Wedged between Tibetan Autonomous Region in the north and India on the west, south and east, Bhutan is a small Buddhist Kingdom located in the eastern lapse of the Himalayas. It is, per se, a mountainous country with its climatic condition varying from sub-tropical climate in the southern foothills, temperate zone in most part of the country and has alpine region in the north.
Bhutan is sparsely populated with its total population of little more than 600,000. It has three ethnic groups, with Ngalops in the west, Sharchops in the east and Lhotshampas in the south. Since there is neither racial nor caste discrimination, these people are rapidly integrating amongst themselves and today, one can hardly see any distinction between these three groups. Except for Lhotshampas who practise Hinduism, rest of the people are Mahayana Buddhist and this makes Bhutan, the last Buddhist Kingdom in the world. Bhutanese are homely, hospitable and self satisfied people. That is why, visitors comment that Bhutanese have genuine smiles on their faces! About 60% of the population is in the rural areas, with farming being the principle occupation. Bhutan has a very rich culture and customs.
Gifted with diverse flora and fauna, 65% of the total area is under forest cover. Bhutan guards these natural gifts very zealously. The National Environment Commission has some very stringent rules and regulations. Some of the rare species like Takin and Golden Langur are found in the country. The country is also gifted with a network of glacial fed rivers, which are ideal for hydropower projects. It is envisaged that with the advent of time, Bhutan can sustain its economy from this white gold. The Royal Government is capitalizing on this natural resource, albeit without disturbing the ecological and environment balance. Bhutan shall probably be one of the hot spots for tourists destination due to its pristine environment.
Bhutan decided to shed off its self-imposed isolation policy in the second half of the last century. The first developmental activity commenced in 1961 by constructing motor roads. Since then, the country has achieved tremendous progress. Today, every Bhutanese has access to education, health and other facilities. Most part of the country is now connected by telephone facility. The Royal Government has a vision to provide all the villages with electricity and cell phone facilities by 2020. The Royal Government extends full support and encouragement to the private entrepreneurs to establish industries. Bhutan will soon become a member of WTO.
Bhutan has a monarchical form of government, with the first monarch being enthroned on 17 December 1907. Presently, it is the fifth monarch of the Wangchuck dynasty ruling the country. Bhutan will soon undergo a change from monarchical to constitutional monarchical form of government. The uniqueness about this change is that unlike other countries, the change has come as a gift to the Bhutanese people from the Throne. Bhutan has been very lucky to have the monarchs whose emphasis has been the wellbeing of the subjects. In fact, the very foundation of the socio-economic development policy is based on Gross National Happiness, which has won international accolade.