About Bhutan

KEY FACTS:

Bhutan is a sanctuary of harmonious evolution in the heart of the Eastern Himalayas. The country’s history stretches back to the origins of Buddhism and its deeply spiritual populace is earthy, enterprising, pragmatic and delightfully humorous. They live in harmony with nature and have evolved a unique identity derived largely from a religious and culture heritage.

. Area of Bhutan: 47000 Sq/Km

. Altitude: varying from 180m to 7550m above sea level

. Population: 6, 50,000

. Capital: Thimphu

. Local time: six hours ahead of GMT and ½ hour ahead of IST (Indian standard time)

. Forest Cover: – 72%

. Agricultural: – 7.8%

. National animal: Takin- Bodorcas Taxi Color

. National Flower: Blue Poppy, Meconopis Grains

. National Tree: Tsenden, Himalyalca cypress

. National Bird: Raven, Coruas Coraxs

. National Sanctuaries: 26%

Topography:

Bhutan’s physical geography consists mostly of steep and high mountains with a network of swift rivers, which form deep valleys before draining into the Indian plains. The land rises with three broad categories of Himalayas.

1. The Sub Himalayas: It ranges from 200m, 660ft to 2000m, 6600ft above sea level. Average width is of 50kms.
2. The Inner Himalayas: It ranges from 2001m, 6603ft to 4000m, 13200ft above sea level. Average width is of 70kms. It is marked by five major river systems, by flat mid Himalayan river valleys (Paro, Haa, Thimphu, Punakha, Wangdue and Bumthang). Between the valleys mountains rise to great heights and many mountain pass are found in the inner Himalayas (Dagala, Dochula, Pelela, Thrumsengla…).
3. The Greater Himalayas: It ranges from 4000m, 13200ft and above. Average widths are 30kms and are marked by permanent snow, Glaciers a

People of Bhutan can be grouped into five broad divisions.

1. • The Northern region: People of north are popularly known as Bjops. Found in Laya, Lingshi and Lunana. They speak slight variation of Dzongkha. They are Yak herders by occupation and they have a standard Bhutanese dress but women from Laya retain their distinctive dress.
   • The Western region: People of west are popularly known as Ngalong. Found in the valleys of Ha, Paro, Thimphu , Punakha and Wangdue.They are the migrants from Tibet . They speak slight variation of Dzongkha. It is the rice growing regions.
   • The Central region: It comprises of part of Wangdue, whole of Trongsa, Bumthang, Zhemgang and part of Kurtoe.They speak a different language belonging to Bumthang group.  They too are rice growing regions. They herd yaks and sheep and also produce special products from bamboo, yaks and sheep.
   • The Eastern region: They are known as Sharchops (people who live in the eastern side). The area comprises of Mongar, Trashigang, Pemagatshel ans Samdrup jongkhar. They refer to Tshangla speaking people which are spoken beyond the border of Bhutan in the Dirang district of Arunachal Pradesh ( India ). Sharchops shares a close cultural and linguistic affinity with the people of northern Burma and northern Laos . They cultivate maize and rear livestock. Special products that they produce are wood products and silk textile.
   • The Southern region: People of south are popularly known as Lhotsmapas and are found in Samtse, Chukha, Tsirang, Sarpang and Samdrup Jongkhar. The language they speak is  Nepali. South region also comprises of many ethnic groups such as Bahun, Chetri, Sherpas, Gurung, Rai and Limbu.

THE EMBLEM:

The national Emblem, contained in a circle is composed of double diamond thunderbolt placed above a louts surmounted by a jewel and framed by two dragons. The double diamond thunderbolt represents the harmony between secular and religious power. The lotus symbolized purity, the jewel- sovereign power and the two dragons- a male and female stand for the name of the country- the thunder dragon ( Druk Yul)

THE FLAG:

The national Flag is rectangular and divided diagonally into two parts with a white dragon in the middle. The upper yellow half signifies the country’s secular authority of the king in fruitful action in the affairs of religion and state. The lower saffron orange half signifies the religious practice and spiritual power of Buddhism manifested in the Drukpa Kagyu and Nyingma traditions. The dragon symbolizes the name of the country, locally known as Druk Yul, meaning land of the thunder dragon and its white colour signifies purity and loyalty of the Bhutanese people.

PEOPLE:

Bhutanese are friendly and hospitable people. Large majority of Bhutanese are homogeneous group divided linguistically into three broad sub-groups. These are Sharchops, Ngalong and Lhotshampa. Besides, there are a number of smaller groups, many with their own language which form about one percent of the population. Some of these groups are: Bumthap in Bumthang, Tsangho in the east, Layapa in the north-west, Brokpa in the north-east and Doya in the south- east.

NATIONAL DAY:

National day is celebrated on December 17 in commemoration of the accession of Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuk, the first king of Bhutan to the throne, in Punakha Dzong.

CURRENCY:

Bhutan’s national currency is called Ngultrum (1 Ngultrum=100 Chetrum) and was introduced in 1974. The Ngultrum is pegged with the Indian Rupee.

SPORTS:

The national sport of Bhutan is archery. Other traditional sports include digor- kind of shot-put, darts and wrestling. International sports such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis and table tennis are also popular.

DRESS:

Bhutanese men wear gho, which are longish robes tied around the waist by a cloth belt, known as kera. The women’s ankle-length dress is known as kira, which is made of bright coloured fine woven fabric with traditional patterns.

FOOD:

Staple diet is red rice, buckwheat, wheat, maize, pork, beef, chicken, yak meat, cheese and chilies which are taken s a vegetable and not as a spice.

ARCHITECTURE:

The Castle-like dzongs, with their gently tapering walls, classic lines, large court-yards and beautiful galleries are among the finest examples of Bhutanese architecture.  Containing large monasteries inside and set in commanding position on hilltops or at the confluence of rivers, dzongs are also the administrative centers of their districts. But, the most common architectural sight in Bhutan is the chortens or stupas which are small shrines built to house sacred relics.

ECONOMY:

Agriculture and live stock rising has traditionally been the mainstay of the kingdom’s economy. They contribute about 45% to the GNP. 70% of Bhutan’s population lives on subsistence farming, growing rice, barely, millet, buckwheat, potatoes, mustard, chili and vegetables. Local cheese is made from cow and yak milk, air-dried yak meat is considered a delicacy. Forestry adds another 15% to the GNP.

ARTS AND CRAFTS:

Bhutan is known for handicraft items in bronze, silver and other metals. Sculpting of religious figures is widely practiced and every temple house s large brightly painted and gilded statues of the Buddha and other saints.

MEDIA:

Besides a host of private cable channels in most urban center, the Bhutan Broadcasting Service Corporation (BBSC) is the only nationally televised television station in Bhutan. Kuensel and Bhutan Today are dailies while Bhutan Times, Bhutan Observer and Business Bhutan are weekly news paper available. Online versions of most newspapers are updated regularly on the internet. Bhutan’s first news-magazine, ‘Drukpa’ a monthly publication, was launched in December 17, 2009.

SOCIETY:

Society was traditionally divided into the zhung (monarchy and bureaucracy), dratshang( religious community) , and misey(people) without a caste system. During the medieval period, when a loose form of feudalism prevailed, people working for the kings and lords in different dzongs (forts) were categorized by their professions. But the division was not rigid since anyone could rise to the highest position. All people were taxpayers.

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