ABSTRACT

The landlocked Kingdom of Nepal, bounded on the north by Tibet and the south by India, is best known for Mt. Everest and the other high peaks of the Himalayas. Agriculture accounts for about 70 percent of the gross domestic product and employs over 90 percent of the labor force. Minerals play a very minor role in the economy. There are many copper, lead, and zinc showings in the central and eastern parts of Nepal. However, few of the mineral occurrences are commercially exploitable. There are tentative plans to develop a lead-zinc deposit at Lari, thirty-five miles northwest of Katmandu. Nepal’s first cement plant (Himal) began operating in 1975 and should supply 25 percent of the country’s needs. The government plans to build a plant of 200,000–250,000 tons per year at Hetaunda, south of Katmandu.