འབྲུག་ རྒྱལ་ཁབ་ Brug rGyal-Khab Dru Gäkhap Kingdom of Bhutan
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Druk tsendhen
Capital		Thimphu
Official languages		Dzongkha
Demonym		Bhutanese
Government		Absolute monarchy
-	King	Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck
-	Prime Minster	Kinzang Dorji
Formation		Early 17th century
-	Wangchuk Dynasty	December 17, 1907
Area
-	Total	47,000 km² (131st) 18,147 sq mi
-	Water (%)	negligible
Population
-	estimate	672,425 (2005)
-	Density	45/km² (149th) 117/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$4.39 billion (160th)
-	Per capita	$5,477 (117th)
HDI (2007)		0.579 (medium) (133th)
Currency		Ngultrum (BTN)
Time zone		BTT (UTC+6:00)
-	Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+6:00)
Internet TLD		.bt
Calling code
1	The population of Bhutan had been estimated based on the reported figure of about 1 million in the 1970s when the country had joined the United Nations and precise statistics were lacking[1]. Thus using the annual increase rate of 2-3%, the most population estimates were around 2 million in the year 2000. A national census was carried out in 2005 and it turned out that the population was 672,425 [2]. Consequently, United Nations Population Division had down-estimated the country's population in the 2006 revision [3]for the whole period from 1950 to 2050.

The Kingdom of Bhutan (IPA: /buːˈtɑːn/) is a landlocked nation in the Himalaya Mountains, sandwiched between India and China in South Asia. The Bhutanese call their country Druk Yul (land of the thunder dragon). Historically Bhutan was known by many names, such as Lho Mon (southern land of darkness), Lho Tsendenjong (southern land of the Tsenden cypress), and Lhomen Khazhi (southern land of four approaches). The origins of the name Bhutan are unclear; historians have suggested that it may have originated in variations of the Sanskrit words Bhota-ant (the end of Bhot – another word for Tibet), or Bhu-uttan (highlands). The word Bhutan as a name for the country dates from the late 19th century.

Bhutan is one of the most isolated and least developed nations in the world. Nonetheless, it has been described as the happiest least developed country on earth.^[1] Foreign influences and tourism are heavily regulated by the government to preserve the country's traditional culture and national identity. The landscape ranges from subtropical plains in the south to the Himalayan heights in the north, with some peaks exceeding seven thousand metres. Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion and the population is predominantly Buddhist, with Hinduism being the second most dominant. Thimphu is the capital and largest city.

Name

"Bhutan" may be derived from the Sanskrit word Bhu-Utthan meaning "High Land". In another theory of Sanskritisation, Bhots-ant means "End of Tibet" or "South of Tibet". The Dzongkha (and Tibetan) name for the country is Druk Yul ("Dragon Land").^[2]

Historically, Bhutan has been known by many names, such as Lho Mon ("Southern Land of Darkness"), Lho Tsendenjong ("Southern Land of the Sandalwood"), Lhomen Khazhi ("Southern Land of Four Approaches"), and Lho Men Jong ("Southern Land of Medicinal Herbs").^[2] Bhutan is also commonly known as The Last Shangrila.

History

Jakar, the admistrative headquarters of Bumthang District and the place where Buddhism entered Bhutan.

Mongar, the eastern commercial hub of the country.

Paro, site of the international airport.

Punakha, the old capital.

Phuentsholing, Bhutan's commercial hub.

Samdrup Jongkhar

Thimphu, the largest city and capital of Bhutan.

Trashigang, the most populous district in the country.

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

Demographics

Media of Bhutan

Buddhism in Bhutan

Communications in Bhutan

Foreign relations of Bhutan

List of Bhutan-related topics

Military of Bhutan

Transport in Bhutan

Notes

1. ^ Adrian White (27 July 2006). University of Leicester produces the first-ever 'world map of happiness'. University of Leicester. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
2. ^ ^{a b} www.loc.gov
3. ^ Fast forward into trouble - The Guardian.
4. ^ Constitution. Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
5. ^ Asian Times
6. ^ China.com
7. ^ HindustanTimes.com
8. ^ http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/128222.html
9. ^ The Tribune
10. ^ India's Ministry of External Affairs provides financial aid to neighbouring countries under "technical and economic cooperation with other countries and advances to foreign governments." The Tribune, Chandigarh
11. ^ Yoga Journal

References

Prose contains specific citations in source text which may be viewed in edit mode.

