Access to THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1994 provided courtesy of
the libraries of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
======================================================
National Trade Data Bank
ITEM ID     : CI WOFACT WO0030
DATE        : Oct 28, 1994
 
AGENCY      : CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
PROGRAM     : WORLD FACTBOOK
TITLE       : World Factbook: Bhutan
 
Source key      : CI 
Program key     : CI WOFACT 
Update sched.   : Annually         
Data type       : TEXT 
End year        : 1994
Date of record  : 19941020
Keywords 3      :  
Keywords 3      : | Bhutan 
 
 
                                  Bhutan
 
 
                                 Geography
 
Location:
     Southern Asia, in the Himalayas, between China and India
Map references:
     Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     47,000 sq km
land area:
     47,000 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly more than half the size of Indiana
Land boundaries:
     total 1,075 km, China 470 km, India 605 km
Coastline:
     0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
     none; landlocked
International disputes:
     none
Climate:
     varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in
     central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas
Terrain:
     mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Natural resources:
     timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide
Land use:
arable land:
     2%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     5%
forest and woodland:
     70%
other:
     23%
Irrigated land:
     340 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
     soil erosion; limited access to safe drinking water
natural hazards:
     violent storms coming down from the Himalayas are the source of the
     country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon
international agreements:
     party to - Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
     Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
     landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls
     several key Himalayan mountain passes
 
 
                                  People
 
Population:
     716,380 (July 1994 est.)
note:
     other estimates range as high as 1.7 million (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.34% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     39.31 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     15.93 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     121 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     50.6 years
male:
     51.15 years
female:
     50.03 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     5.42 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Bhutanese (singular and plural)
adjective:
     Bhutanese
Ethnic divisions:
     Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15%
Religions:
     Lamaistic Buddhism 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%
Languages:
     Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects; Nepalese
     speak various Nepalese dialects
Literacy:
total population:
     NA%
male:
     NA%
female:
     NA%
Labor force:
     NA
by occupation:
     agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry and commerce 2%
note:
     massive lack of skilled labor
 
                                Government
 
 
Names:
conventional long form:
     Kingdom of Bhutan
conventional short form:
Digraph:
     BT
Type:
     monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Capital:
     Thimphu
Administrative divisions:
     18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha,
     Chirang, Daga, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel,
     Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu,
     Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang
Independence:
     8 August 1949 (from India)
National holiday:
     National Day, 17 December (1907) (Ugyen Wangchuck became first
     hereditary king)
Constitution:
     no written constitution or bill of rights
Legal system:
     based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted
     compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
     each family has one vote in village-level elections
Executive branch:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
     King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972)
Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde):
     nominated by the king
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog); appointed by the king
Legislative branch:
     unicameral National Assembly (Tshogdu); no national elections
Judicial branch:
     High Court
Political parties and leaders:
     no legal parties
Other political or pressure groups:
     Buddhist clergy; Indian merchant community; ethnic Nepalese
     organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign
Member of:
     AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC,
     ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
     no formal diplomatic relations; the Bhutanese mission to the UN in New
     York has consular jurisdiction in the US
consulate(s) general:
     New York
US diplomatic representation:
     no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is
     maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassies in New Delhi (India)
 
 
Flag:
     divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper
     triangle is orange and the lower triangle is red; centered along the
     dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the
     hoist side
 
                                  Economy
 
Overview:
     The economy, one of the world's least developed, is based on
     agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for 90% of
     the population and account for about 50% of GDP. Rugged mountains
     dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other
     infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned
     with that of India through strong trade and monetary links. The
     industrial sector is small and technologically backward, with most
     production of the cottage industry type. Most development projects,
     such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's
     hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists are its most
     important natural resources; however, the government limits the number
     of tourists to 4,000 per year to minimize foreign influence. Much of
     the impetus for growth has come from large public-sector companies.
     Nevertheless, in recent years, Bhutan has shifted toward decentralized
     development planning and greater private initiative. The government
     privatized several large public-sector firms, is revamping its trade
     regime and liberalizing administerial procedures over industrial
     licensing. The government's industrial contribution to GDP decreased
     from 13% in 1988 to about 10% in 1992.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $500 million (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     5% (FY93 est.)
National product per capita:
     $700 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     11% (October 1993)
Unemployment rate:
     NA%
Budget:
revenues:
     $100 million
expenditures:
     $112 million, including capital expenditures of $60 million (FY92
     est.)
note:
     the government of India finances nearly one-quarter of Bhutan's budget
     expenditures
Exports:
     $66 million (f.o.b., FY93 est.)
commodities:
     cardamon, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, electricity (to
     India), precious stones, spices
partners:
     India 82%, Bangladesh, Singapore
 
 
Imports:
     $125 million (c.i.f., FY93 est.)
commodities:
     fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics
partners:
     India 60%, Japan, Germany, US, UK
External debt:
     $141 million (June 1993)
Industrial production:
     growth rate NA%; accounts for 8% of GDP; primarily cottage industry
     and home based handicrafts
Electricity:
capacity:
     336,000 kW
production:
     1.5422 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     2,203 kWh (25.8% is exported to India leaving 1,633 kWh per capita;
     1990-91)
Industries:
     cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium
     carbide
Agriculture:
     accounts for 45% of GDP; based on subsistence farming and animal
     husbandry; self-sufficient in food except for foodgrains; other
     production - rice, corn, root crops, citrus fruit, dairy products,
     eggs
Economic aid:
recipient:
     Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
     (1970-89), $115 million;  OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $11 million
Currency:
     1 ngultrum (Nu) = 100 chetrum; note - Indian currency is also legal
     tender
Exchange rates:
     ngultrum (Nu) per US$1 - 31.370 (January 1994), 30.493 (1993), 25.918
     (1992), 22.742 (1991), 17.504 (1990), 16.226 (1989); note - the
     Bhutanese ngultrum is at par with the Indian rupee
Fiscal year:
     1 July - 30 June
 
                              Communications
 
Highways:
total:
     2,165 km
paved:
     NA
unpaved:
     gravel 1,703 km
undifferentiated:
     462 km
Airports:
total:
     2
 
 
usable:
     2
with permanent-surface runways:
     1
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     2
Telecommunications:
     domestic telephone service is very poor with very few telephones in
     use; international telephone and telegraph service is by land line
     through India; a satellite earth station was planned (1990); broadcast
     stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, no TV (1990)
 
                              Defense Forces
 
Branches:
     Royal Bhutan Army, Palace Guard, Militia
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 424,558; fit for military service 226,851; reach
     military age (18) annually 17,310 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     $NA, NA% of GDP
 
 
 
===========================================================================
This section of THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1994 produced by the United States
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was derived from the US Dept. of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Division's NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK (NTDB) CD-ROM,
November, 1994, SuDoc No. C 1.88:994/11/v.1-2 / Presented by Raleigh Muns,
(srcmuns@umslvma.umsl.edu) University of Missouri-St. Louis Libraries.