Bhutan

• varies;
• tropical in southern plains;
• cool winters and hot summers in central valleys;
• severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas

• violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's Bhutanese name, which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon;
• frequent landslides during the rainy season

• soil erosion;
• limited access to potable water;
• wildlife conservation;
• industrial pollution;
• waste disposal

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea

• landlocked;
• strategic location between China and India;
• controls several key Himalayan mountain passes

noun:

Bhutanese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Bhutanese

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.12 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.15 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.08 male(s)/female

total population:

1.08 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Bhutan

conventional short form:

Bhutan

local long form:

Druk Gyalkhap

local short form:

Druk Yul

etymology:

• named after the Bhotia, the ethnic Tibetans who migrated from Tibet to Bhutan;
• "Bod" is the Tibetan name for their land;
• the Bhutanese name "Druk Yul" means "Land of the Thunder Dragon"

name:

Thimphu

geographic coordinates:

27 28 N, 89 38 E

time difference:

UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

the origins of the name are unclear; the traditional explanation, dating to the 14th century, is that "thim" means "dissolve" and "phu" denotes "high ground" to express the meaning of "dissolving high ground," in reference to a local deity that dissolved before a traveler's eyes, becoming a part of the rock on which the present city stands

• 20 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural);
• Bumthang, Chhukha, Dagana, Gasa, Haa, Lhuentse, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatshel, Punakha, Samdrup Jongkhar, Samtse, Sarpang, Thimphu, Trashigang, Trashi Yangtse, Trongsa, Tsirang, Wangdue Phodrang, Zhemgang

history:

previous governing documents were various royal decrees; first constitution drafted November 2001 to March 2005, ratified 18 July 2008

amendments:

• proposed as a motion by simple majority vote in a joint session of Parliament;
• passage requires at least a three-fourths majority vote in a joint session of the next Parliament and assent by the king

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Bhutan

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

10 years

chief of state:

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK (since 14 December 2006); note - King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK abdicated the throne on 14 December 2006 to his son

head of government:

Prime Minister Lotay TSHERING (since 7 November 2018)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers or Lhengye Zhungtshog members nominated by the monarch in consultation with the prime minister and approved by the National Assembly; members serve 5-year terms

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary but can be removed by a two-thirds vote of Parliament;
• leader of the majority party in Parliament is nominated as the prime minister, appointed by the monarch

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and 4 associate justices); note - the Supreme Court has sole jurisdiction in constitutional matters

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the monarch upon the advice of the National Judicial Commission, a 4-member body to include the Legislative Committee of the National Assembly, the attorney general, the Chief Justice of Bhutan and the senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court;
• other judges (drangpons) appointed by the monarch from among the High Court judges selected by the National Judicial Commission;
• chief justice serves a 5-year term or until reaching age 65 years, whichever is earlier;
• the 4 other judges serve 10-year terms or until age 65, whichever is earlier

subordinate courts:

• High Court (first appellate court);
• District or Dzongkhag Courts;
• sub-district or Dungkhag Courts

• Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party or BKP
• Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party (Druk Phuensum Tshogpa) or DPT [Pema GYAMTSHO] (Druk Chirwang Tshogpa or DCT merged with DPT in March 2018)
• People's Democratic Party or PDP [Tshering TOBGAY]
• United Party of Bhutan (Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa) or DNT [Lotay TSHERING]

chief of mission:

• none;
• the Permanent Mission to the UN for Bhutan has consular jurisdiction in the US;
• the permanent representative to the UN is Doma TSHERING (since 13 September 2017);
• address: 343 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017;
• telephone [1] (212) 682-2268;
• FAX [1] (212) 661-0551

consulate(s) general:

New York

• divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner;
• the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange;
• centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side;
• the dragon, called the Druk (Thunder Dragon), is the emblem of the nation;
• its white color stands for purity and the jewels in its claws symbolize wealth;
• the background colors represent spiritual and secular powers within Bhutan: the orange is associated with Buddhism, while the yellow denotes the ruling dynasty

name:

"Druk tsendhen" (The Thunder Dragon Kingdom)

lyrics/music:

Gyaldun Dasho Thinley DORJI/Aku TONGMI

note: adopted 1953

agriculture:

58%

industry:

20%

services:

22% (2015 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.8%

highest 10%:

30.6% (2012)

• state-owned TV station established in 1999;
• cable TV service offers dozens of Indian and other international channels;
• first radio station, privately launched in 1973, is now state-owned;
• 5 private radio stations are currently broadcasting (2012)

number of registered air carriers:

2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

275,849 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

690,000 mt-km (2018)

total:

12,205 km (2017)

urban:

437 km (2017)

• 18 years of age for voluntary military service;
• no conscription;
• militia training is compulsory for males aged 20-25, over a 3-year period (2012)