Former administrative units of Nepal

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Former administrative units of Nepal are administrative divisions during Kingdom of Nepal. In 2008 Nepal was proclaimed a federal republic and old administrative units restricted after adoption of new constitution on 20 September 2015. [1]

Contents

Formerly, Nepal was divided into 5 development regions, 14 zones, 75 districts, 58 municipalities (before 2014) and 3157 village development committee. [2] [3] [4] [5]

History

Kingdom of Nepal was formed in 1768, by unification of Nepal. [6]

Before the treaty of Sugauli in 1814–16, the territories under Nepalese control included Darjeeling to the South-east, whole of Sikkim to the east, Nainital to the south-west and the Kumaon Kingdom and Garhwal Kingdom to the west. [7]

After the Sugauli treaty in 1814-16 Nepal came to existence in today's shape. During the time of king Rajendra Bir Bikram Shah and prime minister Bhimsen Thapa, Nepal was divided into 10 districts. [8]

During the time of prime minister Bir Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana (1885-1901) Nepal was divided into 32 districts and Doti, Palpa and Dhankuta were 3 gaunda (Nepali : गौंडा) (English meaning: Cantonment). Hilly region had 20 districts and Terai had 12 districts. [8]

Even after Bir Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana to the end of Rana rule in Nepal in 1951 and till the proclamation of new constitution of Kingdom of Nepal in 1962, Nepal remained divided into 32 districts. Each had a headquarters and Bada Haqim (District Administrator) as its head. From 1951 to 1962 many acts and constitutions passed which shows name of 32 districts. [9] [10] [11]

In 1962, the reorganisation of traditional 35 districts into 14 zones and 75 development Districts. [12]

In 1972 (2029 B.S.). The late King Birendra in assistance with renowned scholar late Dr. Hark Gurung brought forth the concept of regional development for the harmonious developments of all parts of the country. Subsequently, he divided Nepal into 4 Development Regions in 1972: Eastern, Central, Western and Far Western. Since the Far Western Development Region became too large in size, it was further divided by creating the Mid-Western Development Region in 1981. Mid-western Development Region was created out of Karnali, Rapti and Bheri zones. It was done with the objective to achieve balanced, effective and rapid development programs in the country. [13]

Development Regions

Prior to September 2015, Nepal was divided into 5 Development regions. They were first-level of administrative divisions. [14]

Development Regions of Nepal Nepal development regions.png
Development Regions of Nepal
Development Regions of Nepal
sr.Development RegionsNepali NameHeadquartersArea (km2.)Population (2011)
1 Eastern Development Region पुर्वाञ्चल विकास क्षेत्र Dhankuta 28,4565,811,555
2 Central Development Region मध्यमाञ्चल विकास क्षेत्र Kathmandu 27,4109,656,985
3 Western Development Region पश्चिमाञ्चल विकास क्षेत्र Pokhara 29,3984,926,765
4 Mid-Western Development Region मध्य पश्चिमाञ्चल विकास क्षेत्र Birendranagar 42,3783,546,682
5 Far-Western Development Region सुदुर पश्चिमाञ्चल विकास क्षेत्र Dipayal 19,5392,552,517
Nepal नेपाल Kathmandu 147,18126,494,504

Zones

There were 14 zones divided into 5 development regions. Each development region had 3 zones. Only the Far-Western Development Region had 2 zones.

Zones of Nepal Map-of-Nepal.png
Zones of Nepal
Zones of Nepal
sr.RegionsZonesHeadquartersArea (km2.)Population (2011)
1 Eastern Mechi Zone Ilam 8,1961,422,182
2 Kosi Zone Biratnagar 9,6692,335,047
3 Sagarmatha Zone Rajbiraj 10,5912,054,326
4 Central Janakpur Zone Jaleshwar 9,6692,837,481
5 Bagmati Zone Kathmandu 9,4283,843,596
6 Narayani Zone Birgunj 8,3132,975,908
7 Western Gandaki Zone Pokhara 12,2751,549,857
8 Lumbini Zone Butwal 8,9752,834,612
9 Dhawalagiri Zone Baglung 8,148542,296
10 Mid-West Rapti Zone Tulsipur 10,4821,456,202
11 Karnali Zone Chandannath 21,351388,713
12 Bheri Zone Nepalganj 10,5451,701,767
13 Far-West Seti Zone Dhangadhi 12,5501,575,003
14 Mahakali Zone Bhimdatta 6,989977,514
Nepal 14 Zones Kathmandu 147,18126,494,504

Districts

There were 75 districts in Nepal before 2015. They were grouped together to form zones. 2 new districts formed after 2015. District Development Committees (DDCs) were established to carry out all the administrative as well as clerical functions of a district.

