Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan ({{IPA2|bu?'t??n}} {{Audio|Bhutan.ogg|Listen}}) is a landlocked nation in the Himalaya Mountains, sandwiched between India and the People's Republic of China in South Asia. The local name for the country is Druk Yul. It is also called Druk Tsendhen (land of the thunder dragon), because the thunder there is said to be the sound of roaring dragons. Historically Bhutan was known by many names, such as Lho Mon (southern land of darkness), Lho Tsendenjong (southern land of the cypress), and Lhomen Khazhi (southern land of four approaches). The origins of the name Bhutan are unclear; historians have suggested that it may have originated in variations of the Sanskrit words Bhota-ant (the end of Bhot – another word for Tibet), or Bhu-uttan (highlands). The word Bhutan as a name for the country dates from the late 19th century.

Demographics

Citizens of Bhutan are called Bhutanese. Bhutan has a population of 2,232,291{{ref|population}}, with a density of 45 per square kilometre and a growth rate of 2.11% p.a. The Drukpa Kagyu School of Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion of Bhutan and claims 70% of the population. In south Bhutan, Hinduism is the predominant religion, with 25% of the population; about 5% of Bhutanese are Islamic.{{inote|Library of Congress|Society}} The Bhutia are the largest ethnic group in the country, comprising about half of the population. Ethnic Nepalese make up 35% , and tribes such as the Sharchops, who dwell in the south-western regions, another 15%. {{inote|CIA factbook|CIA-3}}

Related Topics:
Square kilometre - Growth rate - Drukpa Kagyu - Mahayana Buddhism - Hinduism - Islam - Bhutia - Nepalese - Sharchops

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Dzongkha is the national language and lingua franca. Chhokey?a form of Tibetan script?is used for writing. The government recognises 19 dialects of Dzongkha. English also has official status. In some southern dzongkhags, Nepali is spoken by a minority. Ngalopkha, a derivative of Tibetan, is spoken in parts of western Bhutan. Sharchopkh, an Indo-Mongoloid language, is spoken in the eastern parts.

Related Topics:
Dzongkha - Lingua franca - English - Nepali - Ngalopkha - Tibetan - Sharchopkh

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Only 42.2% of the population is reported as literate (56.2% of males and 28.1% of females). 39.1% of the population are up to 14 years old, 56.9% are between 15 and 59, and 4.0% are over 60, giving the country a median age of 20.4 years. Bhutan has a relatively low life expectancy of 54.4 years (54.7 for males and 54.1 for females). There are 1,070 males to every 1,000 females in the country.{{inote|CIA factbook|CIA-4}}

Related Topics:
Literate - Life expectancy

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Over half of the people live in the central highlands of Bhutan, and 40% live in the southern plains bordering India. The remaining 10% are dispersed in the northern mountains and in the eastern tracts. 92% of the population live in rural settlements. The largest town is the capital, Thimpu, with a population of 50,000.

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