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Travel to Bhutan — Unbiased reviews and
great deals from TripAdvisorBhutan
| Kingdom of Bhutan Ruler: King
Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchukin (2006) Prime Minister: Lyonpo Jigme Thinley
(2008)
Current government officials
Total area: 18,147 sq mi (47,000 sq
km) Population (2008 est.): 2,376,680
(growth rate: 2.0%); birth rate: 32.9/1000; infant mortality rate:
94.3/1000; life expectancy: 55.5; density per sq km: 50
Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
Thimphu (official), 60,200 Monetary unit: Ngultrum
Languages:
Dzongkha (official), Tibetan dialects (among
Bhotes), Nepalese dialects (among Nepalese)
Ethnicity/race:
Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35%, indigenous or
migrant tribes 15%
National Holiday:
National Day, December 17
Religions:
Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and
Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25% Literacy rate: 47% (2003 est.) Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2007 est.):
$3.359 billion; per capita $5,200. Real growth rate: 22.4%.
Inflation: 4.9% Unemployment: 2.5% (2004 est.) Arable
land: 3%. Agriculture: rice, corn, root crops, citrus,
foodgrains; dairy products, eggs. Labor force: n.a.; note:
major shortage of skilled labor; agriculture 93%, industry and
commerce 2%, services 5%. Industries: cement, wood products,
processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide. Natural
resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide.
Exports: $154 million f.o.b. (2000 est.): electricity (to
India), cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, precious
stones, spices. Imports: $196 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.): fuel
and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics, rice.
Major trading partners: India, Bangladesh, Japan, Germany,
Austria (2004). Communications:
Telephones: main lines in use: 25,200 (2003); mobile cellular:
22,000 (2005). Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 1, shortwave
1 (2004). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2005). Internet
hosts: 985 (2003). Internet users: 15,000 (2003). Transportation: Railways: 0 km.
Highways: total: 4,007 km; paved: 24 km; unpaved: 3,983 km
(2002). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 2 (2004
est.). International disputes:
approximately 104,000 Bhutanese refugees live in Nepal, 90% of whom
reside in seven UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees camps;
Bhutan cooperates with India to expel Indian separatists.
Major sources and definitions
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Geography
Mountainous Bhutan, half the size of Indiana, is
situated on the southeast slope of the Himalayas, bordered on the north
and east by Tibet and on the south and west and east by India. The
landscape consists of a succession of lofty and rugged mountains and deep
valleys. In the north, towering peaks reach a height of 24,000 ft (7,315
m).
Government
Bhutan's first national elections in March 2008
marked the country's shift from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional
monarchy.
History
Although archaeological exploration of Bhutan
has been limited, evidence of civilization in the region dates back to at
least 2000 B.C. Aboriginal Bhutanese, known as
Monpa, are believed to have migrated from Tibet. The traditional name of
the country since the 17th century has been Drukyul, Land of the Drokpa
(Dragon People), a reference to the dominant branch of Tibetan Buddhism
that is still practiced in the Himalayan kingdom.
For centuries, Bhutan was made up of feuding
regions until it was unified under King Ugyen Wangchuck in 1907. The
British exerted some control over Bhutan's affairs, but never colonized
it. Until the 1960s, Bhutan was largely isolated from the rest of the
world, and its people carried on a tranquil, traditional way of life,
farming and trading, which had remained intact for centuries. After China
invaded Tibet, however, Bhutan strengthened its ties and contact with
India in an effort to avoid Tibet's fate. New roads and other connections
to India began to end its isolation. In the 1960s, Bhutan also undertook
social modernization, abolishing slavery and the caste system,
emancipating women, and enacting land reform. In 1985, Bhutan made its
first diplomatic links with non-Asian countries.
A pro-democracy campaign emerged in 1991, which
the government claimed was composed largely of Nepali immigrants. As a
result, some 100,000 Nepali civil servants were either evicted or
encouraged to emigrate. Most of them crossed the border back into Nepal,
where they were housed in UN-administered refugee camps. They continue to
languish there a decade later.
In 1998, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who is
Bhutan's fourth hereditary ruler, voluntarily curtailed his absolute
monarchy, and in March 2005 released a draft constitution (not yet put to
a referendum) that outlined plans for the country to shift to a two-party
democracy. In Dec. 2006, he abdicated in favor of his son, and Crown
Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchukin became king. Prime Minister Lyonpo
Khandu Wangchuk resigned in July 2007 so he could join a political party
in anticipation of the country's first elections, scheduled to be held in
early 2008. Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji took over as the interim prime
minister.
Shift to a Constitutional Monarchy
Parliamentary elections, Bhutan's first national
election, were held in March 2008, with turnout at about 80%. The
pro-monarchy Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, translated as the Bhutan Peace and
Prosperity Party, won 44 out of 47 seats in Parliament, trouncing the
People’s Democratic Party. The election marked Bhutan's transition
from an absolute monarchy to a democracy. In April, Lyonpo Jigme Thinley,
of the Peace and Prosperity Party, became prime minister. Jigme Khesar
Namgyel Wangchuck was crowned king in November. At age 28, he is the
world's youngest monarch. Jigme studied in India and the U.S. and received
a master's degree in international relations from Oxford.
See also Encyclopedia: Bhutan.
U.S. State Dept. Country Notes:
Bhutan
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson
Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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