Bhutan: A country of peaceful dragon and land of thunderstorm

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Bhutan A country of peaceful dragon and land of
thunderstorm
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Location of Bhutan
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Kingdom of Bhutan

• Location Southern Asia, between China and
  India
• Geographic coordinates 27 30 N, 90 30 E
• Map references Asia
• 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)

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Geographical factors of Bhutan

• 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
• Elevation extremes lowest point Drangme
  Chhu 97 m highest point Kula Kangri 7,553 m
• Natural resources timber, hydropower,
  gypsum, calcium carbonate
• Land use arable land 2.3 permanent crops
  0.43 other 97.27 (2005)
• Irrigated land 400 sq km (2003)

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Visualizing on Bhutan by UN

• Natural hazards violent storms from the
  Himalayas are the source of the country's name,
  which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon
  frequent landslides during the rainy season
• Environment - current issues soil erosion
  limited access to potable water
• Environment - international agreements party
  to Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
  Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species,
  Hazardous Wastes signed, but not ratified Law
  of the Sea

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People of Bhutan

• Population 2,279,723 note other
  estimates range as low as 810,000 (July 2006
  est.)
• Age structure 0-14 years 38.9 (male
  458,801/female 426,947) 15-64 years 57.1 (male
  671,057/female 631,078) 65 years and over 4
  (male 46,217/female 45,623) (2006 est.)
• Median age total 20.4 years male 20.2
  years female 20.6 years (2006 est.)
• Population growth rate 2.1 (2006 est.)
• Birth rate 33.65 births/1,000 population
  (2006 est.)
• Death rate 12.7 deaths/1,000 population
  (2006 est.)

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People of Bhutan

• Sex ratio at birth 1.05 male(s)/female
  under 15 years 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64
  years 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over
  1.01 male(s)/female total population 1.07
  male(s)/female (2006 est.)
• Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000
  population (2006 est.)
• Infant mortality rate total 98.41
  deaths/1,000 live births male 96.14
  deaths/1,000 live births female 100.79
  deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
• Life expectancy at birth total population
  54.78 years male 55.02 years female 54.53
  years (2006 est.)
• Total fertility rate 4.74 children
  born/woman (2006 est

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Kingdom of Bhutan

• 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
• Literacy definition age 15 and over can
  read and write total population 47 male 60
  female 34 (2003 est.)

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Bhutan People-Food/Clothing/Shelter

• Food Spicy chilies (ema) and cheese (datse)
  blended with a wide variety of vegetables, meats,
  poultry and fish are found on many Bhutanese
  menus. Bhutan's professional chefs temper their
  natural tendency to over spice dishes by
  preparing food more suitable to western taste
  ranging from Continental to Chinese and Bhutanese
  to Indian.
• Currency Bhutanese currency is the ngultrum
  (Nu). The approximate exchange rate is Nu.40 for
  one US dollar. The ngultrum is on par with the
  Indian rupee (both the Nu and Indian Rupee can be
  used in Bhutan). US Dollars and dollar traveler's
  cheques can be exchanged at banks (hours 1000 am
  to 100 pm Mon to Fri) and the larger hotels.
  Ngultrum or rupees will be what you will need for
  your purchases while in the Kingdom.
• DressThe national dress of Bhutan is called the
  gho for men and kira for women. It was introduced
  during the 17th century by Shabdrung Ngawang
  Namgyel to give the Bhutanese a unique identity.
  In an effort to preserve and promote its cultural
  heritage, all Bhutanese are required to wear the
  national dress in government offices, schools and
  on formal occasions. The gho is a long robe
  hoisted to the knee and held in place with a
  kera, a woven cloth belt, wound tightly around
  the waist. This forms a large pouch above that
  may be used to contain particular items,
  traditionally a bowl and betel nut.  The kira is
  a floor-length rectangular piece of cloth wrapped
  around the body over a blouse called wonju. The
  kira is held from the shoulders by broach-like
  hooks called koma and is fastened at the waist
  with a kera. The dress is complete with a short,
  open jacket-like garment called toego

