Facts about Bhutan

Here are some facts known and unknown about Bhutan.

Location: The Kingdom of Bhutan is nestled between two neighboring giants: China to the north and India to the South. Bhutan lies between 88 degrees 45′ and 92 degrees 10′ longitude East and 26 degrees 42′ and 28 degrees 15′ latitude North. It is a landlocked Himalayan nation that has managed to preserve its sovereignty and strong cultural identity despite the infiltration of foreign cultural forces especially with the advent of television and the internet in 1999.

Area: Bhutan has a total area of 38,394 square kilometers with an aerial distance of around 350km from east to west and around 150km from north to south.

Altitude: There is a great variation in altitude from the southern foothills that range from 100 meters above sea level to 7,200 meters above sea level in the northern passes. From east to west, the altitude ranges from 3,000 to 3,500m.

Population: According to the 2014 estimation, the population stands at 754,951.

Districts: There are 20 districts in Bhutan. They are divided into four regional zones: east, west, north, and south. The people of each zone have their unique traditions and culture plus they usually have their own dialects.

Capital: The Capital town of Bhutan, Thimphu, is an interesting blend of modernity and tradition. While you may see hip youngsters on the streets, you will also be awed by the Bhutanese way of living that is deeply ingrained in the culture.

 It is one of the two capital cities in Asia without traffic lights (The other is Pyongyang in North Korea). The traffic is directed by traffic policemen in blue uniforms who show the way through graceful hand motions.

Political system: Since the Fourth King abdicated the throne in 2006, and the Fifth King officially ascended the throne in 2008, Bhutan went from being an absolute monarchy to a Democratic Constitutional Monarchy.

Language: The official language of Bhutan is Dzongkha though there are other dialects spoken by the Bhutanese like Lhotshampkha, Sarchop, Khengkha, Bumthangkha, etc

Currency: The Bhutanese currency Ngultrum is pegged to the Indian Rupee.

Forest cover: Bhutan has made a resolution to maintain a forest cover of not less than 72.5% in keeping with its policy of environmental and ecological conservation.

Constitution: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan was ratified on July 18, 2008.

National Day:  The National day is the commemoration of the day when the First Hereditary King of Bhutan was crowned. It is celebrated on 17 December every year.

Religion: The state religion is Buddhism and next comes Hinduism in terms of popularity. There is a minority section that practices Christianity.

Independence: Bhutan was unified under its First Hereditary King in 1907.

Local Time: 6 hours ahead of GMT

Country code: +975