Located in Southeast Asia – in the Eastern Himalayas between China and India, lies the small Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan. Also known as the “Land of the Thunder Dragon”, It remains a largely mysterious country even to its neighbors after opening itself to the outside world in the 1960s. With a population of just over 0.7 million, Bhutan has found a balance between modernization and preservation of an ancient culture.
BHUTAN BASICS:
Language: There are over nineteen languages of Bhutan, all members of the Tibeto-Burman language family, except for Nepali which is Indo-Aryan.[1] Dzongkha, the national language, is the only language with a native literary tradition in Bhutan, though Lepcha and Nepali are literary languages in other countries.[2] Other non-Bhutanese minority languages are also spoken along Bhutan’s borders and among the Lhotshampa community in South and East Bhutan. (see more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Bhutan)
Population: Current population of Bhutan is 761,047 individuals. With a population of approximately 200,000 in the 1960’s, it continues to rise steadily through the impact of globalization, modernization, and tourism.
(source: http://countrymeters.info/en/Bhutan/)
Religion: Bhutan is the only Mahayana Buddhism Kingdom in the world, with Mahayana (tantric) Buddhism as its official religion. It is practiced
throughout the entire country by 75% of the inhabitants. Hinduism – closely related to Buddhism, is Bhutan’s second religion, practiced by about 25% of the population. Before Buddhism captured the heart of Bhutan, several forms of animistic religions were practiced. Minority groups still practice these traditions and rituals in some parts of the country.
Buddhism plays a fundamental role in the cultural, ethical and sociological development of Bhutan and its’ people. You see this in the reverence Bhutan’s inhabitants have for their land, other people and animals. To ensure that Buddhism stays vividly alive, one son from every family usually attends a monastic school. The three main themes of Buddhism are detachment, ephemerality and change.
(source: http://www.bhutan.com/religion)
Government: Bhutan’s government is a constitutional monarchy; between 1907 and the 1950s however, Bhutan was an absolute monarchy. The peaceful march to democracy has been a steady one.[1] The King of Bhutan is head of state. Executive power is exercised by the Lhengye Zhungtshog, or council of ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. Legislative power is vested in the bicameral Parliament, both the upper National Council and the lower National Assembly. A royal edict issued on April 22, 2007 lifted the previous ban on political parties, ordering that they be created, in anticipation of National Assembly elections to be held the following year.[2] In 2008, Bhutan adopted its first modern Constitution, codifying the institutions of government and the legal framework for a democratic multi-party system.
Bhutanist 