Nepal’s Economy - Nepal - page 77

exported. Those that are include carpets, textiles, clothing,
and leather goods.
TERTIARY INDUSTRIES
Tertiary industries are those associated with the provision of
services. They include professionals such as teachers, attorneys,
and people working in the provision of health and medical
assistance. Sales, mid-level management, communications, and
transportation also fall within the service sector. In most devel-
oped countries today, the overwhelming majority of the GDP is
generated by tertiary industries. In the developed world, about
70 to 80 percent of a country's GDP is generated by service-
related activities. In Nepal, the figure is about 42 percent.
Until recent decades, the service sector of Nepal's economy
was very poorly developed. Today, however, this is changing.
In fact, there is ample room for optimism as the service sector
experiences encouraging growth. Globalization, in the form of
local entrepreneurs, has managed to reach even the most iso-
lated villagers. For example, there are more than one million
cellular phones in use in the country. In recent years, expansion
of cellular-phone-providing services has more than doubled.
Between 2000 and 2005, the number of Nepalese with direct
access to telephone service increased from 11 per 1,000 to 25
per 1,000. Additionally, remote communities may have several
television sets linked to satellite dishes. In 2006, only a quarter-
million Nepalese were Internet users, but access certainly will
increase in the future. The number of Internet users, although
miniscule, has more than doubled during the past several years.
These windows to the world require managers, installers and
repairmen, secretaries, accountants, and others.
Such service-related projects begin in urban centers and
gradually spread into the countryside. Before they know it,
peasants enjoy the luxury of contemporary living, even though
roads are not yet paved and the only transportation device
has four legs. A year or so later, this will change as well. There