Bhutan - History, Geography, Economy, Government and politics, Districts, Cities and towns, Military and foreign affairs, Demographics, Culture

Official name Kingdom of Bhutan

Local name Druk-yul Timezone GMT +5.5 Area 46 600 km²/18 000 sq mi population total (2002e) 1 996 000 Status Kingdom Capital Thimphu Languages Dzongkha (official) (60%), Nepalese (25%), English Ethnic groups Bhote (60%), Nepalese (25%), indigenous or migrant tribes (15%) Religions Lamaistic Buddhist (75%), Hindu (20%), Muslim (5%) Physical features High peaks of E Himalayas in the N, over 7 000m/23 000 ft; forested mountain ridges with fertile valleys descend to low foothills in the S; rivers include Wong Chu, Manas; permanent snowfelds in the mountains; sub-tropical forest in S. Climate Affected by altitude; snowcapped in glaciated N; average monthly temperatures 4°C (Jan), 17°C (Jul); torrential rain common, average 1000 mm/40 in (C valleys) and 5000 mm/200 in (S). Currency 1 Ngultrum (BTN) = 100 chetrum Economy Largely based on agriculture, mainly rice, wheat, maize, mountain barley, potatoes, vegetables, fruit (especially oranges); also timber (large area of plantation forest); sales of tobacco products banned, 2004. GDP (2002e) $2·7 bn, per capita $1300 Human Development Index (2002) 0·494 History British involvement since treaty of 1774 with the East India Company; S part of the country annexed, 1865; Anglo-Bhutanese Treaty signed, in which Britain agreed not to interfere in internal affairs of Bhutan, 1910; similar treaty (Indo-Bhutan Treaty of Friendship) signed with India, 1949; governed by a maharajah from 1907; now addressed as King of Bhutan; National Assembly (Tsogdu) established, 1953; constitutional monarchy with power shared between the King, the Council of Ministers, the National Assembly, and the monastic head of the kingdom's Buddhist priesthood; king devolved executive powers to the Council of Ministers, 1998; military offensive against separatist movements associated with Assam and Bodoland located in the S, 2004.

འབྲུག་ཡུལ Druk Yul Kingdom of Bhutan
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "One Nation, One People"
Anthem: Druk tsendhen
Capital (largest city)	Thimphu 27°28′N 89°38′E
Official language	Dzongkha, English
Government	Monarchy
- King	Jigme Singye Wangchuck
- Prime Minister	Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk
Formation
- Wangchuk Dynasty	December 17, 1907
Area
- Total	47,000 km² (131st) 18,147 sq mi
- Water (%)	negligible
Population
- 2006 estimate	672,425 (142nd)
- 2006 census	672,425
- Density	46/km² ({{{population_density_rank}}}) 119 population_density_rank = 149th/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$3.007 billion (160th)
- Per capita	$3,921 (117th)
HDI  (2003)	0.536 (medium) (134th)
Currency	Ngultrum (BTN)
Time zone	BTT (UTC+6:00)
- Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+6:00)
Internet TLD	.bt
Calling code	+975

   

“Thus of the whole enormous area which was once the spirited domain of Tibetan culture and religion, stretching from Ladakh in the west to the borders of Szechuan and Yunnan in the east, from the Himalayas in the south to the Mongolian steppes and the vast wastes of northern Tibet, now only Bhutan seems to survive as the one resolute and self-contained representative of a fast disappearing civilization.” (Snellgrove and Richardson, 1968, A Cultural History of Tibet. London)

The Kingdom of Bhutan (also Bootan) (IPA: [buː'tɑːn] Listen (help·info)) is a landlocked South Asian nation situated between India and People's Republic of China. Its traditional economy is based on forestry, animal husbandry and subsistence agriculture however these account for less than 50% of a GDP now that Bhutan has become an exporter of hydroelectricity.

Bhutan is one of the most isolated nations in the world; Bhutan is often described as the last surviving refuge of traditional Himalayan Buddhist culture.

Bhutan is linked historically and culturally with its northern neighbor Tibet.

Bhutan has been a monarchy since 1907. Because of the serenity and the virginity of the country and its landscapes, Bhutan today is sometimes referred to as the Last Shangri-La.

Historically, Bhutan was known by many names, such as 'Lho Mon' (Southern Land of Darkness), 'Lho Tsendenjong' (Southern Land of the Sandalwood), 'Lhomen Khazhi' (Southern Land of Four Approaches), and 'Lho Men Jong' (Southern Land of Medicinal Herbs).

History

Ancient Bhutan

Stone tools, weapons, and remnants of large stone structures provide evidence that Bhutan was inhabited as early as 2000 BC. Historians have theorised that the state of Lhomon (literally, "southern darkness"), or Monyul ("Dark Land", a reference to the Monpa – the aboriginal peoples of Bhutan) may have existed between 500 BC and AD 600.

The earliest transcribed event in Bhutan was the passage of the Buddhist saint Padmasambhava (also called Guru Rinpoche) in the 8th century. Bhutan's early history is unclear, because most of the records were destroyed after fire ravaged Punakha, the ancient capital in 1827. By the 10th century, Bhutan's political development was heavily influenced by its religious history.