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Environment of Bhutan

• The environment in Bhutan is still relatively
  intact. This is partly due to the recent start of
  the development process, and partly to the high
  priority given to environmental sustainability
  and conservation by the Royal Government of
  Bhutan. The Government has declared its firm
  intention to maintain a 60 forest cover and 26
  in the form of protected areas, even at the cost
  of economic opportunities foregone. Moreover, the
  Buddhist philosophy of love and respect to nature
  has greatly influenced people's attitude to the
  environment.
• People in Bhutan live in harmony with nature in a
  symbiotic relationship that goes back to untold
  centuries. The rural community's relationship
  with environment is reflected in the abundant use
  of various kinds of plants for medicine,
  essential and vegetable oil, traditional paper,
  natural vegetable dyes, etc. Domesticated
  ornamental plants are widely known to Bhutan's
  rural folk. For the various ethnic groups
  livelihood strategies in the mountains depend
  largely on their knowledge and management of its
  diverse genetic resources. Women provide much of
  the labour for natural resource management which
  sustains the family (Ehsan, 1993 Shrestha, 1997
  Thapa, 1997). Seed management is one particular
  area of women's work which is of great
  significance to biodiversity. Women have
  traditionally been the custodians of crop
  germplasm and their diversity for generations. As
  women play a leading role in the fields as well
  as in communities they are in position to gather
  new varieties through farmer-to-farmer exchanges
  (Gurung, 1997).
• Even so, emerging environmental problems like
  degradation of forests close to settlements cause
  longer working hours for the rural people, as
  they have to walk longer distances to collect
  fuelwood. These emerging problems may not be
  gender-biased, though

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Overall Literacy Rate of Bhutan

• 47

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Literacy rate of male

• 60

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Literacy rate of female

• 34

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People of Bhutan
The people of Bhutan can be divided into four
main ethnic groups Bhutia,
Sharchops, Nepali and a cluster of indigenous
groups. These groups can be distinguished by
language, religion, and socioeconomic
characteristics. The main population is made up
of Bhutia, who are direct descendants of
Tibetans. They mainly live in northern and
central Bhutan. They, like most Bhutanese,
speak languages from the Tibeto-Burman language
and practice Buddhism, which is closely related
to Tibetan Buddhism.
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Bhutan has successfully preserved many aspects of
a culture which dates directly back to the
mid-17th century.
Bhutanese culture derives from ancient Tibetan
culture
Bhutanese names do not include a family name.
Instead two traditional auspicious names are
chosen at birth by the local lama or by the
parents or grandparents of the child. First names
generally give no indication if the person is
male or female in some cases the second name may
be helpful in that regard.
The marriage ceremony consists of an exchange of
white scarves and the sharing of a cup. Marriages
can be officially registered when the couple has
lived together for more than six months.
Traditionally the groom moves to the bride's
family home, but newlyweds may decide to live
with either family depending on which household
is most in need of labour
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Dzongkha (??????) is the national language of
the Kingdom of Bhutan

• Dzongkha and Sharchop, the principal Bhutanese
  languages, are closely related to Tibetan, and
  Bhutanese monks read and write the ancient
  variant of the Tibetan language known as chhokey.

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• National dress code
• All Bhutanese citizens are required to observe
  the national dress code, known as Driglam Namzha,
  while in public during daylight hours.
• Men wear a heavy knee-length robe tied with a
  belt, called a gho, folded in such a way to form
  a pocket in front of the stomach. Woman wear
  colorful blouses over which they fold and clasp a
  large rectangular cloth called a kira, thereby
  creating an ankle-length dress

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Bhutanese society is centered around the practice
of Tantric Buddhism. Religious beliefs are
evidenced in all aspects of life. Prayer flags
flutter on hillsides offering up prayers to
benefit all nearby sentient beings. Houses each
fly a small white flag on the roof indicating the
owner has made his offering payments to appease
the local god. Each valley or district is
dominated by a huge dzong, or high-walled
fortresses, which serves the religious and
administrative center of the district.
One of the reasons that Bhutan has preserved its
culture is because is has not been conquered by a
foreign power
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Bhutan-Health Department

• Health policies and strategies  
• The 7th plan, which was devoted to the goals of
  consolidating, strengthening, and expanding the
  coverage of services to ensure accessibility,
  ended in mid-1997. The 8th plan came into effect
  thereafter and mainly strives to intensify
  population activities consolidate and strengthen
  existing health infrastructure promote
  self-reliance and sustainability of the health
  sector by studying cost sharing practices,
  instituting trust funds and involving the private
  sector in a controlled manner in chosen areas
  strengthen human resource development according
  to a master plan and upgrade training institutes
  enhance the quality of health services extend
  health care services to those in unreached areas
  and strengthen the health management information
  system.