Bhutan
| Kingdom of Bhutan | ||||||
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| Anthem: Druk Tsendhen |
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| Capital | Thimphu 27°28.0′N 89°38.5′E / 27.467°N 89.6417°E |
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| Official language(s) | Dzongkha | |||||
| Demonym | Bhutanese | |||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy | |||||
| - | King | Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Jigme Y. Thinley | ||||
| Formation | Early 17th century | |||||
| - | Wangchuk Dynasty | 17 December 1907 | ||||
| - | Constitutional Monarchy | 2007 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 38,394 km2 (135th) 14,824 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 1.1 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2011 estimate | 708,427[1] (165th) | ||||
| - | 2005 census | 634,982[2] | ||||
| - | Density | 18.0/km2 (154th) 46.6/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2010 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $3.875 billion[3] | ||||
| - | Per capita | $5,429[3] | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2010 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $1.412 billion[3] | ||||
| - | Per capita | $1,978[3] | ||||
| HDI (2007) |  0.619[4] (medium) (132nd) |
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| Currency | Ngultrum2 (BTN) |
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| Time zone | BTT (UTC+6) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | not observed (UTC+6) | ||||
| Drives on the | left | |||||
| Internet TLD | .bt | |||||
| Calling code | 975 | |||||
| 1 | The population of Bhutan had been estimated based on the reported figure of about 1 million in the 1970s when the country had joined the United Nations and precise statistics were lacking.[5] Thus using the annual increase rate of 2–3%, the most population estimates were around 2 million in the year 2000. A national census was carried out in 2005 and it turned out that the population was 672,425. Consequently, United Nations Population Division had down-estimated the country's population in the 2006 revision[6] for the whole period from 1950 to 2050. | |||||
| 2 | The Indian rupee is also legal tender. | |||||
Bhutan (officially called as Kingdom of Bhutan) is a small 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 they have always been an independent country. Bhutan's capital city is Thimphu. The official language is Dzongkha.
About 600,000 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 Tibet, which is part of China since 1949. 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.
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[change] National symbols of Bhutan
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National animal of Bhutan
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National bird of Bhutan
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National tree of Bhutan
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National flower of Bhutan
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[change] Military
The 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.[7] 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.
[change] Wildlife
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.[8][9]
[change] Cities and towns
The 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.
[change] Sports
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.
[change] Other pages
[change] References
- ↑ CIA—The World Factbook.
- ↑ "Population and Housing Census of Bhutan — 2005" (PPT). UN. 2005. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/meetings/wshops/Thailand_15Oct07/docs/Countries_presentations/Bhutan_Results.ppt. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Bhutan". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=66&pr.y=17&sy=2008&ey=2011&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=514&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
- ↑ "Human Development Report 2009. Human development index trends: Table G" (PDF). United Nations. 2009. http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf. 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. http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/073f330f9a61c6b0c1256aca004f2ea8?OpenDocument. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
- ↑ "World Population Prospects". United Nations. 2008. http://esa.un.org/unpp. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
- ↑ Bhattacharjee, Arun (2003-12-19). "Bhutan Army Sees Action at Last". Atimes.com. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/EL19Df04.html. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
- ↑ Choudhury, A.U. (1990). "Primates in Bhutan". Oryx 24: 125.
- ↑ Choudhury, A.U. (1992). "Golden langur – Distribution Confusion". Oryx 26: 172–173.
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