Buhtan

The Kingdom of Bhutan (pronounced /buːˈtɑːn/) is a landlocked nation in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and is bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by People's Republic of China. Bhutan is separated from the nearby state of Nepal to the west by the Indian state of Sikkim, and from Bangladesh to the south by West Bengal. The Bhutanese call their country Druk Yul (Dzongkha: འབྲུག་ཡུལ་) which means "Land of the Thunder Dragon".^[3]

Bhutan used to be one of the most isolated nations in the world, but developments including direct international flights, the Internet, mobile phone networks, and cable television have increasingly modernized the urban areas of the country. Bhutan has balanced modernization with its ancient culture and traditions under the guiding philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH). Rampant destruction of the environment has been avoided. The government takes great measures to preserve the nation's traditional culture, identity and the environment. In 2006, Business Week magazine rated Bhutan the happiest country in Asia and the eighth-happiest in the world, citing a global survey conducted by the University of Leicester in 2006 called the "World Map of Happiness".^[4]

Bhutan's landscape ranges from subtropical plains in the south to the Himalayan heights in the north, with some peaks exceeding 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). The state religion is Vajrayana Buddhism, and the population of 691,141 is predominantly Buddhist, with Hinduism being the second-largest religion. The capital and largest city is Thimphu. After centuries of direct monarchic rule, Bhutan held its first democratic elections in March 2008. Among other international associations, Bhutan is a member of the United Nations and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The total area of the country is currently 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi)^[5] which has been reduced from previous 47,000 square kilometres (18,000 sq mi) after a boundary re-demacaration by the Chinese government in the north.

• 1 Name
• 2 History
  • 2.1 Problems in Southern Bhutan
  • 2.2 Democratic reform and modernization
  • 2.3 Religion
• 3 Government and politics
• 4 Military and foreign affairs
• 5 Geography
• 6 Economy
• 7 Districts
• 8 Cities and towns
• 9 Demographics
• 10 Culture
• 11 See also
• 12 References
• 13 Further reading
• 14 External links

Capital		Thimphu
Official languages		Dzongkha
Demonym		Bhutanese
Government		Constitutional democratic monarchy
-	King	Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
-	Prime Minister	Jigme Y. Thinley
Formation		Early 17th century
-	Wangchuk Dynasty	17 December 1907
-	Constitutional Monarchy	2008
Area
-	Total	38,394 km2 14,824 sq mi
-	Water (%)	<1>
Population
-	estimate	672,425 (2005)1
-	Density	14/km2 (154th) 37/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$3.442 billion[1]
-	Per capita	$5,238[1]
GDP (nominal)		2008 estimate
-	Total	$1.368 billion[1]
-	Per capita	$2,082[1]
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.579 (medium) (131st)
Currency		Ngultrum2 (BTN)
Time zone		BTT (UTC+6:00)
-	Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+6:00)
Drives on the		left
Internet TLD		.bt
Calling code		975