Between 17th century and the modern age

Until the early 17th century, Bhutan existed as a patchwork of minor warring fiefdoms until unified by the Tibetan lama and military leader Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. After Namgyal's death in 1651, Bhutan fell into anarchy. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Tibetans attacked Bhutan in 1710, and again in 1730 with the help of the Mongols. In 1772, Cooch Behar appealed to the British East India Company who assisted them in ousting the Bhutanese, and later in attacking Bhutan itself in 1774. A peace treaty was signed in which Bhutan agreed to retreat to its pre-1730 borders. After Bhutan lost the war, the Treaty of Sinchula was signed between British India and Bhutan. The treaty ended all hostilities between British India and Bhutan.

During the 1870s, power struggles between the rival valleys of Paro and Trongsa led to civil war in Bhutan, eventually leading to the ascendancy of Ugyen Wangchuck, the ponlop (governor) of Tongsa. From his power base in central Bhutan, Ugyen Wangchuck defeated his political enemies and united the country following several civil wars and rebellions in the period 1882–1885.

In 1907, an epochal year for the country, Ugyen Wangchuck was unanimously chosen as the hereditary king of the country by an assembly of leading Buddhist monks, government officials, and heads of important families. The British government promptly recognised the new monarchy, and in 1910 Bhutan signed a treaty which let Great Britain to ‘guide’ Bhutan's foreign affairs.

1950s to 1970s

After India gained independence from the United Kingdom on August 15, 1947, Bhutan became of one of the first countries to recognize India's independence.

After the British left the region, a treaty similar to the one of 1910 was signed August 8, 1949 with the newly independent India.

After the Chinese People's Liberation Army entered Tibet in 1951, Bhutan sealed its northern frontier and improved bilateral ties with India. To reduce the risk of Chinese encroachment, Bhutan began a modernisation program that was largely sponsored by India. In 1971, Bhutan was admitted to the United Nations, having held observer status for three years.

Bhutan has a continuing immigration problem with illegal immigration largely by people of Nepali descent. The first waves of migration by Nepalese into Bhutan in the 19th Century.. From the late 1980s, the government cracked down on illegal immigration which resulted in considerable numbers of people leaving Bhutan.

In the recent years (1988 onwards) Nepalese immigrants as well as illegal immigrants have accused Bhutan of violating Human rights. These allegations remain unproven and are vehemently denied by Bhutan.

In 1998, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck introduced significant political reforms, transferring most of his powers to the Prime Minister and allowing for impeachment of the King by a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly. In late 2003, the Bhutanese army successfully launched a large-scale operation to flush out anti-India insurgents who were operating training camps in southern Bhutan.

In 1999, the King also lifted a ban on television and the Internet, making Bhutan one of the last countries to have introduced the television. In his speech, he said that the television was a critical step to the modernization of Bhutan as well as a major contributor to the country's Gross National Happiness (Bhutan is the only country to measure happiness) but warned against the misuse of the television that may erode traditional Bhutanese values. In December 2005, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck announced that he would step down as King of Bhutan in 2008.

Geography

The northern region consists of an arc of glaciated mountain peaks with an extremely cold climate at the highest elevations. The Black Mountains in central Bhutan form a watershed between two major river systems: the Mo Chhu and the Drangme Chhu. Woodlands of the central region provide most of Bhutan's forest production. The Torsa, Raidak, Sankosh, and Manas are the main rivers of Bhutan, flowing through this region. Most of the Duars is located in India, although a 6–9 mile (10–15 km) wide strip extends into Bhutan. The Bhutan Duars is divided into two parts: the northern and the southern Duars. The climate in Bhutan varies with altitude, from subtropical in the south to temperate in the highlands and polar-type climate, with year-round snow, in the north. Bhutan experiences five distinct seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. Western Bhutan has the heavier monsoon rains; southern Bhutan has hot humid summers and cool winters; central and eastern Bhutan is temperate and drier than the west with warm summers and cool winters.

Economy

Though Bhutan's economy is one of the world's smallest, it has grown very rapidly with about 8% in 2005 and 14% in 2006. As of March 2006, Bhutan's per capita income was US$ 1,321 making it the highest in South Asia. Bhutan's standard of living grew and is one of the best performing in South Asia. Bhutan's economy is one of the world's smallest and least developed, and is based on agriculture, forestry, and the sale of hydroelectric power to India. This, and a lack of access to the sea, has meant that Bhutan has never been able to benefit from significant trading of its produce. Bhutan currently does not have a railway system, though Indian Railways plans to link up southern Bhutan with its vast network under an agreement signed in January 2005. The historic trade routes over the high Himalayas, which connected India to Tibet, have been closed since the 1959 military takeover of Tibet (although smuggling activity still brings Chinese goods into Bhutan).

