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

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

noun:

Bhutanese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Bhutanese

total:

30.7 years (2024 est.)

male:

31.1 years

female:

30.3 years

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.08 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.06 male(s)/female

total population:

1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

24.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

24.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

23.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

73.7 years (2024 est.)

male:

72.5 years

female:

75 years

total:

0.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Law of the Sea

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

urban population:

44.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

2.52% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

26.1 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

1.26 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

1.11 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

111,314 tons (2007 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

957 tons (2016 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

0.9% (2016 est.)

municipal:

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

3 million cubic meters (2019 est.)

agricultural:

320 million cubic meters (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)

head of government:

Prime Minister Tshering TOBGAY (since 28 January 2024)

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 court(s):

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 Peace and Prosperity Party (Druk Phuensum Tshogpa) or DPT
• Bhutan Tendrel Party or BTP
• Druk Thuendrel Tshogpa or DTT
• People's Democratic Party or PDP
• United Party of Bhutan (Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa) or DNT

chief of mission:

• Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the United Nations (vacant);
• Chargé d'Affaires Phuntsho NORBU (since October 2022);
• note - also serving as the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN

telephone:

[1] (212) 682-2371

FAX:

[1] (212) 661-0551

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.mfa.gov.bt/pmbny/

consulate(s) general:

343 East, 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017;

• note - although Bhutan and the United States do not have diplomatic relations, the two countries established consular relations on 23 July 1986;
• the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Bhutan was established in New York with an officer from the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations holding dual accreditation as the Consul General with consular jurisdiction in the US

• 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

• hydropower investments spurring economic development;
• Gross National Happiness economy;
• sharp poverty declines;
• low inflation;
• strong monetary and fiscal policies;
• stable currency;
• fairly resilient response to COVID-19;
• key economic and strategic relations with India;
• climate vulnerabilities

total:

29.2% (2023 est.)

male:

25.1% (2023 est.)

female:

33.1% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

3.6% (2022 est.)

highest 10%:

22.7% (2022 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

production:

177,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

325,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

100 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

148,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• the small land-locked Kingdom of Bhutan has only recently emerged from decades of isolation from the modern world;
• that, and its mountainous terrain, left the country far back in the field in terms of teledensity as well as access to the Internet;
• over the last decade, the country has undergone a significant transformation due to the opening of its borders, liberalization of its telecom sector, and the active support from the government towards increased competition in the mobile, broadband, and ISP segments;
• the relatively widespread availability of the mobile platform has caused an explosion in mobile broadband subscriber numbers, growing from zero to over 100% penetration in just ten years (between 2010 and 2019).;
• the onset of the Covid-19 crisis in 2020 caused the subscription rates to drop back a little;
• growth is projected to return in 2022 (along with the broader mobile market) as the overall economy recovers;
• the government opens up more to foreign investment, trade, and tourism;
• and network expansion continues – the recent (December 2021) launch of 5G services by both of the country’s mobile operators being particularly noteworthy (2022)

domestic:

approximately 3 to 100 fixed-line and 100 mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people (2021)

international:

• country code - 975;
• international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

• 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 (2018) mt-km

total:

12,205 km (2017)

urban:

437 km

• the Army is responsible for external threats but also has some internal security functions such as conducting counterinsurgency operations, guarding forests, and providing security for prominent persons;
• Bhutan relies on India for military training, arms supplies, and the country’s air defense (2024)

• announced in 2018 that it intends to establish a space agency, but has not yet done so;
• has a Division of Telecom and Space (DoTS) under the GovTech Agency (2024)