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| Around The World Bhutan
People Bhutan’s people can be divided into three main groups. The Sharchops, who live in the east, are believed to be Bhutan’s earliest inhabitants. Their ancestors came from northern Burma and northeast India. They speak a number of Tibetan dialects and practice a sect of Mahayana Buddhism, the state religion. The Ngalops, who live in the northwest, are descended from Tibetan immigrants who first came to Bhutan in the A.D. 800s. They speak Dzongkha, the nation’s official language, and follow the Drukpa Kargyupa branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The Lhotshampas, who live in the south, are descended from Nepalese immigrants who began settling in the south near the end of the 1800s. Most speak Nepali, and practice Hinduism. Land Bhutan has four land regions__ the Great Himalaya in the north, the Lesser Himalayas in the central region, the Outer Himalayas and Duars Plain in the south. Except for a few scattered Buddhist monasteries, the Great Himalayas are uninhabited. Bhutan’s highest peak, Kula Kangri, rises 24,784 feet in this region. Most Bhutanese live in the valleys of the Lesser Himalayas. These valleys can be as high as 8,000 feet above sea level. South of the Lesser Himalayas is a narrow strip of land known as the Duars Plain. The southern part of the plain is covered with tall grass and bamboo. The northern part is rugged and heavily forested and shelters many wild animals. Few people live on the plain because of the dense vegetation and malaria-ridden swamps. The climate of Bhutan is as varied as the land. In the northern interior, the high elevation makes for bitterly cold winters. The southern lowlands have a tropical climate. Economy Bhutan’s economy is based on farming and raising livestock. Most farms are situated in the fertile valleys of Lesser Himalayas. The land is cultivated in a series of terraces, each bordered by a stone embarkment. Rice, maize (corn), wheat, barely, and potatoes are the chief crops. Dairy animals, pigs, and poultry are valuable to the economy. Yak and sheep are raised in the higher altitudes and cattle in the central valleys. Yak are mainly used as beasts of burden. Bhutan’s unusual commemorative stamps are highly prized by collectors worldwide. Major cities Thimphu, a modern city in the west central part of the country, replaced Paro as the capital of Bhutan in 1962. It is home to approximately 45,000 people. The city was founded near the large fortified monastery of Tachichodzong, which dates from the 1200s. Today the monastery serves as a meeting place for the national legislature. -Adapted from the |
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The tiny landlocked kingdom of Bhutan lies along the southern slopes of the Himalaya Mountains of south central Asia. For most of its history, it was a forgotten and seldom-visited part of the world. Even today much of Bhutan remains largely underdeveloped and remote from modern life. In its foreign and economic affairs, Bhutan has traditionally been guided by India.