Phuentsholing ཕུན་ཚོགས་གླིང་ Phuentsholing | |
|---|---|
 Phuntsholing, Bhutan | |
  Phuentsholing Location in Bhutan | |
| Coordinates:26°51′0″N89°23′0″E / 26.85000°N 89.38333°E /26.85000; 89.38333 | |
| Country |  Bhutan |
| Dzongkhag | Chukha District |
| Gewog | Phuentsholing,Sampheling |
| Area | |
• Total | 15.6 km2 (6.0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 293 m (961 ft) |
| Population (2017) | |
• Total | 27,658 |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (BTT) |
| Website | pcc.bt |
Phuntsholing, also spelled asPhuentsholing (Dzongkha:ཕུན་ཚོགས་གླིང་), is aborder town in southernBhutan and is theadministrative seat ofChukha District.[1][2] The town occupies parts of bothPhuentsholing Gewog andSampheling Gewog.[3]
Phuentsholing adjoins theIndian town ofJaigaon, and cross-border trade has resulted in a thriving local economy. The town previously hosted the headquarters of the Bank of Bhutan before they were shifted toThimphu. In 2017, Phuentsholing had a population of 27,658.[4]
On 5 April 1964, reformistPrime MinisterJigme Dorji was assassinated in Phuntsholing by monarchist cadres as the king lay ill in Switzerland. TheDorji family was subsequently put under close watch.[5] It was 1958 when the first one-storeyed cottage was constructed to house a shop. The latePrime Minister,Jigme Dorji informed Phuentsholing residents that concrete houses could be constructed.Tashi group of companies constructed the first concrete house, followed by Tibetans and Indians. Some of the structures that exist to this day are the buildings housing Bhutan Enterprise, Jatan Prasad Lal Chand Prasad shop and a beauty parlour nearZantdopelri lhakhang. After the announcement, 18 shops were built around Zangdopelri area. The Zangdopelri area was a bus terminal, and on Saturday a market would be assembled. Apart from the cottages, there were several huts and Phuentsholing was beginning to grow.[6]
Phuntsholing has a sultrytropical monsoon climate, strongly influenced by the South Asianmonsoon. It has an average annual precipitation of 3,953 millimetres (155.6 in). Summers are long, muggy and very rainy, while winters are short, very mild and dry. This climate is described by theKöppen climate classification asAm. On 27 August 1997, Phuntsholing recorded the highest temperature ever in Bhutan, at 40 °C (104 °F).[7]
| Climate data for Phuntsholing (1996–2017) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33.0 (91.4) | 33.8 (92.8) | 38.0 (100.4) | 37.0 (98.6) | 39.0 (102.2) | 38.0 (100.4) | 39.0 (102.2) | 40.0 (104.0) | 39.0 (102.2) | 38.0 (100.4) | 36.9 (98.4) | 35.0 (95.0) | 40.0 (104.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.9 (75.0) | 26.6 (79.9) | 29.8 (85.6) | 31.1 (88.0) | 32.3 (90.1) | 32.3 (90.1) | 31.9 (89.4) | 32.3 (90.1) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.2 (88.2) | 28.7 (83.7) | 25.4 (77.7) | 29.8 (85.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.6 (65.5) | 21.5 (70.7) | 24.2 (75.6) | 25.6 (78.1) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.7 (81.9) | 27.8 (82.0) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.2 (79.2) | 23.3 (73.9) | 20.2 (68.4) | 24.8 (76.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.4 (56.1) | 16.3 (61.3) | 18.5 (65.3) | 20.1 (68.2) | 21.7 (71.1) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.1 (73.6) | 21.1 (70.0) | 17.9 (64.2) | 15.0 (59.0) | 19.8 (67.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 5.0 (41.0) | 9.0 (48.2) | 12.0 (53.6) | 14.3 (57.7) | 15.1 (59.2) | 16.0 (60.8) | 17.0 (62.6) | 19.0 (66.2) | 17.0 (62.6) | 14.0 (57.2) | 10.0 (50.0) | 7.5 (45.5) | 5.0 (41.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 17.3 (0.68) | 31.1 (1.22) | 80.2 (3.16) | 216.5 (8.52) | 380.3 (14.97) | 807.2 (31.78) | 962.6 (37.90) | 779.1 (30.67) | 492.6 (19.39) | 162.9 (6.41) | 13.2 (0.52) | 10.4 (0.41) | 3,953.4 (155.63) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 72.4 | 71.3 | 70.0 | 74.7 | 80.1 | 83.8 | 88.5 | 87.1 | 84.4 | 75.6 | 70.7 | 72.4 | 77.6 |
| Source: National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology[8] | |||||||||||||
The India-Bhutan border separates two different urban areas.Jaigaon across the border is larger, bustling and loud, similar to many otherWest Bengal centres of commerce, albeit with many Bhutanese shoppers. Phuntsholing is uniquely more urban than other Bhutanese towns as it is the Bhutan financial, industrial and trading capital. It is more orderly than its neighbour.[citation needed]
The majority of goods traded into Bhutan transit through Phuntsholing, making the town the gateway to Bhutan for trade with India. The border with China is closed.
The border is separated by a long wall with a single Bhutanese gate. Locals can sometimes even cross without being asked for papers. Tourists from India, Bangladesh and Maldives do not need visa to enter Bhutan but have to show proof of identity such as a passport or voter ID card and apply for a permit at Phuntsholing to enter Bhutan. Other foreigners need a visa presented by a hired registered tour guide. The entry gate into the town is manned by theSashastra Seema Bal andBhutanese Army guards. The terrain inclines soon after the gate.
The town is connected to the rest of the major cities via national highway. The town does not have airport facilities or a railway butIndian Railways has railway stations nearby. A 20 km (12 mi) railway track has been planned from the nearest railway stoneHasimara in North Bengal to Phuntsholing.
Siliguri is the nearest large city in India.New Jalpaiguri andNew Alipurduar are the nearest large railway junctions. Buses are available from the towns in North Bengal. Buses are operated by both Indian based companies and Bhutanese government. Once at Phuntsholing, theLateral Road gives travelers access to the rest of Bhutan.
From almost anywhere in the city, one can see the road toThimphu snaking up the hillside, and in the evening it is easy to see the headlights of distant vehicles heading towards the capital. Opposite the big ground PSA is the road that connects the rest of the cities of Bhutan. TheLateral Road, Bhutan's main highway, begins in Phuntsholing and winds some 636 kilometres (395 mi)[9] toTrashigang in the east.
26°51′N89°23′E / 26.850°N 89.383°E /26.850; 89.383
Phuentsholing travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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| National | |
