The Land of The (Peaceful) Thunder Dragon

The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan is fast emerging from centuries of self imposed isolation. First opened to tourists in 1974 in very regulated manner upon the coronation of present Bhutanese King, this mountain kingdom is still perhaps the world's most exclusive tourists destination. Due to the Royal Government's far-sighted policy to preserve the countries pristine environment and its culture, the harmful effects to industrialization and mass tourism on the environment and the traditional lifestyle of Bhutanese have been carefully avoided. This makes Bhutan a truly unique destination. An unspoiled country with majestic mountains, a unique cultural heritage preserved for many centuries, an architectural style like no other, a landfill of warm hearted and friendly people, reveals a true paradise in the lost era of the present century.

Bhutan: Druk Yul
Population: 7,00,000
Capital: Thimpu
Location: Bhutan lies between 890 and 920E and 270 and 280 N.
Time: 30 minutes ahead of Indian standard time. 6 hours ahead of GMT.
Language: Drukpa (67%) of Tibetan and Monpa Bhutan Travel Information

Geography
Bhutan is a land locked country, approximately 300km long and 150km wide, with an overall size of 38,394 square kilometers. It is situated along the southern slopes of the Himalayan range between the parallels 26 30' of north latitude and 88 45' and 92 25' of east longitude. It is bounded by Tibet in the north, the Indian Sikkim and Darjeeling districts of West Bengal in the west, on the south by Assam and West Bengal and on the east by the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Flora and Fauna
Bhutan has a rich and varied biological diversity. Very few countries in the world match Bhutan 's biological diversity and fewer still have taken such strong steps to conserve their biodiversity. Bhutan , for example, has its own Biodiversity Action Plan. The country ranks amongst the top ten percent of highest species density (species richness per unit area) in the world, and it has the largest proportion of land under protected areas.

Some 26.23% of the country's area is protected through National Parks. In addition, a further 9% has been declared as Biological Corridor, connecting protected areas, and there are a series of Conservation Areas intended to protect important conservation sites outside the formal Protected Areas system. As a result, more than 35% of the country's area is under the protection of some form of conservation management. This system serves as a globally unique system for in situ conservation of biodiversity.

Regarding diversity at the species level, inventories have indicated that there are more than 5,500 species of vascular plants, more than 770 species of avifauna and more than 165 species of mammals, with many species being endemic to Bhutan .

Economy
Agriculture is still the main source of livelihood for 80% of people living in the rural areas of Bhutan . The agricultural sector includes livestock rearing and horticulture, which contributes 32.7% of GDP. About 62% of women are involved in agriculture and their contribution is substantial. medical plants).

Accommodation:
There are comfortable hotel and lodges at all tourist destinations, Western Bhutan has better hotels while in central and eastern part of the country, and accommodation establishments are simple and offer minimum facilities

 

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