Location: | Between 260 45’N and 280 10’N latitudes, and between 880 45’E and 920 10’E longitudes. Altitude ranges from about 150 m to 7,550 m. |
Time zone: | Add six hours to Greenwich Mean Time; add 30 minutes to Delhi time; subtract one hour from Bangkok time. |
Currency: | Ngultrum (Nu) = 100 chetrum. The Ngultrum is pegged at parity to the Indian rupee. The exchange rate was Nu 44:US$1 and Nu 57:Euro 1 in mid-January 2007. For updates, please consult: www.rma.gov.bt. |
Area: | 38,394sq km |
Land boundaries | 1,075 km (border with India extends 605 kms; border with China 470 km) |
Population: | 634,982 (Population and Housing Census of Bhutan 2005: www.bhutancensus.gov.bt) Female: 47.5%; Male: 52.5% |
Population density | 16 inhabitants per sq km |
Capital: | Thimphu |
Government | Monarchy. From 2008, Bhutan will become a Constitutional Monarchy. |
Administrative divisions known as Dzongkhags | 20 Dzongkhags: Bumthang, Chhukha, Dagana, Gasa, Haa, Lhuntse, Mongar, Paro,Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samdrup Jongkhar, Samtse, Sarpang, Zhemgang, Thimphu,Tsirang, Trashigang, Trashi Yangtse, Trongsa and Wangdiphodrang. |
Principal languages: | Dzongkha (official language); Sharchopkha (east); Nepali (south - but spoken widely elsewhere), English widely spoken & understood |
Principal religions: | 75% of the population practises Bhuddism; 25% are Hindus. |
Information technology | Mostly dial-up. Broadband being introduced. Ministries expect to be on broadband network by mid-2007. Druknet is the only ISP under the supervision of the Bhutan Telecommunications Authority. Two private ISPs exist: Drukcom and Samden Tech. www.dit.gov.bt/bips |
Mobile phones | Currently one provider: B-Mobile (operated by the national Authority). Tashi Commer-cial Co, a large Bhutanese firm, recently won the tender (auction) for the second mobile licence. 80,000 users at end-2006. Spectrum availability tight. |
Literacy rate: | National literacy rate: 59.5% . Female: 48.7%; Male: 69.1% (people aged 6 years and above). (Population and Housing Census 2005). |
Measures | Metric system |
Business hours: | Business hours: summer: 0900-1700 Monday - Friday (government offices); + half day Saturday (banks, post offices). Winter hours (1/11-1/3): 0900-1600 (government). |
Holidays: | 21 February: Fifth King’s birthday. 17 December: National Day. 2 June: Coronation Day. Various Buddhist Festivals throughout the year (dates vary). |
Credit cards: | Visa, MasterCard and American Express are accepted in a few selected shops and hotels; a 5-7 % fee is often passed on to the cardholder. |
Airlines: | Druk Air (www.drukair.com.bt) flies between Paro International Airport and Delhi ,Bangkok , Kathmandu, Gaya and Kolkata several times a week. |
Airports: | Paro International Airport (1.5 hours’ drive from Thimphu , the capital) |
Road network | Road network: 4153 km (2004). New Thimphu - Phuentsholing highway, to open around 2010, should cut travel time from 6 hours to 3. Phuentsholing: main border crossing with India . |
Shipping: | Bhutan is landlocked. Up to 3 dry ports are planned on the border with India . Kolkata ( India ) is the most commonly used port. Limited air cargo space available on Druk Air. |