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| Bhutan (Kingdom of Bhutan |
State in South Asia, in the southeastern part of the Himalayas.
Territory - 47 thousand sq. km.
Population - over 1.3 million (1977 estimate), bhotia and related groups, as well as people from Nepal, India, etc.
The capital is Thimphu (over 10 thousand inhabitants.).
The state language is dzongkha.
The state religion is Lamaist Buddhism.
Bhutan has a special treaty relationship with India. Under the 1949 treaty, Bhutan, while maintaining complete independence in all internal affairs, including defense issues, agreed to be guided by the advice of the Indian government in the field of foreign policy. Thimphu is the permanent seat of the political representative of the Indian government. 18.V 1971, the first diplomatic representative of Bhutan abroad presented his credentials to the President of India. On September 21, 1971 Bhutan was admitted to the UN.
The government of Bhutan pursues a policy of non-alignment, peaceful coexistence and friendship between countries, advocates detente, disarmament, and supports national liberation movements.
Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is the king (since 1972 - Jigme Singai Wangchuk). It has a Royal Council (8 members) with advisory functions. The legislative body is the National Assembly, composed of 150 deputies. The king exercises executive power through the Council of Ministers (consists of 5 people).
Political parties are prohibited. The Bhutan Congress Party conducts its activities abroad. Bhutan is an agricultural country with a predominance of subsistence farming and feudal relations. In 1961, the maximum land allotment per family was set at 12 hectares. The land is cultivated by hand, using mainly wooden tools.
The main branch of agriculture is agriculture (rice, millet, red pepper, tea, barley, corn, cotton are grown).
Horticulture (tangerines, oranges, mangoes, bananas) and grazing (yaks, sheep, goats, horses, ponies) are well developed.
There are many chain tree species.
Coal is mined (up to 30 thousand tons per year), the artisanal method is used to develop iron ore, dolomite, gypsum, graphite and mica. Reserves of copper ore have been discovered. There are small sawmills, a factory for canned fruit and juices, a distillery, a hydroelectric power station on the river. Jaldakha with a capacity of 18 thousand kW, power plants in Thimphu and Paro (with a capacity of 400 kW), handicraft production of household items and art products made of metal and wood is widespread.
The country's economic development programs are financed by the government of India and a number of other states. The UN is providing some assistance to Bhutan. The main sources of foreign exchange are the sale of stamps and tourism. Bhutan trades with India (exports rice, timber, coal, canned food, ivory, musk; imports industrial goods). The length of the roads is 1.5 thousand km; in Paro and Thimphu there are airfields.
The monetary unit is tikchung. 1 tikchung = 0.5 Indian rupee prevailing in circulation.
There are over 200 schools, two technical schools, a pedagogical school, a pedagogical institute, and 6 hospitals.
An extensive campaign is being carried out to combat malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases.
