+975 is the dialing code for Bhutan.
Bhutan is a small kingdom wedged between India and China in the Himalayas. For hundreds of years the mountain country was isolated from the outside world; it was not until the 1960s that an outward opening occurred. Since the King gave up his absolute power in the late 1990s, democratization has been gradually carried out. Most Bhutanese live on self-catering agriculture. For the state, tourism and export of electricity are important sources of income.
- Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Bhutan, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.
Geography and climate
Bhutan is a small kingdom wedged between the two giants India and China in the eastern part of the Himalayas. The country’s official name is Druk-Yul, which means the land of the Thunder Dragon. The climate varies greatly with the height above the sea.
Bhutan rises from the plains of the south to the Tibetan high plateau in the north. Geographically, the country is reminiscent of Switzerland; it is about the same size, has a similar shape, lacks the coast and consists largely of high mountains.
Bhutan can be divided into three zones. In the fairly low-lying southern part there are savanna and grasslands. Most of the population lives in fertile valleys in the wooded upland area in the middle of the country, at a height of between 1,500 and 3,000 meters. The capital Thimphu is located in the western part of the highlands, at an altitude of 2,300 meters. In the far north, mighty mountains dominate more than 7,000 meters above sea level.
Country Facts
Geography
| Cultivated land | 13.6 % |
| Land area | 38394 km 2 |
Population and health
| Population development | 1.11 ‰ |
| Urban population (Urbanization) | 38.6 % |
| Death rate | 6.69 per 1000 residents |
| Life expectancy: Women | 70.51 years |
| Life expectancy: Men | 68.56 years |
| Birth rate | 17.78 births per 1000 residents |
| HDI index | 0.605 |
| Population | 741919 |
| Infant mortality | 35.91 deaths / 1000 births |
Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com
Energy
| Electricity, production | 7147 million kWh |
| Energy consumption per resident | 358 kg. oil per resident |
Infrastructure
| Internet users | 27.7 per 100 residents |
| Mobile subscriptions | 86 per 100 residents |
| Passenger cars | 57 per 1000 residents |
Business and economics
| Unemployment | 2.6% of the workforce |
| GDP | 8200 per resident |
| Primary occupations | 43.7 % |
| Secondary profession | 39.1 % |
| Tertiary professions | 17.2 % |
The large geographical variations make Bhutan one of the world’s richest countries in terms of size.
The climate varies greatly between the different regions and with the height above the sea. The variations are also great in all regions, sometimes from one valley to the other.
In southern Bhutan, it is hot and humid all year round. Here, up to 5,000 millimeters of rain a year, in their places. It is considerably cooler in the middle zone, which averages around 1,000 millimeters of rainfall per year. In the north there is a severe alpine climate with constant snow on the mountain peaks. The rainfall is only about 400 millimeters per year.
Most of the rain falls from June to September; then the southwest monsoon provides between 60 and 90 percent of the annual rainfall.
FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Surface
46,500 km2 (2018)
Time
Swedish +5 hours
Adjacent country (s)
India, China
Capital with number of residents
Thimphu 114 551
Other major cities
Phuentsholing 27 658, Gelephu 9 858, Wangdue 8 954 (Census 2017)
Highest mountain
Gangkhar Puensum (7,561 m asl)
Important rivers
Sankosh, Manas, Drangme
Average Precipitation / month
Thimphu 20 mm (March), 220 mm (Aug)
Average / day
Thimphu 20 °C (July), 7 °C (Jan)