Bhutan
Bhutan (officially called Kingdom of Bhutan) is a small landlocked country in the Himalaya mountains of South Asia. It is ruled by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who has been king since 2006. Bhutan was founded in 1644 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. The Bhutanese people are proud that they have always been an independent country. Bhutan's capital city is Thimphu. The official language is Dzongkha.
Kingdom of Bhutan | |
|---|---|
| Anthem: Druk Tsendhen | |
.svg) | |
| Capital and largest city | Thimphu 27°28.0′N 89°38.5′E / 27.4667°N 89.6417°E |
| Official languages | Dzongkha |
| Recognised national languages | |
| Demonym(s) | Bhutanese |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy |
• King | Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck[1] |
| Tshering Tobgay | |
| Formation Early 17th century | |
• Wangchuk Dynasty | 17 December 1907 |
| 2007 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 38,394 km2 (14,824 sq mi) (135th) |
• Water (%) | 1.1 |
| Population | |
• 2011 estimate | 708,427[2] (165th) |
• 2005 census | 634,982[3] |
• Density | 18.0/km2 (46.6/sq mi) (154th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2010 estimate |
• Total | $3.875 billion[4] |
• Per capita | $5,429[4] |
| GDP (nominal) | 2010 estimate |
• Total | $1.412 billion[4] |
• Per capita | $1,978[4] |
| HDI (2007) |  0.619[5]medium · 132nd |
| Currency | Ngultrum2 (BTN) |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (BTT) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+6 (not observed) |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | 975 |
| ISO 3166 code | BT |
| Internet TLD | .bt |
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About 700,000 people live in Bhutan. The people and government of Bhutan are proud of their culture which is based on Tibetan Buddhism. 97% of Bhutan's people are Buddhist.
Until 1974, Bhutan was closed to the outside world. Now people can visit the country, but only in small numbers. The only airport is in Paro District. The country is bordered on the south by the Republic of India and on the north by China. The Indian state of Sikkim separates Bhutan and Nepal. The main export of Bhutan is hydroelectricity which is sold to India. The economy of Bhutan is very small but is growing quickly. The currency is the Ngultrum, which is pegged at par with the Indian rupee.
Bhutan is the only carbon-neutral and carbon-negative country in the entire world.
National symbols of Bhutan
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National bird of Bhutan -
National tree of Bhutan -
National flower of Bhutan
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Landscape
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Gangkhar Puensum, the highest mountain in Bhutan -
The Subalpine landscape common in Bhutan -
A Himalayan mountain seen from the town of Bumthang -
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The Haa Valley in Western Bhutan
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Military
changeThe Royal Bhutan Army is Bhutan's military service. It includes the Royal Bodyguard and the Royal Bhutan Police. Membership is voluntary, and the minimum age for recruitment is 18. The standing army numbers about 16,000 and is trained by the Indian Army.[8] Being a landlocked country, Bhutan has no navy. It also has no air force or army aviation corps. The Army relies on Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force for air assistance.
Wildlife
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More than 770 species of bird and 5,400 species of plants are known to occur throughout the kingdom. Bhutan has a rich primate life with rare species such as the golden langur.[9][10]
Administrative divisions
changeBhutan is divided into 20 districts. Locally these are named dzongkhags. The districts are:
Cities
changeThe major cities of Bhutan are:
- Thimphu, the largest city and capital of Bhutan
- Damphu, the administrative headquarters of Tsirang District
- Jakar, the administrative headquarters of Bumthang District and the place where Buddhism entered Bhutan
- Mongar, the eastern commercial hub of the country
- Paro, site of the international airport
- Phuentsholing, Bhutan's commercial hub
- Punakha, the old capital
- Samdrup Jongkhar The south eastern town on the border with India
- Trashigang, administrative headquarters of Trashigang District the most populous district in the country
- Trongsa, in central Bhutan which has the largest and the most magnificent of all the dzongs in Bhutan
Sports
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Bhutan's national sport is archery. Competitions are held regularly in most villages. Cricket has gained popularity in Bhutan, particularly since the introduction of television channels from India. The Bhutan national cricket team is one of the more successful affiliate nations in the region. Football is also an increasingly popular sport.
Related pages
changeReferences
change- ↑ Stern, Carly (11 August 2016). "He's getting so big! Dragon King and Queen of Bhutan take the six-month-old Prince out for official royal visit to his mother's ancestral home Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3734754/Dragon-King-Queen-Bhutan-six-month-old-Prince-official-royal-visit-mother-s-ancestral-home.html#ixzz4OYCDysSi Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter". Daily Mail. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ↑ CIA—The World Factbook.
- ↑ "Population and Housing Census of Bhutan — 2005" (PPT). UN. 2005. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Bhutan". International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
- ↑ "Human Development Report 2009. Human development index trends: Table G" (PDF). United Nations. 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ↑ "Treaty Bodies Database – Document – Summary Record – Bhutan". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR). 2001-06-05. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
- ↑ "World Population Prospects". United Nations. 2008. Archived from the original on 2007-12-16. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
- ↑ Bhattacharjee, Arun (2003-12-19). "Bhutan Army Sees Action at Last". Atimes.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-21. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
- ↑ Choudhury, A.U. (1990). "Primates in Bhutan". Oryx. 24: 125.
- ↑ Choudhury, A.U. (1992). "Golden langur – Distribution Confusion". Oryx. 26 (3): 172–173. doi:10.1017/S0030605300023619. S2CID 86203414.
Other websites
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