| ||
| Continent | Asia | |
| Subregion | South Asia | |
| Geographic coordinates | 27°30′N90°30′E / 27.500°N 90.500°E /27.500; 90.500 | |
| Area - Total - Water | Ranked 137th 38,394 km2 (14,824.0 sq mi) 0 km2 (0 sq mi) (landlocked) | |
| Coastline | 0 km (0 mi) | |
| Land boundaries | 1,136 km (706 mi) | |
| Countries bordered | China 477 km (296 mi), India 659 km (409 mi) | |
| Highest point | Gangkhar Puensum, 7,570 m (24,836 ft)[1] | |
| Lowest point | Drangme Chhu, 97 m (318 ft)[1] | |
| Longest river | ||
| Largest inland body of water | ||
| Land Use - Arable land - Permanent crops - Other | 2.62% 0.34% 97.27% (2012 est.) | |
| Irrigated Land | 319.1 km2 (123.2 sq mi) (2010) | |
| Climate: | Varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas | |
| Natural resources | timber, hydropower,gypsum,calcium carbonate | |
| Natural hazards | Violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name, which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season | |
| Environmental issues | soil erosion; limited access to potable water | |
Bhutan is asovereign country at the crossroads ofEast Asia andSouth Asia, located towards the eastern extreme of theHimalayas mountain range. It is fairly evenly sandwiched between the sovereign territory of two nations: first, thePeople's Republic of China (PRC) on the north and northwest. There are approximately 477 kilometres (296 mi) of border with the country'sTibet Autonomous Region (TAR), or simply Tibet. The second nation is theRepublic of India on the south, southwest, and east; there are approximately 659 kilometres (409 mi) with the states ofArunachal Pradesh,Assam,West Bengal, andSikkim, in clockwise order from the kingdom. Bhutan's total borders amount to approximately 1,139 kilometres (708 mi). TheIndian state of Sikkim to the west, theIndia to the south, and theAssam state of India to the southeast are other close neighbours; the former two are separated by only very small stretches of Indian territory.
Bhutan is a very compact landlocked nation, but with just a small bit morelength thanwidth. The nation's territory totals an approximate 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi). Because of its inland,landlocked status, it controls noterritorial waters. Bhutan's territory used to extend south into present-day Assam, including theprotectorate ofCooch Behar, but, starting from 1772, the BritishEast India Company (EIC) began to push back the borders through a number of wars and treaties, severely reducing Bhutan's size until theTreaty of Sinchula of 1865, when some border land was ceded back. Later, many of these territories were permanently lost toBritish India under theTreaty of Punakha and today remains a part of modern-day India.
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Bhutan is divided into 20dzongkhags (districts), and further into 205gewogs (village blocks). Gewogs are in turn divided into numerousthromdes (municipalities) for administration.[citation needed]
TheHimalayamountains of Bhutan dominate the north of the country, where peaks can easily reach 7,000 metres (22,966 ft); the highest point in Bhutan isGangkhar Puensum, which has the distinction of being thehighest unclimbed mountain in the world, at 7,570 metres (24,840 ft).[1] Weather is extreme in the mountains: the high peaks have perpetual snow, and the lesser mountains and hewn gorges have high winds all year round, making them barren brown wind tunnels in summer, and frozen wastelands in winter. Theblizzards generated in the north each winter often drift southward into the centralhighlands.
Below the rock and ice of the highest peaks lies an extensive arc ofEastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows, which contain, in additions to grasslands, a wide variety ofrhododendrons andherbaceous plants.
The highlands are the most populous part of the nation; thecapitalThimphu lies in the western region. The region is characterised by its many rivers (flowing into India'sBrahmaputra), its isolated valleys that house most of the population, and the expansive forests that cover seventy per cent of the nation. The highlands haveEastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests at higher elevations andEastern Himalayan broadleaf forests at lower elevations. Winters are cold, summer are hot; the rainy season is accompanied with high-frequency landslides.
