Bhutan (/butn/ or /butn/; Dzongkha Dru , IPA: [u y]),[10] officially the Kingdom of

Bhutan, is a sovereign state in South Asia. A landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas, Bhutan
borders the People's Republic of China to the north and India to the south, east and west. To the
west, it is separated from Nepal by the Indian state of Sikkim; and further south it is separated
from Bangladesh by the Indian states of Assamand West Bengal. Bhutan's capital and largest city
is Thimphu.
The state religion is Vajrayana Buddhism. The national language is Dzongkha. The landscape
ranges from subtropical plains in the south to the sub-alpine Himalayan mountains in the north,
where there are peaks in excess of 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). The highest mountain in Bhutan is
the Gangkhar Puensum.
Bhutan enjoyed strong cultural links with Tibet and was located on the Silk Road between China and
the Indian subcontinent. Its territory was composed of minor warring fiefs until the early 17th century.
At the time thelama and military leader Ngawang Namgyal, the first Zhabdrung Rinpoche, unified the
area and cultivated a distinct Bhutanese identity. In the early 20th century, Bhutan established
relations with the British Empire. During the rise of Chinese communism and its spread to Tibet,
Bhutan signed a friendship treaty with newly independent India in 1949. In 2008, Bhutan transitioned
from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy and held its first general election.[11] Its
government has promoted the concept of gross national happiness which is reflected in the Bhutan
GNH Index. Nevertheless, Bhutan remains an LDC.
A parliamentary democracy,[12] Bhutan is a founding member of the South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation (SAARC). It is also a member of the United Nations and BIMSTEC. Bhutan
has an extensive strategic partnership with India and warm relations with Bangladesh. It has also
developed relations with East Asian states, notably Japan. The economy of Bhutan depends greatly
on hydropower exports.[13] Tourism is also a significant sector. Bhutan's per capita income is the
second-highest in SAARC after the Maldives.