Zones of Nepal Nepal zones.svg
Zones of Nepal

List of Districts(Zonewise):

Eastern Development Region

Mechi Zone

Districts of Mechi Mechi districts.png
Districts of Mechi
Outer Terai
Jhapa District (Chandragadhi)
Hill
Ilam District (Ilam)
Panchthar District (Phidim)
Mountain
Taplejung District (Phungling)

Koshi Zone

Districts of Koshi Koshi districts.png
Districts of Koshi
Outer Terai
Morang District (Biratnagar)
Sunsari District (Inaruwa)
Hill
Bhojpur District (Bhojpur)
Dhankuta District (Dhankuta)
Terhathum District (Myanglung)
Mountain
Sankhuwasabha District (Khandbari)

Sagarmatha Zone

Districts of Sagarmatha Sagarmatha districts.png
Districts of Sagarmatha
Outer Terai
Saptari District (Rajbiraj)
Siraha District (Siraha)
Inner Terai
Udayapur District (Gaighat)
Hill
Khotang District (Diktel)
Okhaldhunga District (Okhaldhunga)
Mountain
Solukhumbu District (Salleri)

Central Development Region

Janakpur Zone

Districts of Janakpur Janakpur districts.png
Districts of Janakpur
Outer Terai
Dhanusa District (Janakpur)
Mahottari District (Jaleswar)
Sarlahi District (Malangwa)
Inner Terai
Sindhuli District (Kamalamai)
Hill
Ramechhap District (Manthali)
Mountain
Dolakha District (Charikot)

Bagmati Zone

Districts of Bagmati Bagmati districts.png
Districts of Bagmati
Hill
Bhaktapur District (Bhaktapur)
Dhading District (Dhading Besi)
Kathmandu District (Kathmandu)
Kavrepalanchok District (Dhulikhel)
Lalitpur District (Lalitpur)
Nuwakot District (Bidur)
Mountain
Rasuwa District (Dhunche)
Sindhupalchok District (Chautara)

Narayani Zone

Districts of Narayani Narayani districts.png
Districts of Narayani
Outer Terai
Bara District (Kalaiya)
Parsa District (Birgunj)
Rautahat District (Gaur)
Inner Terai
Chitwan District (Bharatpur)
Makwanpur District (Hetauda)

Western Development Region

Gandaki Zone

Districts of Gandaki Gandaki districts.png
Districts of Gandaki
Hill
Gorkha District (Gorkha)
Kaski District (Pokhara)
Lamjung District (Besisahar)
Syangja District (Syangja)
Tanahun District (Byas)
Mountain
Manang District (Chame)

Lumbini Zone

Districts of Lumbini Lumbini districts.png
Districts of Lumbini
Outer Terai
Kapilvastu District (Kapilvastu)
Nawalparasi District (Parasi)
Rupandehi District (Siddharthanagar)
Hill
Arghakhanchi District (Sandhikharka)
Gulmi District (Tamghas)
Palpa District (Tansen)

Daulagiri Zone

Districts of Dhaulagiri Dhawalagiri districts.png
Districts of Dhaulagiri
Hill
Baglung District (Baglung)
Myagdi District (Beni)
Parbat District (Kusma)
Mountain
Mustang District (Jomsom)

Mid-Western Development Region

Rapti Zone

Districts of Rapti Rapti districts.png
Districts of Rapti
Inner Terai
Dang District (Ghorahi)
Hill
Pyuthan District (Pyuthan Khalanga)
Rolpa District (Liwang)
Rukum District (Musikot)
Salyan District (Salyan Khalanga)

Karnali Zone

Districts of Karnali Karnali districts.png
Districts of Karnali
Mountain
Dolpa District (Dunai)
Humla District (Simikot)
Jumla District (Jumla Khalanga)
Kalikot District (Manma)
Mugu District (Gamgadhi)

Bheri Zone

Districts of Bheri Bheri districts.png
Districts of Bheri
Outer Terai
Banke District (Nepalganj)
Bardiya District (Gulariya)
Inner Terai
Surkhet District (Birendranagar)
Hill
Dailekh District (Narayan)
Jajarkot District (Khalanga)

Far-Western Development Region

Seti Zone

Districts of Seti Seti districts.png
Districts of Seti
Outer Terai
Kailali District (Dhangadhi)
Hill
Achham District (Mangalsen)
Doti District (Dipayal)
Mountain
Bajhang District (Chainpur)
Bajura District (Martadi)

Mahakali Zone

Districts of Mahakali Mahakali districts.png
Districts of Mahakali
Outer Terai
Kanchanpur District (Bhim Datta)
Inner Terai and Hill
Dadeldhura District (Dadeldhura)
Hill
Baitadi District (Baitadi)
Mountain
Darchula District (Darchula)

Municipalities

Municipalities are an administrative units to work in urban area. There were only 58 following Municipalities in Nepal before 2014. [15]

Village Development Committees

Formally, Villages were administered by Village development committees in Nepal. They were dissolved before the new constitution in 2015 and formed Gaunpalika.

