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Bhutan facts for kids

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Kingdom of Bhutan

  • འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་  (Dzongkha)
  • Druk Gyal Khap
Anthem: "Druk tsendhen" (Dzongkha)
"The Thunder Dragon Kingdom"
Capital
and largest city
 Thimphu
27°28.0′N 89°38.5′E / 27.4667°N 89.6417°E / 27.4667; 89.6417
Official languages Dzongkha
Religion
74.8% Vajrayana Buddhism (state religion)
22.6% Hinduism
1.9% Bon and other indigenous faith
0.5% Christianity
0.4% Islam
0.2% Other
Demonym(s) Bhutanese
Government Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Druk Gyalpo (monarch)
 Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Lotay Tshering
Legislature Parliament
National Council
National Assembly
Formation
• Unification of Bhutan
 1616–1634
• House of Wangchuck
 17 December 1907
8 August 1949
21 September 1971
• Constitutional monarchy
 18 July 2008
Area
• Total
 38,394 km2 (14,824 sq mi) (133rd)
• Water (%)
 1.1
Population
• 2018 estimate
 754,388 (165th)
• 2017 census
 727,145
• Density
 19.3/km2 (50.0/sq mi) (162nd)
GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate
• Total
 $7.701 billion
• Per capita
 $9,426 (115th)
GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate
• Total
 $2.547 billion
• Per capita
 $3,117 (130th)
Gini (2017) 37.4
medium
HDI (2019) Increase 0.654
medium · 129th
Currency Ngultrum (BTN)
Time zone UTC+06 (BTT)
Driving side left
Calling code +975
ISO 3166 code BT
Internet TLD .bt

Bhutan (officially called Kingdom of Bhutan) is a small country in the Himalaya mountains of South Asia. It is ruled by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who has been king since 2006. Bhutan was founded in 1644 by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel. The Bhutanese people are proud that they have always been an independent country. Bhutan's capital city is Thimphu. The official language is Dzongkha.

About 700,000 people live in Bhutan. The people and government of Bhutan are proud of their culture which is based on Tibetan Buddhism. 97% of Bhutan's people are Buddhist.

Until 1974 Bhutan was closed to the outside world. Now people can visit the country, but only in small numbers. The only airport is in Paro district. The country is bordered on the south by the Republic of India and on the north by China. The Indian state of Sikkim separates Bhutan and Nepal. The main export of Bhutan is hydroelectricity which is sold to India. The economy of Bhutan is very small but is growing quickly. The currency is the Ngultrum, which is pegged at par with the Indian rupee.

National symbols of Bhutan

  • Sichuan Takin Juvenile 159

    National animal of Bhutan

  • Corvus corax (NPS)

    National bird of Bhutan

  • CupressusCashmerianaSochi

    National tree of Bhutan

  • Blue Poppy Meconopsis sp Pair 1000px

    National flower of Bhutan

Landscape

  • 082 - Gangkar Puensum - 7,570m (Dochula pass) (4677022812)

    Gangkhar Puensum, the highest mountain in Bhutan

  • Himalayan Landscape

    The Subalpine landscape common in Bhutan

  • Himalayan peak from Bumthang

    A Himalayan mountain seen from the town of Bumthang

  • Jigme Dorji National Park, Bhutan

    Jigme Dorji National Park

  • HaaValley

    The Haa Valley in Western Bhutan

Military

The Royal Bhutan Army is Bhutan's military service. It includes the Royal Bodyguard and the Royal Bhutan Police. Membership is voluntary, and the minimum age for recruitment is 18. The standing army numbers about 16,000 and is trained by the Indian Army. Being a landlocked country, Bhutan has no navy. It also has no air force or army aviation corps. The Army relies on Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force for air assistance.

Wildlife

Takin, Thimphu mini-zoo
The Takin is Bhutan's national animal.

More than 770 species of bird and 5,400 species of plants are known to occur throughout the kingdom. Bhutan has a rich primate life with rare species such as the golden langur.

