Bhutan

Airports

2 total, 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

1 jet, 2 prop

Highways

1,304 km total; 418 km surfaced, 515 km improved, 371 km unimproved earth

Telecommunications

inadequate; 1,990 telephones (1988); 22,000 radios (1990 est.); 85 TVs (1985); broadcast stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, no TV (1990)

Branches

Royal Bhutan Army, Palace Guard, Militia

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 406,360; 217,348 fit for military service; 17,316 reach military age (18) annually

Agriculture

accounts for 50% of GDP; based on subsistence farming and animal husbandry; self-sufficient in food except for foodgrains; other production - rice, corn, root crops, citrus fruit, dairy, and eggs

Budget

revenues $112 million; expenditures $121 million, including capital expenditures of $58 million (FY91 est.)

Currency

ngultrum (plural - ngultrum); 1 ngultrum (Nu) = 100 chetrum; note - Indian currency is also legal tender

Economic aid

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $115 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $11 million

Electricity

353,000 kW capacity; 2,000 million kWh produced, 1,280 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates

ngultrum (Nu) per US$1 - 25.927 (January 1992), 22.742 (1991), 17.504 (1990), 16.226 (1989), 13.917 (1988), 12.962 (1987); note - the Bhutanese ngultrum is at par with the Indian rupee

Exports

$74 million (f.o.b., FY91) commodities: cardamon, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit partners: India 93%

External debt

$80 million (FY91 est.)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $320 million, per capita $200; real growth rate 3.1% (1991 est.)

Imports

$106.4 million (c.i.f., FY91 est.) commodities: fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics partners: India 67%

Industrial production

growth rate NA; accounts for 18% of GDP

Industries

cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

12% (FY90)

Overview

The economy, one of the world's least developed, is based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for 90% of the population and account for about 50% of GDP. Rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned with that of India through strong trade and monetary links. Low wages in industry lead most Bhutanese to stay in agriculture. Most development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists are its most important natural resources.

Unemployment rate

NA

Climate

varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas

Coastline

none - landlocked

Comparative area

slightly more than half the size of Indiana

Disputes

none

Environment

violent storms coming down from the Himalayas were the source of the country name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon

Land area

47,000 km2

Land boundaries

1,075 km; China 470 km, India 605 km

Land use

arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 5%; forest and woodland 70%; other 23%

Maritime claims

none - landlocked

Natural resources

timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide, tourism potential

Note

landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes

Terrain

mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna

Total area

47,000 km2

Administrative divisions

18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Daga, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang

Capital

Thimphu

Communists

no overt Communist presence

Constitution

no written constitution or bill of rights

Diplomatic representation

no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassies in New Delhi (India); the Bhutanese mission to the UN in New York has consular jurisdiction in the US

Elections

no national elections

Executive branch

monarch, chairman of the Royal Advisory Council, Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog)

Flag

divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper triangle is orange and the lower triangle is red; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side

Independence

8 August 1949 (from India)

Judicial branch

High Court

Leaders

Chief of State and Head of Government: King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972)

Legal system

based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly (Tshogdu)

Long-form name

Kingdom of Bhutan

Member of

AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IMF, IOC, ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO

National holiday

National Day (Ugyen Wangchuck became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907)

Other political or pressure groups

Buddhist clergy, Indian merchant community; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign

Political parties and leaders

no legal parties

Suffrage

each family has one vote in village-level elections

Type

monarchy; special treaty relationship with India

Birth rate

40 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

17 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

Bhote 60%, ethnic Nepalese 25%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15%

Infant mortality rate

126 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

NA; agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry and commerce 2%; massive lack of skilled labor

Languages

Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects - most widely spoken dialect is Dzongkha (official); Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects

Life expectancy at birth

50 years male, 49 years female (1992)

Literacy

NA% (male NA%, female NA%)

Nationality

noun - Bhutanese (singular and plural); adjective - Bhutanese

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

not permitted

Population

1,660,167 (July 1992), growth rate 2.3% (1992)

Religions

Lamaistic Buddhism 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%

Total fertility rate

5.5 children born/woman (1992)