cargo, 4 container, 8 roll-on/roll-off, 26 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 11 liquefied gas, 17 bulk; note—a flag of convenience registry
_#_Civil air: 16 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440–3,659 m
_#_Telecommunications: modern with fully automatic telephone system; 52,670 telephones; stations—5 AM, 3 FM, 2 TV; 3 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Bermuda Regiment, Bermuda Police Force, Reserve Constabulary
_#Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK % @Bhutan *Geography #_Total area: 47,000 km2; land area: 47,000 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than half the size of Indiana
_#_Land boundaries: 1,075 km total; China 470 km, India 605 km
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_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, tourism potential
_#_Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 5%; forest and woodland 70%; other 23%
_#_Environment: violent storms coming down from the Himalayas were the source of the country name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon
_#_Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes
_*People #_Population: 1,598,216 (July 1991), growth rate 2.0% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 17 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 135 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 48 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 4.9 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Bhutanese (sing., pl.); adjective—Bhutanese
_#_Ethnic divisions: Bhote 60%, ethnic Nepalese 25%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15%
_#_Religion: Lamaistic Buddhism 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%
_#_Language: Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects—most widely spoken dialect is Dzongkha (official); Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: NA; agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry and commerce 2%; massive lack of skilled labor
_#_Organized labor: not permitted
_*Government #_Long-form name: Kingdom of Bhutan
_#_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)
_#_Constitution: no written constitution or bill of rights
_#_Legal system: based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day (Ugyen Wangchuck became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907)
_#_Executive branch: monarch, chairman of the Royal Advisory Council, Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Tshogdu)
_#_Judicial branch: High Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972)
_#_Political parties: no legal parties
_#_Suffrage: each family has one vote in village-level elections
_#_Elections: no national elections
_#_Communists: no overt Communist presence
_#_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, IOC, ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO
_#_Diplomatic representation: no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassies in New Delhi (India); the Bhutanese mission to the UN in New York has consular jurisdiction in the US
_#_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. Low wages in industry lead most Bhutanese to stay in agriculture. 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.
_#_GDP: $273 million, per capita $199 (1988) real growth rate 4% (1989 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment: NA
_#_Budget: revenues $99 million; expenditures $128 million, including capital expenditures of $65 million (FY89 est.)
_#_Exports: $70.9 million (f.o.b., FY89);
commodities—cardamon, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit;
partners—India 93%
_#_Imports: $138.3 million (c.i.f., FY89 est.);
commodities—fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts,
