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Bhutan

Bhutan (/bˈtɑːn/ boo-TAHN; Dzongkha: འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, romanizedDruk Yul [ʈuk̚˩.yː˩]), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan (Dzongkha: འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་, romanizedDruk Gyal Khap),[14] is a landlocked country in South Asia situated in the Eastern Himalayas between China in the north and India in the south. With a population of over 727,145[15] and a territory of 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi), Bhutan ranks 133rd in land area and 160th in population. Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy with a king (Druk Gyalpo) as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. Vajrayana Buddhism is the state religion and the Je Khenpo is the head of the state religion.

Not to be confused with Bohtan or Butuan.

Kingdom of Bhutan
འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ (Dzongkha)
Druk Gyal Khap

1616–1634

1650–1905

17 December 1907

8 August 1949

21 September 1971

18 July 2008

38,394 km2 (14,824 sq mi)[3][4] (133rd)

1.1

777,486[5][6] (165th)

727,145[7]

19.3/km2 (50.0/sq mi) (162nd)

2023 estimate

Increase $10.969 billion[8] (166th)

Increase $14,296[8] (95th)

2023 estimate

Increase $2.686 billion[8] (178th)

Increase $3,500[8] (124th)

Positive decrease 28.5[9]
low

Decrease 0.666[10]
medium (127th)

Ngultrum (BTN)
Indian rupee (₹) (INR)

UTC+06 (BTT)

YYYY-MM-DD

The subalpine Himalayan mountains in the north rise from the country's lush subtropical plains in the south.[16] In the Bhutanese Himalayas, there are peaks higher than 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) above sea level. Gangkhar Puensum is Bhutan's highest peak and is the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. The wildlife of Bhutan is notable for its diversity,[17] including the Himalayan takin and golden langur. The capital and largest city is Thimphu, holding close to 15% of the population.


Bhutan and neighbouring Tibet experienced the spread of Buddhism, which originated in the Indian subcontinent during the lifetime of Gautama Buddha. In the first millennium, the Vajrayana school of Buddhism spread to Bhutan from the southern Pala Empire of Bengal. During the 16th century, Ngawang Namgyal unified the valleys of Bhutan into a single state. Namgyal defeated three Tibetan invasions, subjugated rival religious schools, codified the Tsa Yig legal system, and established a government of theocratic and civil administrators. Namgyal became the first Zhabdrung Rinpoche and his successors acted as the spiritual leaders of Bhutan, like the Dalai Lama in Tibet. During the 17th century, Bhutan controlled large parts of northeast India, Sikkim and Nepal; it also wielded significant influence in Cooch Behar State.[18] Bhutan ceded the Bengal Duars to British India during the Bhutan War in the 19th century. The House of Wangchuck emerged as the monarchy and pursued closer ties with Britain in the subcontinent. In 1910, a treaty guaranteed British advice in foreign policy in exchange for internal autonomy in Bhutan. The arrangement continued under a new treaty with India in 1949 (signed at Darjeeling) in which both countries recognised each other's sovereignty. Bhutan joined the United Nations in 1971. It has since expanded relations with 55 countries. While dependent on the Indian military, Bhutan maintains its own military units.


The 2008 Constitution established a parliamentary government with an elected National Assembly and a National Council. Bhutan is a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). In 2020, Bhutan ranked third in South Asia after Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the Human Development Index, and nineteenth on the Global Peace Index as the most peaceful country in South Asia as of 2023, as well as the only South Asian country in the list's first quartile.[19][20] Bhutan is also a member of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, the Non-Aligned Movement, BIMSTEC, the IMF, the World Bank, UNESCO and the World Health Organization (WHO). Bhutan ranked first in SAARC in economic freedom, ease of doing business, peace and lack of corruption in 2016. Bhutan has one of the largest water reserves for hydropower in the world.[21][22] Melting glaciers caused by climate change are a growing concern in Bhutan.[23]

Landscape of Bhutan

Gangkar Puensum, the highest mountain in Bhutan

Gangkar Puensum, the highest mountain in Bhutan

Sub-alpine Himalayan landscape

Sub-alpine Himalayan landscape

A Himalayan peak from Bumthang

A Himalayan peak from Bumthang

The Haa Valley in Western Bhutan

The Haa Valley in Western Bhutan

the largest city and capital of Bhutan.

Thimphu

the administrative headquarters of Tsirang District.

Damphu

the administrative headquarters of Bumthang District and the place where Buddhism entered Bhutan.

Jakar

the eastern commercial hub of the country.

Mongar

site of the international airport.

Paro

Bhutan's commercial hub.

Phuentsholing

the old capital.

Punakha

the southeastern town on the border with India.

Samdrup Jongkhar

administrative headquarters of Trashigang District, the most populous district in the country.

Trashigang

in central Bhutan, which has the largest and the most magnificent of all the dzongs in Bhutan.

Trongsa

Index of Bhutan-related articles

Outline of Bhutan

Archived 30 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine – Official Government Web Portal of Bhutan

Bhutan.gov.bt

BBC News.

Bhutan profile

from UCB Libraries GovPubs.

Bhutan

Encyclopædia Britannica entry.

Bhutan

. Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 03 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 846–848.

"Bhutan" 

at Curlie

Bhutan

Wikimedia Atlas of Bhutan

from International Futures.

Key Development Forecasts for Bhutan