National Association of Village Development Committees in Nepal (NAVIN) was established in the year 1996 as an umbrella organization to represent and provide support to Nepal's 3915 VDCs (Village Government in Nepal). In a short span of its origin, NAVIN has been able to establish itself, both nationally and internationally, as a reputable representative organization of VDCs and has founded itself as a pioneer partner organization for decentralization and democratization process in Nepal. [16] The Village Development Committee were defunct in March 2017 and replaced with Gaupalika

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapti Zone</span> Former administrative area in Nepal

Rapti Zone was one of the fourteen zones, located in the Mid-Western Development Region of Nepal. It was named after the West Rapti River which drains Rolpa, Pyuthan and part of Dang districts. The remainder of Dang and part of Salyan district are drained by the Babai. The remainder of Salyan and all of Rukum districts are drained by the Bheri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhankuta</span> City in Koshi Province, Nepal

Dhankuta is a hill town and the headquarters of Dhankuta District in Koshi Province in Eastern Nepal. According to 2011 Nepal census, it has population of 26,440 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terai</span> Region in northern India and southern Nepal

The Terai or Tarai is a lowland region in parts of southern Nepal and northern India that lies to the south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by tall grasslands, scrub savannah, sal forests and clay rich swamps. In North India, the Terai spreads from the Yamuna River eastward across Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. The Terai is part of the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion. Nepal's Terai stretches over 33,998.8 km2 (13,127.0 sq mi), about 23.1% of Nepal's land area, and lies at an elevation of between 67 and 300 m. The region comprises more than 50 wetlands. North of the Terai rises the Bhabar, a narrow but continuous belt of forest about 8–12 km (5.0–7.5 mi) wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darjeeling district</span> District in West Bengal, India

Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its hill station and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters. Kurseong, Siliguri and Mirik, three major towns in the district, are the subdivisional headquarters of the district. Kalimpong was one of the subdivisions but on 14 February 2017, it officially became a separate Kalimpong district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bheri Zone</span> Zone in Nepal

Bheri Zone was one of the fourteen zones located in the Mid-Western Development Region of Nepal. Nepalgunj were the administrative headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahakali Zone</span> Mahakali province

Mahakali was one of the fourteen zones located in the Far-Western Development Region of Nepal, covering an area of 6,205 km2 in the westernmost part of the country. It stretches along Nepal's far western border with India, marked by the Kali River or Mahakali River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhankuta District</span> District in Koshi Province, Nepal

Dhankuta District is one of 14 districts of Koshi Province of eastern Nepal. The district covers an area of 891 km2 (344 sq mi) and has a population (2011) of 163,412. The hill town of Dhankuta serves as the district headquarters of Dhankuta District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rukum District</span> Former District in Nepal

Rukum District was a "hill" and "mountain" district some 280 km (170 mi) west of Kathmandu partially belonging to Lumbini Province and partially to Karnali Province before split into two districts Western Rukum and Eastern Rukum after the state's reconstruction of administrative divisions in 2017. Rukum covers an area of 2,877 km2 (1,111 sq mi) with population of 207,290 in 2011 Nepal census. Musikot was the district's administrative center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salyan District, Nepal</span> District of Karnali Province,Nepal

Salyan District IPA: [sʌljan], in Karnali Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. Salyan covers an area of 1,462 km2 (564 sq mi) with a population of 213,500 in 2001 and 241,716 in 2011. The district's administrative center is named Salyan or Salyan Khalanga, today it is part of Shaarada Municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solukhumbu District</span> District in Koshi Province, Nepal

Solukhumbu District (Nepali: सोलुखुम्बु जिल्ला, Sherpa: ཤར་ཁུམ་བུ་རྫོང་།, Wylie: shar khum bu dzong) is one of 14 districts of Koshi Province of eastern Nepal. As the name suggests, it consists of the sub-regions Solu and Khumbu. The closest post office to Solukhumbu with a postal code assigned to it is the Sindhuli D.P.O., which has the postal code 56000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Udayapur District</span> District in Koshi Province, Nepal

Udayapur District (Nepali: उदयपुर जिल्ला, is one of the 14 districts of Koshi Province in eastern Nepal. The district, with Triyuga as its district headquarters, covers an area of 2,063 km2 and in 2001 had a population of 287,689, in 2011 of 317,532, in 2021 of 342,773

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Administrative divisions of Nepal</span>

The administrative divisions of Nepal are subnational administrative units of Nepal. The first level of country subdivision of Nepal are the provinces. Each province is further subdivided into districts, each district into municipalities and rural municipalities, and each of those municipalities into wards. Before 2015, instead of provinces, Nepal was divided into developmental regions and administrative zones.

