Bureau of South and Central Asian
Affairs
July
2007
Background Note:
Bhutan
Sunset over hills
surrounding
Thimphu, Bhutan, March 22, 2001.
[©
AP
Images]
Flag of Bhutan is divided diagonally from lower hoist side corner
into yellow
upper triangle, orange lower triangle; centered along
dividing line is black
and white dragon facing away from hoist
side.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL
NAME:
Kingdom of
Bhutan
Geography
Area: 46,500 sq.
km.
Cities: Capital--Thimphu (pop. approx. 55,000) Other significant
cities
--Paro, Phoentsholing, Punakha,
Bumthong.
Terrain: Mountainous, from the Himalayas to lower-lying foothills and
some
savannah.
Climate: Alpine to temperate to subtropical with monsoon season from
June to
September.
People
Nationality: Noun and
adjective--Bhutanese.
Population: Approximately 672,425 (according to the 2005
census).
Annual growth rate: 2.12% (2006 est.). Density--14 per sq.
km.
Ethnic groups: Drukpa 50% (which is also inclusive of Sharchops), as
well as
ethnic Nepalese (Lhotsampas) 35%, and indigenous or migrant
tribes 15%.
Religions: Lamaistic
Buddhist 75% (state religion), Indian-
and
Nepalese-influenced Hinduism
25%.
Languages: Dzongka (official language), English (medium of
instruction),
Sharchop,
Nepali.
Education: Years compulsory--11. Literacy--54% (est.). Primary school
gross
enrollment rate (2004)--81%. Women's literacy
(2004)--34%.
Health: Infant mortality rate (2006 est.)--total: 98.41 deaths/1,000
live
births; female: 100.79 deaths/1,000 live
births; male: 96.14 deaths/1,000
live births. Life
expectancy (2006 est.)--total population 54.78 years; male
55.02
years; female 54.53
years.
Work force (2002): Agriculture--93%; industry--2%; services--5%.
There is a
high unemployment
rate.
Government
Type: Evolving from a monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The
Royal
Government, prompted by the
King, released a draft constitution in March
2005. The King and Crown Prince conducted consultations on the
constitution
in all 20 dzongkhag (districts) in 2005 and 2006.
Bhutan will adopt the
constitution in
early
2008.
National Day: December 17
(1907).
Branches: Executive--King or Druk Gyalpo (chief of state), Prime
Minister
(head of government), Council of
Ministers, Royal Advisory Council (together
they make the Cabinet or
Lhengye Zhungtsho). Advisory--Monastic Order (or
Monk Body-Dratshang). Legislative--National Assembly (Tshogdu).
Judicial
--High Court (Thrimkhang Gogma),
District Courts, and local area arbitration.
Administrative
subdivisions:
20.
Political parties:
None.
Suffrage: Registered resident with legitimate citizenship, age 21 and
above.
Economy
GDP (purchasing power parity 2003): U.S. $2.9
billion.
Real growth rate (2004):
6.5%.
Per capita GDP (2004): U.S.
$929.60.
Natural resources: Hydroelectric power, construction, timber, gypsum,
calcium
carbide.
Agriculture and forestry (all figs., 2001): 33.8% of
GDP.
Construction: 11.8% of
GDP.
Finance: 10.3% of
GDP.
Transport and communication: 10% of
GDP.
Electricity: 9.9% of
GDP.
Government service: 9.9% of
GDP.
Manufacturing: 9.8% of
GDP.
Trade: Exports (2001-2002)--U.S. $97.7 million: hydroelectricity,
vegetables
and fruits, processed foods, minerals, wood products,
textiles, machinery.
Imports (2001-2002)--U.S. $188.4
million: machinery, mechanical appliances
and
electronics, plastics and rubber products, textiles, whiskies
and
prepared foodstuffs,
medicines and pharmaceuticals, vegetable oils
and
foodstuffs. Major trade
partners--India, Bangladesh, Japan,
Singapore,
Denmark.
PEOPLE
The people of Bhutan can be divided into three broad
ethnic
categories--Ngalops, Sharchops, and Lhotsampas. The Ngalops make up
the
majority of the population, living
mostly in the western and central areas.
