BHUTAN

Geography

Bhutan is about half the size of Indiana, is cradled between its giant neighbors, China to the north and India to the south. Bhutan’s landscape ranges from subtropical plains in the south to the Sub-alpine Himalayan heights in the north, with some peaks exceeding 7,000 meters (23,000 ft). The capital and largest city is Thimphu. The total area of the country is 38,394 square kilometers.

Culture

Bhutan has a rich and unique cultural heritage that has largely remained intact because of its isolation from the rest of the world until the early 1960s. One of the main attractions for tourists is the country’s culture and traditions. The state religion is Vajrayana Buddhism, and the population of 691,141 is predominantly Buddhist, with Hinduism the second-largest religion.

Total Land area covered:	38,394 square kilometers.
Forest area covered:	72.5 %.
Altitude of Bhutan:	between 240 meters and 7541metres above sea level.
Population:	752,700.
Languages spoken:	Official language “Dzongkha”, English widely spoken by the   citizen of the country.
Religion:	Tantric of Mahayana Buddhism and Hinduism
Currency:	Ngultrum (equal to Indian Rupee).

Costumes

The National Dress for men is the gho, a knee-length robe tied at the waist by a cloth belt known as the kera. Women wear an ankle-length dress, the kira, which is clipped at two shoulders and tied at the waist. An accompaniment to the kira is a long-sleeved blouse, and the toego is worn form the outside. Social status and class determine the texture, colours, and decorations that embellish the garments. Differently coloured scarves and shawls are important indicators of social standing. Jewellery is mostly worn by women, especially during religious festivals and public gatherings.

Language :

Dzongkha, is the national language. But English is widely spoken by Bhutanese. The secondary languages are Tshangla, the language of the eastern and Nepali is spoken in the southern part of the country.

Sports:

Bhutan’s national sport is archery, and competitions are held regularly in most villages. It differs from Olympic standards in technical details such as the placement of the targets and atmosphere. There are two targets placed over 100 meters apart and teams shoot from one end of the field to the other.

Darts (khuru) is an equally popular outdoor team sport, in which heavy wooden darts pointed with a 10 cm nail are thrown at a paperback-sized target 10 to 20 meters away.

Another traditional sport is the Digor, which resembles the shot put and horseshoe throwing. Cricket, basketball and football is also an increasingly popular sport.