Thevalleys of Bhutan are linked by a series of passes ("La" inDzongkha). Between the Haa Valley andParo Valley is the Chele La (3,780 metres (12,402 ft)). The Chele La is the highest pass crossed by a Bhutanese highway. TheLateral Road from Thimphu toPunakha crosses the Dochu La (3,116 metres (10,223 ft)), which features 108chortens built to commemorate the expulsion of Assamese guerrillas. East ofWangdue Phodrang is the Pele La (3,390 metres (11,122 ft)). Continuing to the east along the main highway, other major passes include the Yotang La, Shertang La, Wangthang La,Thrumshing La and Kori La (2,298 metres (7,539 ft)).
The extreme southern strip of the nation consists mostly ofHimalayan subtropical broadleaf forests that grade into the tropical plains of theTerai-Duar savanna and grasslands, more typical of India. It is largely agricultural land, producing mostlyrice. Only two per cent of Bhutan isarable land, with most of it focused here.
Centuries ofisolationism, a smallpopulation, and topographical extremes have led to Bhutan maintaining one of the most intactecosystems in the world. The country ranks amongst the top ten countries in the world in terms of species density (species richness per unit area). Over fifty-five hundred varieties of plant life exist, including around 300 medicinal ones. More than 770 species of avifauna and more than 165 species of mammals are known to exist, including many rare and endangered species like thered panda,snow leopard, andgolden langur.
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Bhutan, situated between India and China, is a potentialSino-Indian battleground; India currently has more political influence in the nation. This stems from two things: the fact that after theBritish granted sovereignty to theirSouth Asian possessions, Bhutan, aprotectorate, was never put under the administration of India, except for its Foreign Relation Policies under the Indo-Bhutan Treaty of 1949. TheIndian Army patrols Bhutan's frontiers and has played a major role in the development of the country's road infrastructure. Additionally, theGovernment of India continues to provide approximately 60% of Bhutan's government finances.
The second reason comes from the aggression against Tibet by China from 1949 to 1959; theTibetans have strong cultural, historical, and religious connections to Bhutan.
Bhutan controls several strategic mountain passes through theHimalayas, allowing travel between Tibet andAssam. These passes are also the only way into the kingdom, and, coupled with its centuries-old policies ofisolationism, it has been called the "Mountain Fortress of the Gods." The heartland of Bhutan has never been successfully invaded; the British, while establishing a protectorate over the nation, did so with threats to the low-lying territories below the highlands.
Bhutan's climate is as varied as its altitudes and, like India's, is affected by monsoons. Western Bhutan is particularly affected bymonsoons that bring between 60 and 90 per cent of the region's rainfall. The climate is humid and subtropical in the southern plains and foothills, temperate in the inner Himalayan valleys of the southern and central regions, and cold in the north, with year-round snow on the main Himalayan summits.[2]
Temperatures vary according to elevation. Temperatures inThimphu, located at 2,200 metres (7,218 ft) above sea level in west-central Bhutan, range from approximately 15 to 26 °C (59.0 to 78.8 °F) during the monsoon season of June through September but drop to between about −4 and 16 °C (24.8 and 60.8 °F) in January. Most of the central portion of the country experiences a cool, temperate climate year-round. In the south, a hot, humid climate helps maintain a fairly even temperature range of between 15 and 30 °C (59 and 86 °F) year-round, although temperatures sometimes reach 40 °C (104 °F) in the valleys during the summer.[2]
Annual precipitation ranges widely in various parts of the country. In the severe climate of the north, there is only about 40 millimetres (1.6 in) of annual precipitation—primarily snow. In the temperate central regions, a yearly average of around 1,000 millimetres (39.4 in) is more common, and 7,800 millimetres (307.1 in) per year has been registered at some locations in the humid, subtropical south, ensuring the thick tropical forest, or savanna. Thimphu experiences dry winter months (December through February) and almost no precipitation until March, when rainfall averages 20 millimetres (0.79 in) a month and increases steadily thereafter to a high of 220 millimetres (8.7 in) in August for a total annual rainfall of nearly 650 millimetres (25.6 in).[2]
