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The Kingdom of Bhutan
the "Land of Dragon" is a landlocked country in
South Asia, located at the eastern end of the
Himalaya Mountains and bordered to the south, east
and west by the Republic of India and to the north
by the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's
Republic of China. Bhutan is separated from the
nearby state of Nepal to the west by the Indian
state of Sikkim, and from Bangladesh to the south by
West Bengal.
Bhutan used to be one
of the most isolated countries in the world.
Developments and modern infrastructure facilities
have increasingly modernized the urban areas of the
country. Bhutan balanced modernization with its
ancient culture and traditions under the guiding
philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH).
Fervent protection of the environment has been a top
priority. The government takes great measures to
preserve the nation's traditional culture, identity
and the environment. Bhutan's landscape ranges from
subtropical plains in the south to the Sub-alpine
Himalayan heights in the north, with some peaks
exceeding 7,000 metres (23,000 ft).
The state religion is
Vajrayana Buddhism, and the population of 691,141 is
predominantly Buddhist, with Hinduism being the
second-largest religion. The capital and largest
city is Thimphu. Bhutan is a member of the United
Nations and the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) |
