About Bhutan
“Bhutan is a tiny Himalayan country beneath snow-white folds of high Himalayas embedded between giant neighbor; India in the south and Tibet (China) in the north.
The country stretches 250 miles east to west and 90 miles north to south .” It is still remote, mystical and one of the most unspoiled places in the world. The friendly people of Bhutan share with you their traditional lifestyle, which because of the limited number of foreigners visiting this country annually has upheld much of its historical and cultural authenticity.
Climate variations, coupled with the huge changes in altitude, make Bhutan a country with an extremely rich flora and fauna.
Until the Coronation of the Fourth King His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1974; the tourism was not opened in Bhutan.
Bhutan Everest Tours & Treks, Enjoying every breaths of step in Bhutanese family.
Land, People and the Traditions
Often known as “Last Shangri-La” to the West, Bhutan is truly a place where material possessions are placed above people’s happiness. This is the country whose Government tries to measure the impact of development in terms of achievement of Gross National Happiness. This is the country where 97% of its people are found to be happy.
With about 69% of the population still living in rural Bhutan, farming is the occupation of the majority of Bhutanese. A barter system and close bonds within the family which may contain more than 50 members still exist in Bhutan.
Those visiting Bhutan are guaranteed a series of wonderful experiences, through seeing and living in the Bhutanese surrounding, and being a witness to centuries old festivals and unchanged medieval way of life in most Bhutanese. This medieval setting is alive, where farmers still practice subsistence farming to raise their family. The travel host will help you have life time experience of traveling through different cultural places in Bhutan.
The country’s most beautiful Himalayan valleys of Thimphu, Paro, Bumthang, Punakha, Phobjikha, and Trashigang will be canvassed during the trip. Meeting people at all wakes of your tour, and taking pictures of many blooming wild flowers, alpine trees, and wild animal would be experience worth taking.
Bhutan Today
Today, the world is discovering the more exotic side of this kingdom, increasingly known for its pure practice of Mahayana Buddhism, its undiluted culture, traditions, and pristine environment. These days, it is not uncommon to see mention of Bhutan as one of the best holiday destinations in many travel magazines and other news media. This is a land which is truly majestic and pure, marked by the World Wildlife Fund as one of the ten global biodiversity “hot spots” on Earth.
It is still in many way, the magical kingdom that contains scenes similar the West’s medieval past which only a few lucky traveler experience.
The National flag is rectangular and divided diagonally into two parts, with a white dragon across the middle. The upper yellow half signifies the country’s secular authority of the King in the affairs of religion and state. The lower saffron-orange signifies the religious practices and spiritual power of Buddhism manifested in the Drukpa Kagyud and Nyingma traditions. The dragon symbolises the name of the country, Druk Yul, and its white colour signifies the purity and loyalty of the Bhutanese people. The snarling mouth of the dragon expresses the strength of the male and female deities protecting Bhutan, while the jewels in its claws represent the wealth, prosperity and perfection of the country and the people.
The National Emblem, contained in a circle, is composed of a double thunderbolt placed above a lotus, surmounted by a jewel and framed by two dragons. The double diamond thunderbolt represents the harmony between the secular and religious powers; which results from the Buddhist religion in its Vijrayana form. The lotus symbolises purity; and the two dragons, male and female, stand for the name of the country- the Thunder Dragon (Druk Yul).
Geography
Area: 38,364 sq km (14,812 sq miles)
Urban Population: 30.9%, and Rural Population: 69.1%
Density: 16 per sg km,
Growth: 1.3%;
Sex Ratio: 111:100 (male : female)
Major language: Dzongkha (official), Lhotsampas (Nepali) Sharchokpa (widely spoken).
Major religions: Buddhism (official), Hinduism
Life expectancy: 62 years (men), 64 years (women) (UN estimate)
Literacy: 59.5% (2005 Bhutan Census)
Monetary unit: 1 ngultrum = 100 chetrum
Main exports: Electricity, agricultural products, canned foods, and
juices, alcoholic beverages, dairy products, silica, gypsum, wood products, cement etc.
GNI per capita: US $850 (2006 estimate, IMF)
Location : 880 45′ and 920 10′ longitude south and between 260 40′ and 28015′ latitude north.
Population : 0.7 million approximately
Religion : Tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism in Drukpa Kagyupa sect.
Capital : Thimphu
Climate : Varies subtropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers; winters and cool summers in inner Himalayas.
Exchange Rate : US $ 1=Nu. 44.00
Time : + 6 hours GMT
Electricity : 220 Volt
