Province No. 1

Province No. 1 (proposed names: Koshi/Purbanchal)[2] is the easternmost of the seven provinces established by the new constitution of Nepal which was adopted on 20 September 2015.[2] With the industrial city of Biratnagar as its headquarter, the province covers other major eastern towns including Damak, Dharan, Itahari, Inarua and Birtamod and includes several mountains including the Everest, Kanchenjunga, and Ama Dablam. Koshi - the largest river of the nation, circumvents the province's western boundary. Adhering to the first-past-the-post voting system issued by the Constituency Delimitation Commission, the province hosts 28 parliamentary seats and 56 provincial seats.[3]

Province No. 1

प्रदेश नं० १
Province
From Top left to right
Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Gokyo Lakes, Namche Bazaar, Barun Valley, Ilam, Halesi Mahadev Temple and Tengboche Monastery
Location of Province No. 1 in Nepal
Province No. 1
Coordinates: 26°27′15″N 87°16′47″E
Country   Nepal
Formation20 September 2015
Capital cityBiratnagar [1]
Largest cityBiratnagar
Districts14
Government
 • BodyGovernment of Province No.1
 • GovernorSomnath Adhikari Pyasi
 • Chief MinisterSher Dhan Rai (NCP)
 • High CourtBiratnagar High Court
 • Provincial AssemblyUnicameral (93 seats)
 • Parliamentary constituency28
Area
 • Total25,905 km2 (10,002 sq mi)
Area rank2nd
Highest elevation
8,848 m (29,029 ft)
Lowest elevation
70 m (230 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total4,534,943
 • Rank3rd
 • Density180/km2 (450/sq mi)
 • Density rank4th
Demonym(s)Purbeli Nepali
Time zoneUTC+5:45 (NPT)
GeocodeNP-ON
Official languageNepali (43.07%)
Other language(s)1. Maithili
2. Limbu
HDI0.553 (medium)
Literacy73.68%
Sex ratio91.48 ♂ /100 ♀ (2011)
Websitep1.gov.np

The province is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north, the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal to the east, and Bihar to the south, and Bagmati Pradesh and Province No. 2 to the west.[4][5][6] According to the 2011 census, there are around 4.5 million people in the province, with a population density of 175.6 per square kilometer.[7]

History
Further information: Eastern Development Region, Nepal
Eastern Districts of Nepal in 1942.

At the end of Rana regime, Nepal was divided into 32 districts. Eastern Nepal (Province No. 1) contained following districts:

In 1956, eastern districts of Nepal grouped in a region named "Arun Kshetra". Arun Kshetra was composed by grouping the then 5 districts. Those 5 districts are now divided into many districts. Arun Kshetra had total area of 7,000 square miles (18,000 km2) and total population was 11 Lakhs.[8] The five districts were:

  1. Biratnagar District (Sunsari, Morang)
  2. Dhankuta District (Dhankuta, Sankhuwasabha)
  3. Taplejung District (Taplejung, Panchtharl)
  4. Mechi District (Ilam, Jhapa)
  5. Bhojpur District (Bhojpur, Khotang)

In 1962, administrative system restructured and the "Kshetras" system cancelled and the country restructured into 75 development districts and those districts were grouped into zones.[9] In 1972 area of the Province No. 1 named Eastern Development Region. It had 3 zones and 16 districts.

As per the cabinet meeting held on 17 January 2018, the city of Biratnagar was declared the interim capital of Province No. 1. It was later declared as the permanent capital on 6 May 2019 when two-third of the provincial assembly's MLAs voted in favor of Biratnagar.[1]

Geography
Main article: Geography of Province No. 1
Topography of Province No. 1

Province No. 1 covers an area of 25,905 km2.[7] The Province has three-fold geographical division: Himalayan in the north, Hilly in the middle and Terai in the southern part of Nepal, varying between an altitude of 70 m and 8,848 m. Terai, extended from east to west, is made up of alluvial soil. To the west of Koshi River, in between Mahabharat Range and Churia Range, there elongates a valley called Inner Terai. Churai Range, Mahabharat Range and other hills of various height, basins, tars and valleys form the hilly region. Some parts of this region are favorable for agriculture but some other parts are not. Himalayan region, in the north, consists of many mountains ranges. Mahalangur, Kumbhakarna, Umvek, Lumba Sumba and Janak being some of them. The highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest (8848 m); and the third highest mountain, Kangchenjunga (8598 m) also lie in this Province.

