Koshi Province

Koshi Province
कोशी प्रदेश
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 / 26.45417; 87.27972
Country   Nepal
Formation20 September 2015
Named as Koshi1 March 2023
Named afterKoshi River
CapitalBiratnagar
Largest cityBiratnagar
Districts14
Government
 • TypeSelf-governing Province
 • BodyGovernment of Koshi Province
 • Governor Parshuram Khapung Limbu (CPN UML)
 • Chief MinisterHikmat Kumar Karki
 • High CourtBiratnagar High Court
 • Koshi Provincial AssemblyUnicameral (93 seats)
 • Parliamentary constituency28
Area
 • Total
25,905 km2 (10,002 sq mi)
 • Rank2nd
Highest elevation8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft)
Lowest elevation58 m (190 ft)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total
4,961,412
 • Rank4th
 • Density192/km2 (500/sq mi)
  • Rank4th
 • Households
1,191,556
Demonym(s)Purbeli, Kosheli, Koshyali
Demographics
 • Religions
 • Ethnic groups
 • Sex ratio91.48 /100 (2011)
Development Parameters
 • Poverty rate0.127
 • Literacy79.7%
 • Life expectancy69
 • HDI0.553 (medium)
Time zoneUTC+5:45 (NST)
Postal code
57208
GeocodeNP-ON
ISO 3166 codeNP-P1
Vehicle registrationKOSHI XX AB XXXX
Other Official Languages1. Limbu, 2. Maithali
Websitekoshi.gov.np

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.