Gasa District དགའ་ས་རྫོང་ཁག | |
|---|---|
| Gasa District | |
| Coordinates:28°0′N90°0′E / 28.000°N 90.000°E /28.000; 90.000 | |
| Country |  Bhutan |
| Capital | Gasa Dzong |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,117.74 km2 (1,203.77 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 4,500 m (14,800 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 1,500 m (4,900 ft) |
| Population (2005)[1] | |
• Total | 3,116 |
• Estimate (2010) | 3,396 |
| • Rank | 20th |
| • Density | 1.00/km2 (2.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (BTT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+6 (not observed) |
| HDI (2019) | 0.536[2] low ·20th of 20 |
| Website | www |
Gasa District (Dzongkha:དགའ་ས་རྫོང་ཁག;Wylie:dgav-sa rdzong-khag, alsoམགར་ས་རྫོང་ཁག) is one of the 20dzongkhags (districts) comprising Bhutan. The capital of Gasa District isGasa Dzong nearGasa. It is located in the far north of the county and spans the Middle and High regions of the Tibetan Himalayas. The dominant language of the district isDzongkha, which is the national language. Related languages,Layakha andLunanakha, are spoken by semi-nomadic communities in the north of the district. ThePeople's Republic of China claims the northern part of Gasa District.
Gasa has an area of 3,117.74 km2 (1,203.77 sq mi) as of 2010[update],[1]formerly 4,409.30 km2 (1,702.44 sq mi) as of 2002[update].[3] It had a population of 3,116 as of the 2005 census,[1] making it the largest, least populated, and thus least densely populated of all the dzongkhags; it is also the least developed district of Bhutan.
Gasa was formerly adrungkhag (sub-district) of thePunakhadzongkhag (district). It became a separatedzongkhag in 1992, the start of 7thFive Year Plan.[1]
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Gasa District is divided into four village blocks (orgewogs):[1][4]
Gasa is bordered to the north byTibet Autonomous Region of thePeople's Republic of China and byThimphu,Punakha, andWangdue Phodrang dzongkhags to the south.
Gasa has become atourist destination because of its pristine forests and the exceptionally scenic location of itsDzong. In 2008 a massive flood on theMo Chhu (Female River) destroyed a popular hot spring complex, which is under restoration and was to re-open in late 2011. The high altitude makes farming difficult, although government programs seek to establishmustard and summer vegetable planting programs. Residents herdyaks anddzos, and a small number benefit from the nascent tourism industry. A narrow road from Punakha, which is mostly unpaved, reaches up to the Dzong and is now being extended up to Laya. The majority of the known herds of wildTakin occur in Gasa. Electricity is also being supplied to some of thegewogs and all electrification programs are expected to be completed by 2012.
Gasa is most famous for itsLayap people and theSnowman Trek, one of the most challenging treks in the Himalayas.
All of Gasa is an environmentallyprotected area of Bhutan. Most parts of the dzongkhag lie withinJigme Dorji National Park (Khamaed,Khatoed,Laya,Lunana Gewogs), although the northeast reaches of Gasa are part ofWangchuck Centennial Park (Lunana Gewog).[5][6] Several ofBhutan's glaciers are located in Gasa, namely inLunana Gewog, which bordersTibet.
Also known as Gasa Dzong was built in the 17th century byZhabdrung as a defensive fortress against northern attacks in 1646.[7]
Sabhi Goenpa
Tshechu Dra is a sacred cliff of longevity is located in the Panikong village whereGuru Rinpoche is said to have extracted longevity water from a cliff to benefit sentient beings.[8]
Zabsel Drubdey Rawai Drubdey
Gasa Tshachu
Gasa Tshachu is a hot spring near the bank of the Mo Chhu River in Gasa at an elevation of 2100 meters, believed to cure 13 different types of diseases. It is one of the most popular hot springs in Bhutan.[9]
Bjagay Menchu
| Climate data for Gasa, elevation 2,760 m (9,060 ft), (2003–2017 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.5 (65.3) | 17.0 (62.6) | 23.5 (74.3) | 27.0 (80.6) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.5 (77.9) | 30.0 (86.0) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.0 (77.0) | 21.0 (69.8) | 19.0 (66.2) | 30.0 (86.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.9 (49.8) | 10.3 (50.5) | 13.3 (55.9) | 15.7 (60.3) | 17.7 (63.9) | 19.6 (67.3) | 21.0 (69.8) | 20.7 (69.3) | 19.9 (67.8) | 17.8 (64.0) | 13.2 (55.8) | 11.4 (52.5) | 15.9 (60.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.4 (39.9) | 4.9 (40.8) | 7.0 (44.6) | 11.0 (51.8) | 12.9 (55.2) | 15.2 (59.4) | 16.5 (61.7) | 16.4 (61.5) | 15.7 (60.3) | 13.3 (55.9) | 7.8 (46.0) | 5.8 (42.4) | 10.9 (51.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) | −0.6 (30.9) | 2.6 (36.7) | 6.3 (43.3) | 8.1 (46.6) | 10.8 (51.4) | 12.0 (53.6) | 12.0 (53.6) | 11.4 (52.5) | 8.8 (47.8) | 2.4 (36.3) | 0.1 (32.2) | 6.1 (42.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −7.0 (19.4) | −6.0 (21.2) | −5.0 (23.0) | −6.0 (21.2) | −6.0 (21.2) | 2.0 (35.6) | 4.0 (39.2) | 3.0 (37.4) | 6.0 (42.8) | −5.0 (23.0) | −6.0 (21.2) | −5.0 (23.0) | −7.0 (19.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 19.1 (0.75) | 27.9 (1.10) | 86.7 (3.41) | 99.7 (3.93) | 164.8 (6.49) | 294.5 (11.59) | 371.1 (14.61) | 324.1 (12.76) | 194.5 (7.66) | 115.5 (4.55) | 35.7 (1.41) | 10.7 (0.42) | 1,744.3 (68.68) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 71.7 | 71.3 | 74.0 | 73.3 | 75.3 | 83.7 | 85.2 | 83.5 | 81.2 | 73.3 | 73.5 | 71.5 | 76.5 |
| Source: National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology[10] | |||||||||||||