Bhutan's currency, the ngultrum, is pegged to the Indian Rupee. Bhutan's inflation rate was estimated at about 3% in 2003. Bhutan has a Gross Domestic Product of around USD 2.913 billion (adjusted to Purchasing Power Parity), making it the 162nd largest economy in the world. Bhutan's exports, principally electricity, cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, precious stones and spices, total €128 million ($154 million) (2000 est.). Bhutan's main export partner is India, accounting for 87.9% of its export goods. As its border with Tibet is closed, trade between Bhutan and China is now almost non-existent. Bhutan's import partners include India (71.3%), Japan (7.8%) and Austria (3%).

In a response to accusations in 1987 by a journalist from UK's Financial Times that the pace of development in Bhutan was slow, the King said that "Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product." It signalled his commitment to building an economy that is appropriate for Bhutan's unique culture, based on Buddhist spiritual values, and has served as a unifying vision for the economy. In addition, the policy seems to be reaping the desired results as in a recent survey organized by the University of Leicester in the UK, Bhutan was ranked as the planet's 8th happiest place

Government and politics

Politics of Bhutan takes place in a framework of a traditional absolute monarchy, developing into a constitutional monarchy. The King of Bhutan is head of state.

Districts

For administrative purposes, Bhutan is divided into four dzongdey (administrative zones). There are 20 dzongkhag in Bhutan.

Samdrup Jongkhar Samtse (Samchi) Sarpang Thimphu Trashigang (Tashigang) Trashiyangse Trongsa (Tongsa) Tsirang (Chirang) Wangdue Phodrang (Wangdi Phodrang) Zhemang (Shemgang)

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Cities and towns

Jakar - the admistrative headquarters of Bumthang District and the place where Buddhism entered Bhutan. Mongar Paro - Site of the international airport Punakha - The Old Capital Phuentsholing - Commercial hub of Bhutan. Samdrup Jongkhar Thimphu - the largest city and capital of Bhutan Trashigang Trongsa

Military and foreign affairs

The Royal Bhutan Army is Bhutan's military service. It includes the Royal Bodyguard and the Royal Bhutan Police.

Though the 1949 Treaty with India is still sometimes misinterpreted to mean that India controls Bhutan's foreign affairs, Bhutan today handles all of its foreign affairs itself including the sensitive (to India) border demarcation issue with China. Bhutan has diplomatic relations with 22 countries, including the European Union, with missions in India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Kuwait. Only India and Bangladesh have residential embassies in Bhutan, while Thailand has a consulate office in Bhutan.

By a long standing treaty, Indian and Bhutanese citizens may travel to each other's countries without a passport or visa using their national identity cards instead. Bhutan does not have formal diplomatic ties with its northern neighbour, China, although exchanges of visits at various levels between the two have significantly increased in the recent past. The first bilateral agreement between China and Bhutan was signed in 1998, and Bhutan has also set up consulates in Macau and Hong Kong.

On November 13 2005, Chinese soldiers crossed into Bhutan under the pretext that environmental conditions had forced their retreat south from the Himalayas. In response, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang of the People's Republic of China has said that the border remains in dispute (completely ignoring the original official pretext for the incursion) and that the two sides continue to work for a peaceful and cordial resolution of the dispute

Demographics

The population of Bhutan, once estimated at several million, has now been officially downgraded by the Bhutanese government to 750,000, after a census in the early nineties.

The population density, 45 per square kilometre (117/sq. mi), makes Bhutan one of the least densely populated countries in Asia. Much the same could be said of the Sharchops ("Easterners"), who are associated with the eastern part of Bhutan (but who traditionally follow the Nyingmapa rather than the official Drukpa Kagyu form of Tibetan Buddhism).

The national language is Dzongkha, one of 53 languages in the Tibetan language family. Lepcha is spoken in parts of western Bhutan; Khengkha is spoken in central Bhutan. Ethnologue lists 24 languages currently spoken in Bhutan, all of them in the Tibeto-Burman family, except Nepali, an Indo-Aryan language. The languages of Bhutan are still not well-characterised, and several have yet to be recorded in an in-depth academic grammar. Bhutan has a life expectancy of 62.2 years (61 for males and 64.5 for females) according to the latest data from the World Bank.

Culture

While the Bhutanese are free to travel abroad, Bhutan is seen to be inaccessible to foreigners. The widespread misperception that Bhutan has set limits on tourist visas, the high tourist tariff and the requirement to go on packaged tours seem to create this impression. Scarves and shawls are also indicators of social standings, as Bhutan has traditionally been a feudal society. Bhutan is the only country in the world to have banned tobacco smoking and the sale of tobacco.

Bhutan's national sport is archery, and competitions are held regularly in most villages. In 2002, Bhutan's national soccer team played Montserrat - billed as 'The Other Final', the match took place on the same day Brazil played Germany in the World Cup Final, but at the time Bhutan and Montserrat were the world's two lowest ranked teams. The match was held in Thimphu's Changlimithang National Stadium, and Bhutan won 4-0.

Bhutan has numerous public holidays, most of which centre around traditional seasonal, secular and religious festivals.

Masked dances and dance dramas are common traditional features at festivals, usually accompanied by traditional music. Bhutan has just 1 government newspaper (Kuensel) and two recently launched private newspapers, 1 government-owned television station and several FM radio stations.