which means “I salute the god/goddesses in you”! (handshakes are common w/those familiar with western culture)
• Men and Women: Same as above but should not initiate handshake!
Communication
Greetings:
• Always use right hand when shaking
• Male: Can accept handshake with men and women, but never initiate (especially married women)
• Handshakes are soft, does not mean anything
Communication
Communication Style
• Often say what you want to hear to be polite• Don’t use direct ‘no’
• They tend to ask personal questions but you should not do the same
• Thankfulness is more of a facial expression than verbal
• Don’t call friends parents by name (Amaa or Buba—Mom or Dad)
Communication
Personal Space & Touching
• Arm’s length is perfect, esp btwn Men & Women
• Friends often walk holding hands/arm & arm
• No PDA – Frowned upon
Eye Contact
• Eye Contact with same gender okay, opposite sex should avoid it.
Communication
View of Time
• On time is not valued (business & social)
• “Nepali time” – run late for everything
• Expect delays at all levels• Busses, Taxi, Plane, Hotel Room, Etc.
Communication
Gestures
• Pointing your finger is bad – means “I have something against you!”
• Blowing your nose in public is rude
• People spit and through stuff – no law against littering
• Belching after a meal is in tribute to the meal
• Impolite to refuse refreshments
Communication
• Never keep shoe’s upside down – bad luck
• Spilling rice (esp cooked) and walking on it – Insult to Hindu Goddess of Food
• For a long travel – take sip of yogurt
Statistics
• Infant Mortality Rate: 43.13 deaths per 1,000 live births (compared to 6 in the US)
• 25.2 % below poverty line
• Unemployment rate 46% (15. 1% in the US)
Social Media
• Top 3 Brands on FB• Ncell• Ace Travels• Australia Education & Career Consultants
• Top 3 Celebrities on FB• Shakira• Salaman Khan• AKON
Top Websites
• YouTube
• Yahoo
#SOME BY THE NUMBERS
• 11% internet penetration
• 42% phone penetration
• 98% of internet usage comes from mobile
Source: http://www.slideshare.net/wearesocialsg/we-are-socials-guide-to-social-digital-and-mobile-in-nepal-dec-2011
Thank you!