Nepal's lowest point, Kechana Kawal at 70 m, is located in Jhapa district of this Province. There are many river basins and gentle slopes as well. Chure, Mahabharat, many basins, tars and valleys form the Terai region. Between the Churia and Mahabharat a low land of inner Terai exists. The Koshi river flows through the region with its seven tributaries; Indrawati, Likhu, Tamur, Dudh Kosi, Arun, Tamakoshi and Bhote Koshi (Sunkoshi). Tundra vegetables, coniferous forest, deciduous monsoon forests and sub-tropical evergreen woods are vegetations found here. Sub-tropical, temperate, sub-temperate, and alpine and tundra types of climates are found here.

Province No. 1 also includes the snow fall capped peaks including Mt. Everest, Kangchenjunga, Makalu with Solukhumbu, Sankhuwasabha, and Taplejung districts towards the north, the jungle clad hill tracts of Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Bhojpur, Tehrathum, Ilam and Panchthar in the middle and the alluvial fertile plains of Udayapur, Sunsari, Morang and Jhapa. Province 1 includes places like Haleshi Mahadev Temple, Pathivara Temple and Barahachhetra, which are the famous religious shrines for Hindus.

Climate

Climatic conditions of Nepal vary from one place to another in accordance with their geographical features. Province no. 1 has three geographical folds: the low-land of Terai, the hilly region and the highlands of the Himalayas. The low land altitude is 59 m, whereas the highest point is 8848 m.

In the north, summers are cool and winters severe, while in the south, summers are tropical and winters are mild. Climatically, the southern belt of the province, the Terai, experiences a warm and humid climate. Eastern Nepal receives approximately 2,500 millimeters of rain annually. Province no. 1 has five seasons: spring, summer, monsoon, autumn and winter.

Average temperatures and precipitation for selected communities in Province No. 1[10]
Location August

(°F)

 August

(°C)

 January

(°F)

 January

(°C)

 Annual

Precipitation (mm/in)

Damak 94 / 82 34 / 28 74 / 47 23 / 8 2618 /103.07
Dharan 85.1/72.3 29.5/22.4 68.4/44.4 20.2/6.9 1416/55.7
Biratnagar 83.1 28.4 60.8 16 1549.8/61
Bhadrapur 82.2 27.9 61.2 16.2 2351.9/92.6
Dhankuta 76.5 24.7 54.5 12.5 1809.5/71.2
Khandbari 74.8 23.8 52 11.1 2040.7/80.3
Ilam 71.8 22.1 50.9 10.5 2551.5/100.5
Bhojpur 69.1 20.6 46.8 8.2 2290.4/90.2
Khumbu Pasang Lhamu 56.1/38.3 13.4/3.5 33.8/-0.8 1/-18.2 645/25.4

Mountains
Everest and Lhotse from the south. In the foreground are Thamserku, Kantega, and Ama Dablam
South-west (Yalung) face of Kangchenjunga seen from Nepal

Northern part of Province No. 1 has the highest mountain of the world. Here is a list of mountains in Province No. 1.