Bhutan's generally dry spring starts in early March and lasts until mid-April. Summer weather commences in mid-April with occasional showers and continues through the pre-monsoon rains of late June. The summer monsoon lasts from late June through late September with heavy rains from the southwest. The monsoon weather, blocked from its northward progress by the Himalayas, brings heavy rains, high humidity, flash floods and landslides, and numerous misty, overcast days. Autumn, from late September or early October to late November, follows the rainy season. It is characterised by bright, sunny days and some early snowfalls at higher elevations. From late November until March, winter sets in, with frost throughout much of the country and snowfall common above elevations of 3,000 metres (9,843 ft). The winter northeast monsoon brings gale-force winds down through high mountain passes.[2]
| Climate data for Thimphu-Simtokha (1996-2017) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 24.0 (75.2) | 25.0 (77.0) | 28.0 (82.4) | 30.0 (86.0) | 32.2 (90.0) | 32.0 (89.6) | 33.0 (91.4) | 32.5 (90.5) | 31.0 (87.8) | 31.0 (87.8) | 27.0 (80.6) | 24.0 (75.2) | 33.0 (91.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.8 (58.6) | 16.6 (61.9) | 19.3 (66.7) | 22.4 (72.3) | 24.8 (76.6) | 26.7 (80.1) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.3 (81.1) | 26.0 (78.8) | 23.7 (74.7) | 19.7 (67.5) | 16.6 (61.9) | 22.1 (71.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.3 (43.3) | 8.5 (47.3) | 11.6 (52.9) | 15.1 (59.2) | 18.2 (64.8) | 21.0 (69.8) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.7 (71.1) | 20.3 (68.5) | 16.3 (61.3) | 11.5 (52.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 15.0 (59.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.2 (28.0) | 0.3 (32.5) | 3.8 (38.8) | 7.9 (46.2) | 11.6 (52.9) | 15.3 (59.5) | 16.5 (61.7) | 16.1 (61.0) | 14.6 (58.3) | 9.0 (48.2) | 3.2 (37.8) | −0.8 (30.6) | 8.0 (46.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −8.5 (16.7) | −7.0 (19.4) | −7.0 (19.4) | −2.0 (28.4) | 2.5 (36.5) | 8.0 (46.4) | 11.0 (51.8) | 9.0 (48.2) | 6.0 (42.8) | −3.0 (26.6) | −6.0 (21.2) | −7.5 (18.5) | −8.5 (16.7) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 6.3 (0.25) | 9.2 (0.36) | 20.4 (0.80) | 29.9 (1.18) | 49.8 (1.96) | 97.7 (3.85) | 152.8 (6.02) | 120.8 (4.76) | 73.9 (2.91) | 43.1 (1.70) | 1.2 (0.05) | 3.7 (0.15) | 608.9 (23.97) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 68.6 | 62.6 | 62.8 | 60.2 | 63.2 | 67.0 | 72.7 | 72.2 | 71.2 | 66.6 | 62.1 | 64.0 | 66.1 |
| Source: National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology[3] | |||||||||||||
| 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[4] | |||||||||||||
Glaciers in northern Bhutan, which covered about 10 per cent of the total surface area in the 1980s, are an important renewable source of water for Bhutan's rivers. Fed by fresh snow each winter and slow melting in the summer, the glaciers bring millions of litres of fresh water to Bhutan and downriver areas each year. Glacial melt adds tomonsoon-swollen rivers, however, also contributes to flooding. Where glacial movement temporary blocks riverflows, downstream areas may be threatened byglacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), also calledjökulhlaups.[5]
Bhutan's glaciers are melting. A 2008United Nations report suggested that due to rising temperatures, glaciers in Bhutan were retreating at a rate of 30–40 metres (100–130 ft) per year, poised to make many lakes burst their banks and send millions of gallons of floodwater downstream. This among many otherclimate-related issues identified in the report prompted the regional association of government ministers to establish the Southeast Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund inThimphu in September 2007.[6] Similarly, the member nations ofSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) adopted bilateral agreements including measures on climate change and glaciers at its summit in April 2010.[7]
The 2008 UN report also indicated Himalayan glaciers would melt within 25 years,[8] howeverPrime MinisterJigme Thinley expressed a more dim outlook in a press conference in late March 2010, stating, "Our glaciers are withdrawing very fast and we have reasons to worry that they may in fact disappear not in 2035, but even earlier."[9]
The new inventory "Bhutan Glacial Inventory 2018" includes 700 glaciers covering total area of 629.55 ± 0.02 km2 (243.0706 ± 0.0077 sq mi) in the northern frontiers of Bhutan. Glacier area covers 1.64% of the total land cover in Bhutan.[10]