The Ngalops are
thought to be of Tibetan origin, arriving in Bhutan during
the 8th and 9th centuries A.D. and bringing Buddhism with them. Most
Ngalops
follow the Drukpa Kagyupa discipline of Mahayana Buddhism. In
a country that
is deeply rooted within the Buddhist religion, many
people's sect of
religion, as opposed to their ethnic group, characterizes them. The
Ngalops
predominate in the government, and the civil service
and their cultural norms
have been declared by the monarchy to be the
standard for all citizens.
The Sharchops, who live in the eastern section of Bhutan, are
considered to
be descendants of the earliest major group to
inhabit Bhutan. Most follow the
Ningmapa discipline of Mahayana
Buddhism. Sharchop is translated as "people
of the east." The
Ngalops, Sharchops, and the indigenous tribal people are
collectively known as Drukpas and account for about 65% of the
population.
The national language is Dzongka, but English
is the language of instruction
in schools and an official working
language for the
government.
The Lhotsampas are people of Nepali descent, currently making up 35%
of the
population. They came to Bhutan in the 19th and 20th
centuries, mostly
settling in the
southern foothills to work as farmers. They speak a variety
of
Nepali dialects and are predominantly
Hindu.
HISTORY
Bhutan's early history is steeped in mythology and remains obscure.
It may
have been inhabited as early as 2000 B.C., but not
much was known until the
introduction of Tibetan Buddhism in
the 9th century A.D. when turmoil in
Tibet
forced many monks to flee to Bhutan. In the 12th century A.D.,
the
Drukpa Kagyupa school was established and
remains the dominant form of
Buddhism in Bhutan today. The country's political history is intimately tied
to its religious history and the relations among the various monastic
schools
and
monasteries.
The consolidation of Bhutan occurred in 1616 when Ngawana Namgyal, a
lama
from Tibet, defeated three Tibetan invasions,
subjugated rival religious
schools, codified
an intricate and comprehensive system of law,
and
established
himself as ruler (shabdrung) over a system of ecclesiastical and
civil administrators. After his death, infighting and civil war eroded
the
power of the shabdrung for the next 200 years when in
1885, Ugyen Wangchuck
was able to consolidate power and
cultivated closer ties with the British in
India.
In 1907, Ugyen Wangchuck was elected as the hereditary ruler of
Bhutan,
crowned on December 17, 1907,
and installed as the head of state Druk Gyalpo
(Dragon King). In
1910, King Ugyen and the British signed the Treaty
of
Punakha which provided that British
India would not interfere in the internal
affairs of Bhutan if the
country accepted external advice in its external
relations. When Ugyen Wangchuck died in 1926, his son Jigme Wangchuck became
the next ruler, and when India gained independence in 1947, the new
Indian
Government recognized Bhutan as an independent
country. In 1949, India and
Bhutan signed the Treaty of
Peace and Friendship, which provided that India
would not
interfere in Bhutan's internal affairs but would be guided by India
in
its foreign policy. Succeeded in 1952 by his son Jigme Dorji
Wangchuck,
Bhutan began to slowly emerge from its
isolation and began a program of
planned development. Bhutan became a member of the United Nations in
1971,
and during his tenure the National Assembly was
established and a new code of
law, as well as the Royal Bhutanese Army
and the High
Court.
In 1972, Jigme Singye Wanchuck ascended the throne at age 16. He
emphasized
modern education, decentralization of governance,
the development of
hydroelectricity and tourism and improvements in rural developments. He
was
perhaps best known internationally for his overarching
development philosophy
of "Gross National Happiness." It recognizes
that there are many dimensions
to development and that economic
goals alone are not sufficient. Satisfied
that Bhutan's
democratization process was well in train, he abdicated
in
December 2006 rather than wait until the
promulgation of the new constitution
in 2008. His son, Jigme Khesar
Namgvel Wangchuck became King upon his
abdication.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
Traditionally a decentralized theocracy and, since 1907, a monarchy,
Bhutan
is evolving into a constitutional monarchy with a
representative government.
In 2002, the election laws were changed so
that each citizen over the age of
21 could vote by secret ballot for
a representative to the National Assembly
(Tshongdu); previously,
only one vote per family was allowed. The Tshongdu is
composed of
about 150 members, including some appointed from the Monk Body as
well
as some senior government representatives. They in turn elect
the
Council of Ministers. Prior
to 2003, the Council had six members and rotated
the responsibility
as prime minister and head of government between each one
for a
period of one year, but in 2003, the National Assembly elected
four
additional ministers and also selected the
prime
minister.
