| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan
conventional short form: Bhutan |
| Capital: |
Thimphu |
| Location: |
Southern Asia, between China and India |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
27 30 N, 90 30 E |
| Area: |
total: 47,000 sq km
land: 47,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
about half the size of Indiana |
| Land
Boundaries: |
total: 1,075 km
border countries: China 470 km, India 605 km |
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime
Claims: |
none (landlocked) |
| Climate: |
varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas |
| Terrain: |
mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Drangme Chhu 97 m
highest point: Kula Kangri 7,553 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
monarchy; special treaty relationship with India |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Dagana, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang
note: there may be two new districts named Gasa and Yangtse |
| Independence |
8 August 1949 (from India) |
| National
Holiday: |
National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907) |
| Constitution: |
no written constitution or bill of rights; note - in 2001 the King commissioned the drafting of a constitution, and in November 2004 presented a draft to the Council of Ministers |
| Legal
System; |
based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage |
each family has one vote in village-level elections; note - in late 2003 Bhutan's legislature passed a new election law |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Lyonpo Yeshey ZIMBA (since 20 August 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed, five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms in July 1998 grant the National Assembly authority to remove the monarch with two-thirds vote |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105 elected from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies, and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and other secular interests; members serve three-year terms)
elections: local elections last held November 2002 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: NA |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges appointed by the monarch) |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
no legal parties |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
2,185,569
note: other estimates range as low as 810,000 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 39.3% (male 445,548; female 414,338)
15-64 years: 56.6% (male 637,637; female 600,253)
65 years and over: 4% (male 44,298; female 43,495) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 20.2 years
male: 20 years
female: 20.3 years (2004 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural)
adjective: Bhutanese |
| Ethnic groups: |
Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35% (includes Lhotsampas - one of several Nepalese ethnic groups), indigenous or migrant tribes 15% |
| Religions: |
Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25% |
| Languages: |
Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
25,200 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
8,000 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: NA
domestic: domestic telephone service is very poor with few telephones in use
international: country code - 975; international telephone and telegraph service is by landline through India; a satellite earth station was planned (1990) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 0, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
0 (1997) |
| Internet country
code: |
.bt |
| Internet hosts: |
985 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
15,000 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 3,690 km
paved: 2,240 km
unpaved: 1,450 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
none |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
2 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
