Bhutan is a small landlocked country located in Asia between two of the worlds’ largest nations China to the north and India to the South.

The country Stretches across most climatic zones; from the latitude of 1000 meters above the mean sea level in the southern region to the moderate height of 2000 to 2500 meters in the central region and extends towards the alpine region of the Himalayan range and the glaciers of the north.

Bhutan has varied climatic characters and four distinct seasons. The southern foothills are warmer and more tropical while the central parts has warmer and mild cold and northern has cold throughout the seasons of the country.

Information on Bhutan

Capital City: Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan

Area: Bhutan has the area coverage of 46500 sqkms.

Culture and Traditional: Bhutan has a rich cultural heritage and a unique national identity to symbolize sovereign and independent nation.

Religion: Two dominion religions Buddhism and Hinduism

People & population: Bhutan has a population of approx 7,00,000. Bhutanese people essentially described as Nagalongs from the western region, Sharshops from the eastern and Lhotsampas from the southern known as Nepali. The people of Bhutan are of a good natured, friendly and hospitable people.

Currency: Currency of Bhutan is known as “Ngultrum” which has the same value as the Indian rupee.

Local Time: Six hour ahead of GMT and ½ hour ahead of Indian Standard Time.

Dress: The dress worn by men is known as Gho and the dress worn by Women is known as Kira which is made with the traditional patterns.

Language: Dzongkha is the national language of Bhutan. Dzongkha and English are used as an official language of Bhutan.

Arts and crafts: Bhutan is known for handicrafts items in Bronze, Silver and other metals. Sculpting of Religious figures is widely practiced and every temple houses large brightly painted and gilded statues of the Buddha and other saints.

Architecture: the architecture of Bhutan is one of the kingdom’s most visible distinctive feature from the ordinary dwelling houses to the most impressive public structures such as Dzong, all architectural structures are strictly based on the unique architectural design of Bhutan, thereby preserving them in their finest form. The massive Dzongs ( fortresses), the ancient monasteries and the humble farm house stand out as an important part of the country’s landscape.

Festivals: The Buddhist festival known as Tshechu is one of the prime examples of the living cultures of Bhutan that many had come to admire and treasure. The Tshechu is the festival in honour of Guru Rimpoche, the saint who brought Buddhism to Bhutan and the Himalayan world.

Tshechus are held in almost every district attracting hundreds of Bhutanese people in a spirit of festivity, celebration and deep faith. Held on the 10th day of the Bhutanese month, the festivals last up to four days in which a series of highly stylized masked dance are rituals are performed. Bhutanese come dressed in their best for the very special social occasion. Tshechu takes place throughout the country in every district at different period of time in a year.

The smaller Tshechu are often more interesting as visitors get a close and better perspective of a local festival.

Apart from Tshechus, folk festivals exist on a smaller community scale that provides fascinating insight in to local beliefs.

Environment: The environment of Bhutan is natural and is mostly in undisturbed and pristine form. With a national policy and law to always maintain 60% of the county under forest cover, the future of Bhutan’s rich biodiversity is secure. Currently about 65% of the country is under forest cover and more than 26% of the land is under the protected area comprising of four national parks.

About 9% of the land fall under biological corridors in which wild life sanctuaries and nature reserves connect protected area.