The spiritual head of Bhutan, the Je Khempo--the only person besides
the king
who wears the saffron scarf, an honor denoting his authority
over all
religious
institutions--is nominated by monastic leaders and appointed by the
king. The Monk Body is involved in advising the government on many
levels.
Bhutan is divided into 20 districts or dzongkhags, each headed by a
district
officer (dzongda) who must be elected. In addition, each
district also is
broken into smaller areas known as
geog (village), led by a locally elected
leader called a gup.
There are 201 elected gups. In 2002, the
National
Assembly created a new
structure for local governance at the geog level. Each
local area is
responsible for creating and implementing its own development
plan, in coordination with the
district.
Principal Government
Officials
Head of State--King Jigme Khesar Namgyel
Wangchuck
Prime Minister (Head of Government and Minister of Foreign
Affairs)--Lyonpo
Khandu
Wangchuk
Minister for Trade and Industry--Lyonpo Yeshey
Zimba
Minister for Home and Cultural Affairs--Lyonpo Jigmi Y.
Thinley
Minister for Finance--Lyonpo Wangdi
Norbu
Minister for Education--Lyonpo Thinley
Gyamtsho
Minister for Health--Lyonpo (Dr.) Jigme
Singay
Minister for Labor and Human Resources--Lyonpo Ugyen
Tshering
Minister for Works and Human Settlements--Lyonpo (Dr.) Kizang
Dorji
Minister
for Information and Communications--Lyonpo Leki
Dorji
Minister for Agriculture--Lyonpo Sangay
Ngedup
Ambassador to the United Nations Headquarters--Lyonpo Daw
Penjo
The United States and the Kingdom of Bhutan have not established
formal
diplomatic relations; however,
the two governments have informal and cordial
relations.
Bhutan maintains a Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New
York. The
address is 763 First Avenue, New York, NY 10017; tel:
212-682-2268, fax:
212-661-0551.
ECONOMY
The economy, one of the world's smallest and least developed, is
based on
agriculture, forestry, and
hydroelectricity. Rugged terrain makes
it
difficult to
develop roads and other infrastructure. Despite this constraint,
hydroelectricity and construction continue to be the two major industries of
growth for the country. As these two areas are increasing
productivity, there
continues to be a positive outlook for development
throughout Bhutan. The
economic program in the
current 5-year-plan (2002-07) places a
strong
emphasis on
improving education and infrastructure with a special emphasis on
increasing activities in the sectors of information and
communication
technology,
energy, and tourism. After the global slowdown within the travel
industry, Bhutan's tourist industry is beginning to show signs of
recovery.
Bhutan's economy has been on an upturn due to recent subregional
economic
cooperation efforts. Already this plan has
strengthened the current trade
relations with
India, as well as opened an avenue of trade with Bangladesh.
In
May 2003, the Bilateral Free Trade Agreement between Bangladesh and
Bhutan
was re-signed. Bangladesh is Bhutan's second largest trade
partner, after
India. In January 2004, as a member
of the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Bhutan also joined the South Asian Free
Trade
Agreement (SAFTA). In February 2004 Bhutan joined the
Bangladesh, Indian,
Myanmar, Singapore, and
Thailand Economic Cooperation Forum (BIMSTEC). Bhutan
has applied for
membership in the World Trade Organization and is in the
process of developing clear legal and regulatory systems designed to
promote
business
development
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
India
Relations between India and Bhutan are governed by the 1949 Treaty of
Peace
and Friendship. The treaty ensures India's neutrality in
Bhutan's internal
affairs, in exchange for Bhutan's
agreement to be guided by India in foreign
policy matters. But in
practice, Bhutan exercises sovereignty on many issues.
India is
Bhutan's largest donor and supplies approximately 80% of Bhutan's
foreign assistance. In recent years, insurgents on the Indian side of
the
border from the United Liberation Front of
Assam (ULFA) and the Bodos have
used Bhutan as a safe
haven. In December 2003, Bhutan military
troops
expelled Indian
insurgents from Assam. Through this joint effort with India,
Bhutan
strengthened border security and continued cooperation with the Indian
military.
China
Bhutan and China do not have diplomatic relations, although border
talks
between the two nations have
occurred.