Administrative divisions

Bhutan is divided into 20 districts. Locally these are named dzongkhags. The districts are:

Cities

The major cities of Bhutan are:

  • Thimphu, the largest city and capital of Bhutan
  • Damphu, the administrative headquarters of Tsirang District
  • Jakar, the administrative 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
  • Phuentsholing, Bhutan's commercial hub
  • Punakha, the old capital
  • Samdrup Jongkhar The south eastern town on the border with India
  • Trashigang, administrative headquarters of Trashigang District the most populous district in the country
  • Trongsa, in central Bhutan which has the largest and the most magnificent of all the dzongs in Bhutan

Sports

Bhutan archery
Changlimithang Stadium, during a parade.

Bhutan's national sport is archery. Competitions are held regularly in most villages. Cricket has gained popularity in Bhutan, particularly since the introduction of television channels from India. The Bhutan national cricket team is one of the more successful affiliate nations in the region. Football is also an increasingly popular sport.

Related pages


Images for kids

  • Cloud-hidden, whereabouts unknown (Paro, Bhutan)

    The dzong in the Paro valley, built in 1646.

  • Tashigang Dzong 111120

    Trashigang Dzong, built in 1659.

  • Wangdue Zam, Samuel Davis, 1783

    Sketch of Bhutan's interior, 1783

  • View of Choka

    Painting of Bhutan, 1813

  • Durbar of Ugyen Wangchuck, receiving the order of the Knight Commander of the Indian Empire, KCIE, at Punakha, Bhutan, 1905

    British envoys in Bhutan's royal court in 1905

  • Thrikheb

    A thrikhep (throne cover) from the 19th century. Throne covers were placed atop the temple cushions used by high lamas. The central circular swirling symbol is the gankyil in its mode as the "Four Joys".

  • Manmohan Singh along with other Head of State and Government of SAARC Countries witnessed the Lha-dhar Hoisting (Hoisting of Traditional Large Flag), on the sidelines of the 16th SAARC Summit, in Thimphu, Bhutan

    Leaders of Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal at the 16th SAARC Summit in Thimphu, 2010

  • Bhutan topo en

    A topographic map of Bhutan.

  • Tashichödzong Thimphu-2008-01-23

    Snowfall in Bhutan

  • Himalayan Marmot at Tshophu Lake Bhutan 091007 b

    Himalayan Marmot at Tshophu Lake, Bhutan

  • Bhutan Power Corporation office Thimphu

    The Bhutan Power Corporation headquarters in Thimphu. Bhutan's principal export is hydroelectricity.

  • Bridges at Panbang 2019-12-13

    Modern and traditional bridges over a river in Panbang

  • Bhutan Field - IMG 3815

    Rice terraces in one of Bhutan's fertile valleys.

  • BDFC-SDF Bulding Thimphu

    Office of the SAARC Development Fund in Thimphu

  • Le Meridien Hotel, Thimphu (c)

    The Le Méridien Thimphu is part of Bhutan's burgeoning tourism industry.

  • Paro day 1-58 (8202279871)

    A Druk Air Airbus A319 in Paro Airport

  • ILCS Campus Tagse Bhutan

    The ILCS Campus Taktse Bhutan.

  • Bhutanese thanka of Mt. Meru and the Buddhist Universe

    Bhutanese thanka of Mt. Meru and the Buddhist universe (19th century, Trongsa Dzong, Trongsa, Bhutan)

  • National Library-Thimphu-Bhutan-2008 01 23

    The National Library of Bhutan during snowfall

  • Bhutan-masked-dance

    Chaam, sacred masked dances, are annually performed during religious festivals.

  • Bhutanese red rice with chicken and spinach

    Traditional dish with lemon glazed chicken, sauteed spinach and steamed Bhutanese red rice

  • Taekwondo YOG 2018 Girls 49kg BHU-VIE 05

    Taekwondo between Bhutan and Vietnam

  • Bhutanese Archers

    A Bhutanese archery competition

See also

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