About Bhutan

Nestled between China in the north and India in the south, Bhutan, the land of the Thunder Dragon is a small Himalayan kingdom. With land area of 38394 km², 72% of the country is covered by forest. The constitution of Bhutan guarantees that 60% of the country remains as forest for all years to come.

Bhutan is one of the only carbon negative countries in the world meaning that its forest absorbs more carbon dioxide than the country produces. Bhutan is an environmental friendly country and assures conservation of environment as one of the four pillars of Gross National Happiness.

The population of Bhutan is a little over Seven hundred thousand people.

The country’s landscape ranges from lush subtropical plains in the south to the sub-alpine Himalayan mountains in the north, where there are peaks in excess of 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). The highest mountain in Bhutan is the Gangkhar Puensum, which is also a strong candidate for the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. There is also diverse wildlife in Bhutan. Situated on the ancient Silk Road between Tibet, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, the Bhutanese state developed a distinct national identity based on Buddhism. Bhutan is divided into twenty dzongkhags (districts), administered by a body called the Dzongkhak Tshokdu.

Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary form of government. The reigning monarch is Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. The current Prime Minister of Bhutan is Tshering Tobgay, the leader of the People’s Democratic Party. Buddhism is deeply engraved in the soul of the country and is driven with interesting cultural beliefs. The prosperity of the country is measured in terms of Gross National Happiness. The King of Bhutan is known as the “Dragon King”. Bhutan is also notable for pioneering the concept of gross national happiness

The independent country Bhutan has endured for centuries and the territory was never colonized in its history. By 1,500 BC people lived in Bhutan by herding animals but towards the 7th century AD Buddhism was introduced into Bhutan. So Buddhism has been an integral part of the culture of Bhutan. Then in 1616 Ngawang Namayal became spiritual leader of Bhutan and he took the title Zhabdrung Rinpoche. Under him Bhutan became a united country. Headed by a spiritual leader known as the Zhabdrung Rinpoche, the territory was composed of many fiefdoms and governed as a Buddhist theocracy. In 1907 Ugyen Wangchuk was elected king of Bhutan. Following a civil war in the 19th century, the House of Wangchuck reunited the country and established relations with the British Empire. Bhutan fostered a strategic partnership with India during the rise of Chinese communism and has a disputed border with the People’s Republic of China. Bhutan’s political development was heavily influenced by its religious history. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck transferred most of his administrative powers to the Council of Cabinet Ministers and allowing for impeachment of the King by a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly.In 2008, it transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy and held the first election to the National Assembly of Bhutan, that has a two party system characterizing Bhutanese democracy.

In December 2005, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck announced that he would abdicate the throne in his son’s favour in 2008 so On 6 November 2008, 28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, eldest son of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, was crowned King. The Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) is the head of state and the political system grants universal suffrage. It consists of the National Council, an upper house with 25 elected members; and the National Assembly with 47 elected lawmakers from political parties.

Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary form of government. The reigning monarch is Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. The current Prime Minister of Bhutan is Tshering Tobgay, the leader of the People’s Democratic Party. Buddhism is deeply engraved in the soul of the country and is driven with interesting cultural beliefs. The prosperity of the country is measured in terms of Gross National Happiness. The King of Bhutan is known as the “Dragon King”. Bhutan is also notable for pioneering the concept of gross national happiness

The independent country Bhutan has endured for centuries and the territory was never colonized in its history. By 1,500 BC people lived in Bhutan by herding animals but towards the 7th century AD Buddhism was introduced into Bhutan. So Buddhism has been an integral part of the culture of Bhutan. Then in 1616 Ngawang Namayal became spiritual leader of Bhutan and he took the title Zhabdrung Rinpoche. Under him Bhutan became a united country. Headed by a spiritual leader known as the Zhabdrung Rinpoche, the territory was composed of many fiefdoms and governed as a Buddhist theocracy. In 1907 Ugyen Wangchuk was elected king of Bhutan. Following a civil war in the 19th century, the House of Wangchuck reunited the country and established relations with the British Empire. Bhutan fostered a strategic partnership with India during the rise of Chinese communism and has a disputed border with the People’s Republic of China. Bhutan’s political development was heavily influenced by its religious history. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck transferred most of his administrative powers to the Council of Cabinet Ministers and allowing for impeachment of the King by a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly.In 2008, it transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy and held the first election to the National Assembly of Bhutan, that has a two party system characterizing Bhutanese democracy.

In December 2005, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck announced that he would abdicate the throne in his son’s favour in 2008 so On 6 November 2008, 28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, eldest son of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, was crowned King. The Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) is the head of state and the political system grants universal suffrage. It consists of the National Council, an upper house with 25 elected members; and the National Assembly with 47 elected lawmakers from political parties.

Bhutan’s economy is based on agriculture, forestry, tourism and the sale of hydroelectric power to India. Bhutan is often known to be the least developed country but it is also ranked first in South Asia for its economic freedom. Hydroelectricity becomes for the major share of its exports. Though Bhutan’s economy is one of the worlds smallest, it has grown rapidly in recent years mainly due to the establishment of the gigantic Tala Hydroelectric Power Station. Other source of income like Handicrafts, particularly weaving and the manufacture of religious art for home altars, are a small cottage industry. There are also weaving Centre for local women to earn by weaving garments using a blackstrap loom, and Paper Factory to excel the traditional art of paper making.Bhutan maintains diplomatic relations with 52 countries and the European Union. It is a member of the United Nations, SAARC, BIMSTEC and the Non Aligned Movement.

The national language is of Bhutan is “Dzongkha”, one of 53 languages in the Tibetan language family. The script, called Chhokey (“Dharma language”), is similar to classical Tibetan. In the schools English is the medium of instruction and Dzongkha is taught as the national language. Ethnologies list 24 languages currently spoken in Bhutan, all of them in the Tibeto-Burman family, except Nepali, an Indo-Aryan language. With over nineteen dialects spoken across the Twenty Dzongkhag of the country, Bhutan is linguistically rich nation.

The national language of Bhutan is Dzongkha which is the native language of the Ngalops of the western Bhutan. Dzongkha literally means the language spoken in the Dzongs, massive fortresses that serve as the administrative centres and monasteries.