• A Country Study: Bhutan. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. Retrieved on September 8, 2005.
• Bhutan. CIA World Factbook. Retrieved on September 8, 2005.
• Bhutan. MSN Encarta. Retrieved on September 8, 2005.
• Bhutan army sees action at last. Asia Times Online. Retrieved on September 8, 2005.
• Bhutan-China Relations. Bhutan News Online. Retrieved on September 8, 2005.
• MoUs with Bhutan on rail links, power projects. The Tribune, Chandigarh. Retrieved on September 8, 2005.
• Border tension pushes MEA allocation. The Tribune, Chandigarh. Retrieved on September 8, 2005.
• Happy Land. Yoga Journal. Retrieved on September 12, 2005.
• Fast forward into trouble. The Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved on September 16, 2005.
• A New Measure of Well-Being From a Happy Little Kingdom. The New York Times. Retrieved on October 4, 2005.
• A.P. Agarwala (2003). Sikkim and Bhutan. Nest and Wings. . 
• Sunanda K. Datta-Ray (1984). Smash and Grab: The Annexation of Sikkim. Vikas. . 
• Foning, A.R. (1987). Lepcha, My Vanishing Tribe. Sterling Publishers. . 
• A hidden and mysterious kingdom. Toplum Postasi. Retrieved on June 14, 2006.
• Rose, Leo. The Nepali Ethnic Community in the Northeast of the Subcontinent. 

External links

Find more information on Bhutan by searching Wikipedia's sister projects
	Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
	Textbooks from Wikibooks
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Images and media from Commons
	News stories from Wikinews
	Learning resources from Wikiversity

• Government of Bhutan portal
• His Majesty addresses the Lhengye Zhungtsho
• Bhutan travel guide from Wikitravel
• Bhutan Informations for all visitors
• Information for travellers
• Bhutan - The Last Shangrila
• A Blog About Bhutan - Sharing All Information to Travelers
• Royal University of Bhutan (www.rub.edu.bt)
• A Cyber Joint for Royal University of Bhutan Alumni

Geographic locale

v • d • e Countries of South Asia Bangladesh · Bhutan · India · Maldives · Nepal · Pakistan · Sri Lanka Sometimes included:  Afghanistan • Iran • Myanmar • British Indian Ocean Territory • Tibet v • d • e Countries of Asia Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan1 · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Cambodia · China, People's Republic of · China, Republic of (Taiwan)2 · Cyprus · Egypt3 · Georgia1 · India · Indonesia4 · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan1 · Korea, Democratic People's Republic of · Korea, Republic of · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nepal · Oman · Pakistan · Philippines · Qatar · Russia1 · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste (East Timor)4 · Turkey1 · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen3 For dependent and other territories, see Dependent territory and List of unrecognized countries. 1 Partly or significantly in Europe.  2 The Republic of China (Taiwan) is not officially recognized by the United Nations; see Political status of Taiwan. 3 Partly or significantly in Africa.  4 Partly or wholly reckoned in Oceania.

International membership

v •  • e South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Members Afghanistan · Bangladesh · Bhutan · India · Maldives · Nepal · Pakistan · Sri Lanka Observers China (PRC) · European Union · Iran · Japan · United States · South Korea

v • d • e Countries and Territories of the Indosphere
South Asia	Bangladesh · Bhutan · British Indian Ocean Territory · India · Maldives · Nepal · Pakistan · Sri Lanka · Tibet (often considered part of Central Asia)
Southeast Asia	Brunei · Burma (Myanmar) · Cambodia · Indonesia · Laos · Malaysia · Singapore · Thailand · East Timor
Others	Afghanistan (often considered part of South Asia)  · Balochistan  · Fiji · Guyana · Mauritius · Yunnan

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