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General
Information About Bhutan |
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People :
Bhutan has a population of 800,000 people mostly
living in scattered towns and the broad fertile
valleys of the inner Himalayas at altitude of
1,000m to 3,000m. It has three ethnic
groups that adds a diversity to this Himalayan
Kingdom.
The Sharchopas, who are
considered to be the earliest
inhabitants of Bhutan, live mostly
in Eastern Bhutan and they are of
Indo-Mongoloid origin. The Ngalops
populate mostly Western Bhutan
migrated from the Tibetan plains and
are the importers of Buddhism to
Bhutan. The Lhotsampas who are of
Nepalese origin settled in the
southern foothills of the country in
the early twentieth century. This
ethnic diversity of the people has
resulted in numerous dialects and
languages that are spoken throughout
the country. Dzongkha is the
National language. English is the
medium of instruction in schools and
is widely spoken.
About 90% of the population are
engaged in agriculture and
livestock, which is the main pillar
of the Bhutanese economy. |
Religion :
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Most of the Bhutanese people practice the
Tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism of the
Drukpa Kargyud Sect. Few are Hindus, southern
Bhutanese of Nepalese origins. Bhutan has many
"Dzongs", which are very large castle like
complexes with religious and Government
administration offices alongside.
The most popular festivals
are Paro Tsechu
(March/April), Thimphu Tsechu
(September/October) and in Bumthang
(October). During the festival, rare
and sacred masked dances, sword
dances and many rituals are
performed.
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History :
Till well into the 17th Century,
Bhutan was split up into small
independent principalities. After
the arrival of Buddhism, during the
seventh century, the various
Buddhist schools began sharing the
power in the country with the old
aristocratic families.
The cleric Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel
united the independent
principalities into one state. After
his death the theocracy
disintegrated and the provincial
lords fought to gain control over
the central power. Only the
establishment of the monarchy in
1907 brought peace again. Today the
fourth King of Bhutan is leading his
country into modern times |
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