Bhutan is home to at least 59 natural mountain lakes as well as some 2,674glacial lakes; about 25 of these glacial lakes are potentialGLOF hazards.[6][11]
Non-glacial lakes in Bhutan cover a total of about 4,250 hectares (16.4 sq mi). Most are located above an altitude of 3,500 metres (11,500 ft), and most have no permanent human settlements nearby, though many are used for grazing yaks and may have scattered temporary settlements.[12][13]
Bhutan has four major river systems: theDrangme Chhu; thePuna Tsang Chhu, also called theSankosh; theWang Chhu; and theAmo Chhu. Each flows swiftly out of theHimalayas, southerly through theDooars to join theBrahmaputra River in India, and thence throughBangladesh where the Brahmaputra (orJamuna in Bangladesh) joins the mightyGanges (or Padma in Bangladesh) to flow into theBay of Bengal. The largest river system, the Drangme Chhu, flows southwesterly from India's state ofArunachal Pradesh and has three major branches: the Drangme Chhu,Mangde Chhu, andBumthang Chhu. These branches form the Drangme Chhu basin, which spreads over most of eastern Bhutan and drains theTongsa andBumthang valleys. In the Duars, where eight tributaries join it, the Drangme Chhu is called theManas Chhu. The 320-kilometre-long (200 mi) Puna Tsang Chhu rises in northwestern Bhutan as theMo Chhu andPho Chhu, which are fed by the snows from the Great Himalayan Range. They flow southerly toPunakha, where they join to form the Puna Tsang Chhu, which flows southerly into India's state ofWest Bengal. The tributaries of the 370-kilometre-long (230 mi) Wang Chhu rise in Tibet. The Wang Chhu itself flows southeasterly through west-central Bhutan, drains the Ha, Paro, and Thimphu valleys, and continues into the Duars, where it enters West Bengal as theRaigye Chhu. The smallest river system, theTorsa Chhu, known as the Amo Chhu in its northern reaches, also flows out of Tibet into theChumbi Valley and swiftly through western Bhutan before broadening nearPhuntsholing and then flowing into India.[14]
Bhutan's valleys are carved into the Himalaya by itsrivers, fed by glacial melt and monsoon rains. Much of the Bhutanese population is concentrated in valleys and lowlands, separated by rugged southward spurs of the Inner Himalaya.[15][16][17][18][19][20]: 72, 84, 91 Despite modernization and development oftransport in Bhutan, including a national highway system, travel from one valley to the next remains difficult.[21] Western valleys are bound to the east by theBlack Mountains in central Bhutan, which form a watershed between two major river systems, theMo Chhu (Sankosh River) and theDrangme Chhu. Central valleys are separated from the east by theDonga Range.[15][22][23] The more isolated mountain valleys protect several tiny, distinct cultural andlinguistic groups.[24]
In Bhutanforest cover is around 71% of the total land area, equivalent to 2,725,080 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, up from 2,506,720 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 2,704,260 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 20,820 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 15% was reported to beprimary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 41% of the forest area was found within protected areas. For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be underpublic ownership.[25][26]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Robert L. Worden (September 1991). Andrea Matles Savada (ed.).Bhutan: A Country Study.Federal Research Division. Climate. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Robert L. Worden (September 1991). Andrea Matles Savada (ed.).Bhutan: A Country Study.Federal Research Division. Glaciers. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Robert L. Worden (September 1991). Andrea Matles Savada (ed.).Bhutan: A Country Study.Federal Research Division. River Systems. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Worden, Robert L. (1991). Savada, Andrea Matles (ed.).Bhutan: A Country Study.Federal Research Division. The Land. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Worden, Robert L. (1991). Savada, Andrea Matles (ed.).Bhutan: A Country Study.Federal Research Division. Population – Size, Structure, and Settlement Patterns.
{{cite book}}:|author= has generic name (help)[permanent dead link] This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Worden, Robert L. (1991). Savada, Andrea Matles (ed.).Bhutan: A Country Study.Federal Research Division. Transportation and Communications – Roads. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Worden, Robert L. (1991). Savada, Andrea Matles (ed.).Bhutan: A Country Study.Federal Research Division. River Systems.