Nepal
These two countries established diplomatic relations in 1983. Nepal
and
Bhutan are currently negotiating to
resolve a 16-year-old refugee situation,
in which 100,000 refugees
are residing in seven UNHCR camps in Nepal. Most of
the refugees claim
they are Bhutanese citizens, while Bhutan alleges that
most are non-nationals or "voluntary emigrants," who forfeited
their
citizenship
rights. In 2003, a joint Bhutan-Nepal verification
team
categorized refugees from one camp into four groups, but progress
remains
stalled.
United
Nations
Bhutan became a member of the United Nations in 1971. Bhutan does not
have
diplomatic relations with any of the permanent
members of the UN Security
Council. Bhutan was
elected to the UN Commission on Human Rights in 2003 and
served until
2006.
Other
Countries
Bhutan enjoys diplomatic relations with seven European nations, which
form
The "Friends of Bhutan" group, together with Japan.
These countries are
Switzerland,
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, and Austria.
Also
known as donor nations, they contribute generously to
Bhutanese
development
and social programs. Bhutan also has diplomatic relations with
South Korea, Canada, Australia, Kuwait, Thailand, Bahrain,
Bangladesh, the
Maldives, Sri Lanka, and
Pakistan.
DEFENSE
Bhutan has 8,000 members in five military branches: the Royal Bhutan
Army,
Royal Bodyguard, National Militia, Royal Bhutan
Police, and Forest Guards. In
FY 2002, the Bhutanese Government spent
1.9% of its GDP on the military or
U.S. $9.3 million.
India maintains a permanent military training presence in
Bhutan
through IMTRAT, the Indian Military Training
Team.
U.S.-BHUTAN
RELATIONS
The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, has consular responsibilities
for
Bhutan, but U.S. citizens also may
request assistance from U.S. Embassies in
Kathmandu, Nepal, or Dhaka,
Bangladesh. The United States and Bhutan do not
have diplomatic
relations, and the United States does not give
foreign
assistance to Bhutan.
Informal contact is maintained through the U.S. Embassy
and the
Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi. Bhutan does participate in a regional
program for South Asia sponsored by the U.S. Agency for
International
Development
(USAID) that helps countries develop their power infrastructure
(SARI-E). A few Bhutanese military officers have attended courses at
the
Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.
The U.S. Government annually brings
several Bhutanese participants to
United States through its International
Visitors
Program.
Principal U.S. Officials (U.S. Embassy,
India)
Ambassador--David C.
Mulford
Deputy Chief of Mission--Geoffrey
Pyatt
Public Affairs--Larry
Schwartz
Political Affairs--Ted
Osius
Economic Affairs--John
Davison
Scientific Affairs--Dr. Satish V.
Kulkarni
Commercial Affairs--Carmine
D'Aloisio
Agricultural Affairs--Holly
Higgins
Management Affairs--James
Forbes
Consular Affairs--Peter
Kaestner
USAID Mission, Director--George
Deikun
The U.S. Embassy in India is located on Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New
Delhi
110021 (tel. 91-11-2419-8000) (fax: 91-11-24190017).
Embassy and consulate
working hours are Monday to Friday,
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visa application
hours are Monday to
Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Please consult
the
Consular Affairs Web site.
Further information about Bhutan also can be
obtained at the official Web site of Bhutan's Tourism
Corporation.
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans
traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public
Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all
countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political
disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.
Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about
terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that
pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings
are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad
should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet
web site at
href="http://www.travel.state.gov">http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution,
Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs
Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a
safe
trip abroad, are also available at
href="http://www.travel.state.gov">http://www.travel.state.gov.
For
additional information on international
travel, see
href="http://www.usa.gov/">http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizens who traveling or
residing
abroad to register via the State Department's travel
registration website or
at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate
abroad. Registration will make your
presence and whereabouts known in
case it is necessary to contact you in an
emergency and will
enable you to receive up-to-date information on security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained
by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular
toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of
State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service
representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00
a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP
(877-394-8747) and a web site at
href="http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm">http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the
most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements,
and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A
booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government
Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http://
www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global
access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background
Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of
Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC)
provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website
href="http://www.osac.gov">http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market
information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free
export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides
authoritative economic, business, and
international trade information from
the Federal
government. The site includes current and
historical
trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities,
and country analysis and provides access to the
National Trade Data Bank.