Political and Administrative Map of Nepal

 

Overview

Understanding the political and administrative structure of Nepal is crucial for researchers, planners, and development practitioners working across various fields such as governance, public health, disaster management, and socio-economic development. The Political and Administrative Map of Nepal (Dataset-1) provides a detailed spatial representation of Nepal’s administrative divisions—from national to ward level—available in the widely used shapefile format (*.shp).

🗺️ Overview of the Dataset

This dataset presents the updated spatial boundaries of Nepal’s administrative units based on the latest political divisions. The data is particularly valuable for Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis, mapping, and spatial planning projects.

Administrative Levels Included:

Level 0 – National Boundary:
This includes the outer boundary of Nepal, defining the geographical extent of the country.

Level 1 – Provincial Boundaries:
Reflects the demarcation of all 7 provinces, as per the federal restructuring outlined in the Constitution of Nepal 2015.

Level 2 – District Boundaries:
Represents boundaries of all 77 districts across the country.

Level 3 – Palika Boundaries (Municipality and Rural Municipality):
Details the 753 local units, classified into Metropolitan Cities, Sub-Metropolitan Cities, Municipalities, and Rural Municipalities.

Level 4 – Ward Boundaries:
The most granular unit, this level contains boundary data for 6,743 wards, which are the smallest administrative units within Palikas.

📐 Coordinate System and Projection

Coordinate Reference System (CRS): Longitude/Latitude
Datum: WGS 1984
This standard CRS ensures that the dataset is compatible with most GIS software and tools globally, making integration with other geospatial datasets straightforward and efficient.

💾 File Format

The dataset is available in Shapefile format (*.shp), one of the most commonly used formats for spatial data. It includes associated files such as .shx, .dbf, and .prj to support geometry, attributes, and spatial reference information.

🔗 Download the Dataset

You can freely access and download the dataset from the following official source:

👉 Download Nepal Administrative Boundary Dataset (WGS 1984)

🧭 Applications of the Dataset

This dataset has wide-ranging applications, including:

Policy Planning and Implementation: Supports federal governance by helping delineate jurisdictional areas.

Public Health and Epidemiology: Enables district or ward-level mapping of health data for targeted interventions.

Disaster Risk Management: Helps identify vulnerable areas for efficient disaster preparedness and response.

Education and Infrastructure Planning: Facilitates spatial analysis for equitable resource allocation.

Academic Research and Spatial Analysis: Provides a solid base for spatial regression, geostatistical analysis, and mapping in academic studies.