Koshi Province
Koshi Province
कोशी प्रदेश | |
|---|---|
From top left to right: Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, Gokyo Lakes, Kanyam, Todke waterfall, Halesi Mahadev Temple, Pathibhara Devi Temple | |
|
Seal | |
| Etymology: Derived from Sanskrit word kauśika | |
Location of Koshi Province in Nepal | |
Koshi Province | |
Interactive map of Koshi Province | |
| Coordinates (Biratnagar): 26°27′15″N 87°16′47″E / 26.45417°N 87.27972°E | |
| Country | Nepal |
| Formation | 20 September 2015 |
| Named as Koshi | 1 March 2023 |
| Named after | Koshi River |
| Capital | Biratnagar |
| Largest city | Biratnagar |
| Districts | 14 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Self-governing Province |
| • Body | Government of Koshi Province |
| • Governor | Parshuram Khapung Limbu (CPN UML) |
| • Chief Minister | Hikmat Kumar Karki |
| • High Court | Biratnagar High Court |
| • Koshi Provincial Assembly | Unicameral (93 seats) |
| • Parliamentary constituency | 28 |
| Area | |
• Total | 25,905 km2 (10,002 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| Highest elevation | 8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 58 m (190 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 4,961,412 |
| • Rank | 4th |
| • Density | 192/km2 (500/sq mi) |
| • Rank | 4th |
| • Households | 1,191,556 |
| Demonym(s) | Purbeli, Kosheli, Koshyali |
| Demographics | |
| • Religions | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| • Sex ratio | 91.48 ♂ /100 ♀ (2011) |
| Development Parameters | |
| • Poverty rate | 0.127 |
| • Literacy | 79.7% |
| • Life expectancy | 69 |
| • HDI | 0.553 (medium) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:45 (NST) |
| Postal code | 57208 |
| Geocode | NP-ON |
| ISO 3166 code | NP-P1 |
| Vehicle registration | KOSHI XX AB XXXX |
| Other Official Languages | 1. Limbu, 2. Maithali |
| Website | koshi |
Koshi Province (Nepali: कोशी प्रदेश, romanized: Kōśī pradēśa) is an autonomous province of Nepal adopted by the Constitution of Nepal on 20 September 2015. It covers an area of 25,905 km2 (10,002 sq mi), which is about 17.5% of the country's total area. With the industrial city of Biratnagar as its capital, the province includes the major towns of Birtamod, Sundar Haraincha, Damak, Dharan, Itahari, Triyuga Municipality, and Mechinagar. It further hosts a number of Himalayan peaks including Mount Everest, Kangchenjunga (the third highest peak on Earth), Lhotse (the fourth highest peak), Makalu (the fifth highest peak), Cho Oyu (the sixth highest peak), and Ama Dablam.
The river Koshi, the largest river of the nation, and the Koshi Tappu wildlife reserve form the province's western boundary. 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 Province and Madhesh Province to the west. The province also hosts the Koshi highway, which is one of the three crucial Nepalese north-south corridors that are designed to connect India and China via land.
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. According to the 2021 Nepal census, there are around five million people in the province, with a population density of 190 per square kilometre. Per the earlier 2011 Nepal census, the province had approximately 4.5 million people.