Mountain/Peak metres feet Section Notes
Mount Everest8,84829,029Khumbu Mahalangur  Earth's highest from sea level
Kanchenjunga8,58628,169Northern Kangchenjunga  3rd highest on Earth
Lhotse8,51627,940Everest Group  4th highest
Makalu8,46327,766Makalu Mahalangur  5th highest
Cho Oyu8,20126,906Khumbu Mahalangur  6th highest
Gyachung Kang7,95226,089Khumbu Mahalangur  between Everest and Cho Oyu
Nuptse7,86125,791Everest Group  319 metres prominence from Lhotse
Jannu7,71125,299Kumbhakarna Kangchenjunga  
Kabru7,41224,318Singalila Kangchenjunga  
Kirat Chuli7,36524,163Kangchenjunga  
Nangpai Gosum7,35024,114Khumbu Mahalangur  
Chamlang7,32124,019Barun Mahalangur  #79 in the world
Pumori7,16123,494Khumbu Mahalangur  First ascent 1962
Baruntse7,12923,389Barun Mahalangur  First ascent 1954
Ama Dablam6,81222,349Barun Mahalangur  "Mother and her necklace"
Kangtega6,78222,251Barun Mahalangur  First ascent 1963
Cho Polu6,73522,096Barun Mahalangur  First ascent 1999
Lingtren6,71422,028Khumbu Mahalangur  First ascent 1935
Num Ri6,67721,906Barun Mahalangur  First ascent 2002
Khumbutse6,64021,785Khumbu Mahalangur  First mountain west of Everest
Thamserku6,62321,729Barun Mahalangur  First ascent 1964
Pangboche6,62021,719Kutang Himal  
Taboche6,54221,463Khumbu Mahalangur  First ascent 1974
Mera Peak6,47621,247Himalayas  Trekking peak
Cholatse6,44021,129Khumbu Mahalangur  Connected to Taboche
Kusum Kangguru6,36720,889Barun Mahalangur  Trekking peak (difficult)
Ombigaichan6,34020,801Barun Mahalangur  
Kongde Ri6,18720,299Barun Mahalangur  Trekking peak (difficult)
Imja Tse6,16020,210Khumbu Mahalangur  Also known as Island Peak. Popular trekking peak.
Lobuche6,14520,161Khumbu Mahalangur  Trekking peak
Nirekha6,06919,911Khumbu Mahalangur  Trekking peak (difficult)
Pokalde5,80619,049Khumbu Mahalangur  Trekking peak (moderate)
Mount Khumbila5,76118,901Mahalangur  Unclimbed
Kala Patthar5,54518,192Khumbu Mah  Popular hiking peak below Pumori
Gokyo Ri5,35717,575Himalayas  Popular hiking peak
South Side: View from Mera Peak

Rivers

There are many rivers in the region which flow towards south from the Himalayas which are tributaries of other large rivers which joins Ganga River (in India). Sapt Koshi or the Koshi is the main river of the region. Seven tributaries join the Koshi so it called Saptkoshi.

The major rivers in the province are:

Protected Areas

Subdivisions

There are total 137 local administrative units in this province, in which there is 1 metropolitan city, 2 sub-metropolitan cities, 46 municipalities and 88 rural municipalities.

Districts

The province is made up of the 14 following districts:

Municipality
Province No. 1 (Province No. 1)

Cities and villages are governed by municipalities in Nepal. A district may have one or more municipalities. Province No. 1 has two types of municipalities.

  1. Urban Municipality (Urban Municipality has three levels):
    1. Metropolitan city
    2. Sub-metropolitan city and
    3. Municipality
  2. Rural Municipality (Gaunpalika)

The government of Nepal has set out a minimum criteria to meet city and towns. These criteria include a certain population, infrastructure and revenues.

Administration
Further information: Administration in Province No. 1

The first provincial assembly elections in Nepal were held on 26 November and 7 December 2017.

After the results of the recent election in Province No. 1 the biggest party is CPN (UML) which wins 51 seats out of 93 seats and second biggest party is Nepali Congress which wins 21 seats and third biggest party is CPN (Maoist Center) which wins 15 seats in first Provincial Assembly election.[11]

There are 56 FPTP and 37 PR seats in the province.