Pyuthan is a municipality in the Pyuthan District in the Lumbini Province of Nepal. This municipality is named after the district name Pyuthan. It is also the major market center and the administrative center of district. The municipality was established on 18 May 2014 by merging the existing VDCs Khaira, Dakha Kwadi, Bijaya Nagar, Bijuwar, Dharmawati, Maranthana and Khalanga village development committees. In 2017, when GoN restructured the local level bodies into 753 units, Pyuthan Municipality was also restructured excluding ward no. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 18 from old structure, further two other VDCs; Majhkot and Jumrikanda added, Khalanga separated and managed the municipality into 10 new wards. Nayabajar Jumri and Bijuwar are the major markets of Pyuthan Municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Development regions of Nepal</span> Former type of subdivision of Nepal

Prior to the promulgation of a new constitution in 2015 after an earthquake, Nepal was divided into five development regions, 14 administrative zones and 75 districts. The 14 administrative zones were grouped into five development regions. Each district is headed by a Chief District Officer (CDO) responsible for maintaining law and order and coordinating the work of field agencies of the various government ministries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Development Region, Nepal</span> Former region in Nepal

The Eastern Development Region was one of Nepal's five development regions. It is also known as Kirata region. It was located at the eastern end of the country with its headquarters at Dhankuta. The town of Dhankuta was the headquarter of the Eastern Region, as well as the headquarter of the Dhankuta District.

Phakchamara is a village development committee in the Himalayas of Terhathum District in the Kosi Zone of eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 3041. Brahmin, Chhetri, and Limbu are the main cast of this VDC. Naween Shikshya Sadan Higher Secondary School is the oldest School of this region as well as of this VDC. Several philanthropists contribute to the educational development of this VDC through this school. Mr. Krishna Prasad Dahal was a long time "Head sir" of this school and significantly contributed to the local society for uplifting the educational levels of numerous people of this region. "Dahal" and "Niroula" families contributions are tremendous for the development of this region and of this VDC. Currently, under new reformation of the political system in Nepal, it is included within "Chhathar VDC Ward No. 4". The Chhathar VDC chair after the election on 2017 is Santosh Tigela from Communist Party of Nepal. The only road that connects this region to Teria and accessible municipalities like Dhankuta and Dharan is by "Sindhuwa Sukrabare Road". The construction of this 8 km road has been started in 1986 but not pitched and completed yet due to corruption and idiot leaders. "Sukrabare bazaar" is the major business hub of this region. Buses and private vehicles are now run in this road 12 months after the graveling of the road in 2019. This is beautiful VDC with a pristine panorama of "KumbhaKarna Mountain" and a silver lining shine of Tamor River. Rhododendroen is everywhere mostly in the higher region. Water crises, foreign employment are the major problems. The Upper regions which are mostly wetland should be protected and initiate aforestation for the future of this VDC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakhribas Municipality</span> Municipality in Koshi, Nepal

Pakhribas is an urban municipality that is one of three urban municipalities located in Dhankuta District of Province No. 1 of Nepal. The municipality was established on 2 December 2014 as a merger of the VDCs of Pakhribas, Sanne, Phalate, Ghorlikharka and Muga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koshi Province</span> Province of Nepal

Koshi Province is the autonomous easternmost province adopted by the Constitution of Nepal on 20 September 2015. The province is rich in natural resources, tourist attractions, recreational activities, and natural beauty. The province covers an area of 25,905 km2 (10,002 sq mi), about 17.5% of the country's total area. With the industrial city of Biratnagar as its capital, the province includes major eastern towns of Birtamod, Sundar Haraincha, Damak, Dharan, Itahari, Triyuga Municipality and Mechinagar, and the Mount Everest, Kangchenjunga and Ama Dablam. Koshi River, the largest river of the nation, forms the province's western boundary. Under the First-past-the-post voting system issued by the Constituency Delimitation Commission, Nepal, the province hosts 28 parliamentary seats and 56 provincial assembly seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudurpashchim Province</span> Province of Nepal

Sudurpashchim Province is one of the seven provinces established by the new constitution of Nepal which was adopted on 20 September 2015. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north, Karnali Province and Lumbini Province to the east, and India's states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to the west and south, respectively. The province covers an area of 19,999.28 km2, or about 13.55% of the country's total area.

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