Space Program of Nepal / Nepalese Space Program

With its ancient culture and the Himalayas as a backdrop, landlocked Nepal has long been a destination for travellers in search of adventure, 'as far away from civilization as possible.'

A brief experiment with multi-party politics in 1959 ended with King Mahendra suspending parliament and taking sole charge.

Democratic politics was introduced in 1991 after popular protests, but it has been extremely factionalised with frequent changes of government. The current monarch has twice assumed executive powers - in 2002 and 2005.

Meanwhile, Maoist rebels intent on setting up a communist republic have been waging a campaign against the constitutional monarchy in a conflict that has left more than 12,000 people dead since it started in 1996.

The UN says the rebellion has displaced more than 100,000 people. Its envoy in the country says the use of torture by government forces and rebels was routine.

When King Gyanendra ended his direct rule in April 2006 the rebels entered talks on how to end the civil war.

Nepal has been at odds with neighbouring Bhutan over the repatriation of thousands of refugees living in camps in Nepal. The refugees - Bhutanese of Nepalese descent - fled violence in their homeland in the early 1990s.

With the world's highest mountain, Everest, and spectacular scenery and wildlife, the country has great potential as a tourist destination.

It also boasts a distinctive Hindu and Buddhist culture. But its environmental challenges including deforestation, encroachment on animal habitats and vehicle pollution in the capital, Kathmandu.

Most of the population depend on agriculture, and around 40% of Nepalis are estimated to live in poverty.

Foreign aid is vital to sustaining the Nepalese economy, and the country is also dependent on trade with neighbouring India.

Full name: Kingdom of Nepal

Population: 26.3 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Kathmandu
Area: 147,181 sq km (56,827 sq miles)
Major language: Nepali
Major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism
Life expectancy: 61 years (men), 62 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Nepalese rupee = 100 paisa
Main exports: Carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
GNI per capita: US $270 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .np
International dialling code: +977

Head of state: King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev

King Gyanendra recalled parliament in April 2006 after weeks of strikes and protests against his direct rule.

Weeks later, parliament voted unanimously to curtail the monarch's political powers, effectively rendering him a ceremonial figure.

The king sacked the government in February 2005, assumed absolute power and appointed a mainly pro-monarchist cabinet.

He said the former administration, under Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, had failed to stem Maoist violence and to organise elections. The monarch's actions triggered protests at home and criticism from abroad.

King Gyanendra ascended the throne in June 2001 soon after then Crown Prince Dipendra gunned down his parents King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya and seven other royals.

The 29-year-old prince ran amok at a family dinner in a drunken and drug-fuelled rage before killing himself.

King Gyanendra was born in 1947. He is married and has two children. His youngest son, Paras, is the heir to the throne.

Prime minister: Girija Prasad Koirala

King Gyanendra appointed the veteran politician GP Koirala, an octogenarian, as prime minister on 27 April 2006, ending more than a year of direct rule by the monarch.

The leaders of a seven-party alliance selected him as their candidate to head a new government after the king agreed to reinstate parliament following street protests against his direct rule.

The administration wants to bring the Maoists into the political mainstream and has held peace talks with the rebels. It aims to set up an elected assembly, which will be tasked with creating a new constitution.

Mr Koirala leads the Nepali Congress, the country's largest and oldest political party. He became Nepal's first elected premier in 1991 and began his fourth and most recent term in 2000.

The former trade union leader and exile was detained several times during the latest period of direct rule by the king. He was jailed in the 1960s while campaigning for democratic rule.

In May 2006 Nepal's new multi-party government eased some of the edicts that had stifled press freedom during the state of emergency invoked by King Gyanendra in February 2005.

The media watchdog Reporters Without Borders says Nepal accounted for half of the world's censorship cases in 2005 and that more than 400 journalists had been arrested, attacked or threatened. "Security forces stop at nothing to monitor and silence journalists working for the independent press," the organisation added.

Once-outspoken private publications found themselves operating under strict guidelines. Some newspapers left their editorial pages blank, or published editorials on deliberately bland topics. Private FM radio stations were ordered not to broadcast political news.

The Maoist rebellion in Nepal, and the efforts to suppress it, have had a profound impact on the media. Rights groups say attacks on media workers have been perpetrated by both sides in the conflict.

The government publishes a Nepali-language daily and an English-language newspaper. It operates national radio and TV services.

BBC World Service is available on FM in Kathmandu.