In a meeting on 17 January 2018 government of Nepal finalized the temporary capital of Province No. 1, the meeting also appointed Govinda Subba as the Governor.[12]

Sher Dhan Rai was elected as Chief Minister of Province No. 1 on February 14, 2018.[13] He was a former Minister for Information and Communications. He was appointed as the chief minister, according to Article 168 (1) of the Constitution of Nepal.[13]

Provincial Assembly

The first meeting of the provincial assembly was held on 5 February 2018 in Biratnagar and was chaired by Om Prakash Sarbagi.[14] Pradeep Kumar Bhandari was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly on 11 February 2018.[15] Saraswoti Pokharel was also elected unopposed to the post of Deputy Speaker on 15 February 2018.[16]

Party FPTP PR Total
NCP 46 20 66
Nepali Congress 8 13 21
Federal Socialist Forum, Nepal 1 2 3
Rastriya Prajatantra Party 0 1 1
Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch 0 1 1
Independent 1 - 1
Total 56 37 93
Source: Election Commission of Nepal

Cabinet
Portfolio Name Party
Chief Minister Sher Dhan Rai[17] NCP
Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Hikmat Karki[17] NCP
Minister for Social Development Jivan Ghimire[17] NCP
Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Jagadish Kusiyat[17] NCP
Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Indra Bahadur Aangbo[17] NCP

Transportation

All provinces of Nepal except Province No. 2 have difficult geographic features. Only three districts out of fourteen of Province No. 1 falls in terai and one district falls in inner terai. Elevation from lowest point of Nepal, Kechana (70m from sea level) to the highest point of world, Everest (8848m from sea level) lies in this province, so maintaining consistent road network is one of the most challenging. Despite of those challenges, all districts are connected via road networks. Air services are available. Rail services are under construction.

Roadways

Almost all districts are connected by roads in Province No. 1, although some roads in high altitudes are not paved and conditions of those roads worsen during the rainy season. In the hills and mountain regions, the traffic is much lighter compared to Terai regions like Jhapa and Morang due to difficult terrain.

Main Highways of Province No. 1 which connects Terai to the high altitude regions. There are Feeder Roads too for inter-district and in-district commute.

  1. Mechi Highway: 268 km long2 lanes freeway which connects Jhapa to Taplejung. The main destinations along the highway include Prithivinagar, Bhadrapur, Duhagadhi, Budhabare, Kanyam, and Phikkal.
  2. Koshi Highway: 2 lanes of road and 159 km long, starts from Biratnagar and connects Myanglung with it. Itahari, Dharan, Dhankuta, Bhedetar, Hile etc. are the destinations along with highway.
  3. Sagarmatha Highway: 2 lanes, 265 km long highway starts from Kadmaha of Province No. 2 and connects Solukhumbu with it. Gaighat, Saune etc. are the destinations along with highway.
  4. Mahendra Highway The major East-West Highway of Nepal starts from Kakarbhitta of Province No. 1.

Airways
Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla
Forbesganj-Biratnagar
 Forbesganj
Bathnaha
Jogbani
Indo-Nepal border
 Budhanagar
Biratnagar

Many domestic airports and air services are available in the region including one of the most geographically challenging airport, Lukla airport.

Airports in Province No. 1:

  1. Bhojpur Airport (Bhojpur)
  2. Biratnagar Airport (Biratnagar)
  3. Kangel Danda Airport (Kangel, Solukhumbu)
  4. Man Maya Airport (Khanidanda, Khotang)
  5. Thamkharka Airport (Khotang Bazar)
  6. Lamidanda Airport (Lamidanda, Khotang)
  7. Tenzing-Hillary Airport (Lukla, Solukhumbu)
  8. Phaplu Airport (Phaplu, Solukhumbu)
  9. Rumjatar Airport (Rumjatar, Okhladhunga)
  10. Syangboche Airport (Syangboche, Solukhumbu)
  11. Taplejung Airport (Taplejung)
  12. Tumlingtar Airport (Tumlingtar, Sankhuwasabha)
  13. Bhadrapur Airport (Bhadrapur, Jhapa)
  14. Dharan Airport (Dharan, Sunsari) (proposed)[18]

Railways

There is a 13 KM. Railway track which has been laid in Nepal by Indian Railways is connected to Bathnaha railway station. Bathnaha is a village situated at Araria district of Bihar state of India. Budhanagar is the first railway station of Forbesganj–Biratnagar section in Nepal which is at distance of 18 KM from Bathnaha Railway Station. The railway track is further being constructed to connect Biratnagar city.[19] [20]

Demographics

Religion in Province No. 1

  Hinduism (66.63%)
  Kirat Mundhum (17.14%)
  Buddhism (9.20%)
  Islam (3.59%)
  Christianity (1.72%)
  Prakṛti (1.33%)
  Other or not religious (0.39%)

Total population of Province No. 1 (according to 2011 Nepal census) is 4,543,943 in which female comprises 52% (2,368,407) of the total population.[21] There are 992,445 households [22]

Religion

Hinduism is the major religion of the province. Buddhism is the second major religion of the province. 67% of the total population are Hindus, 17% are Kirantis, 9% Buddhists, 4% Muslims and 1% others.

Language

Nepali language is lingua franca of the province and it is the mostly spoken language. Maithili language is second largest spoken language. About 43% people of the province speak Nepali language, Maithili language is spoken by 11% of population. Limbu, Tamang and Tharu are also spoken here.

Ethnicity

Chetri is the largest ethnic group in the province, 15% of the total population are Chetri. Second largest ethnic group is Hilly Brahmins Bahun which comprises 12% of the total population of the province. Rai (11%), Limbu (8%), Tamang (5%) and others 16%.

Education

71.22% of the total population of the province can read and write mean educated.[23]

gollark: Katze: I can breed coppers or something?
gollark: Silver probably not but maaaaaaaaaybe, copper definitely.
gollark: I'd support making them rarer than golds as an experiment.
gollark: Why brimstones? To make people collect brimstones.
gollark: It should be given to brimstones.

See also

References
  1. "प्रदेश १ राजधानी: विराटनगरको पक्षमा दुईतिहाई, नाम टुंगो लागेन" [Province No. 1 Capital: Two third of MLA voated in faviour of Biratnagar]. annapurnapost.com (in Nepali). Annapurna Post. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  2. "Nepal Provinces". statoids.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  3. "EDITORIAL: Important step". The Himalayan Times. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  4. "Biratnagar celebrates its status of provincial capital". thehimalayantimes.com. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  5. "Locals intensify protest in Dhankuta after Biratnagar named as provincial HQ". kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  6. "Nepal government announces Provincial Capitals and Chiefs". ddinews.gov.in. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  7. "Province 1: Call for opportunities in land of great promise". Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  8. नेपालको जिल्ला प्रशासन पुनर्गठनको रिपोर्ट, २०१३ (PDF). Nepal: Nepal Govt. p. 31, 32, 33.
  9. "Memorial Step of King Mahendra in 1st Poush 2017 BS". reviewnepal.com. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  10. "Nepal Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  11. "Province No. 1". kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  12. "Government finalises provinces' governors and temporary headquarters". nepalekhabar.com. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  13. "Sherdhan Rai elected CM of Province 1". kathmandupost.ekantipur.com. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  14. "First Province Assembly meeting of Province 1 today". Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  15. "Pradeep Bhandari named Province 1 speaker". Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  16. "Province 1 endorses Saraswoti Pokhrel's candidacy for deputy speaker". Kathmandu Tribune. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  17. "Rai sworn in as Province 1 chief minister". The Himalayan Times. 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  18. "Feasibility report of larger Dharan Airport ready". Nagrik News. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  19. "Indian locomotive arrives in Biratnagar for test run". KMG. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  20. "Railway Transit for Cargo Bound for Biratnagar, Nepal via Jogbani, India". South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  21. "Province No. 1 Demographics". Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  22. "Distribution of Household and Population by Sex for Province and Type of Local Unit" (PDF). Central Bureau of Statistics (Nepal). Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  23. "Province-Wise Literacy Rate of 5 Years and Above Population in 2011 AD" (PDF). 30 June 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
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