Happiest Country in the World: Bhutan

Bhutan, also known as the Land of Thunder Dragons, is located between India and Tibet. Although Bangladesh and Nepal are both situated near Bhutan, they do not share borders with Bhutan. It ranks 160 in the list of the largest populations in the world and is 133rd in terms of area. In 2007, it topped the list of happiest countries in Asia.

Bhutan is classified into three regions:

1. The Great Himalayas: 

• The north region of Bhutan comes under The Great Himalayas and stands at 24,000 feet on the snow-capped mountains.
•  The valleys have an elevation between 12,000 and 18,000 feet.
•  The north region of The Great Himalayas has a few marginal mountains of the Plateau of Tibet, forming the water head between the rivers flowing in the north and south directions.
• A dry climate is a characteristic of this region.

• The Lesser Himalayas:

• They are the inner Himalayas that spread through the southern region of the great Himalayas.
• The vegetation ranges from dense forests at lower elevations to alpine vegetation at high elevations.
• Few of the fertile valleys of central Bhutan are situated in this region, with varying elevations between 1500 to 2700 meters. 
• The valleys, including the Punakha, Thimphu, and Ha, receive moderate rainfall and are broad and flat with healthy population and cultivation conditions.

• The Duars Plain:

• It is the Southern region of the lesser Himalayas and the foothills, a narrow plain forming a 10 miles strip along the borders of Bhutan. 
• It receives a rainfall of about 5100 to 7600 mm; is surrounded by dense undergrowth and semi-tropical forests.
• The northern region of these plains is irregular, rugged, and sloping.
• The southern region of these plains borders India and is covered with grassy parklands and bamboo jungles throughout.

Provinces of Bhutan

Provinces are the historical regions that Bhutan has. Traditionally, there was a total of 9 provinces:

1. Wangdue Phodrang
2. Daga
3. Paro
4. Trongsa
5. Punakha 
6. Bum thang
7. Thimphu
8. Kurtoed
9. Kurmaed

The Kurtoed and Kurmaed provinces were later combined, turning the area into the 8th province.

Capital of Bhutan

• Thimphu is the capital and the largest city in Bhutan. 
• In 1961, Thimphu became the capital, replacing Punakha, the old capital.
• Thimphu is both the political and the economic center of Bhutan, with agriculture as the dominant factor contributing 45% to the country’s GDP.

Few facts about Bhutan

1. In 2007, Bhutan was ranked the happiest country in Asia, and the 8th happiest country in the world as per the Business week.
2. Blue Poppy is the national flower of Bhutan. It is a rare flower found at an elevation between 3000 and 4000 metres. Its scientific name is Mecopsis Spp, which has 13 species. It falls in the Papaveraceae family and comes in many colors such as Pink, White, Red, Purple, and Blue.
3. The nickname Land of the Thunder Dragon is associated with Bhutan because of the storms formed near the Himalayas. 
4. Bhutan is said to be the only country that absorbs more carbon dioxide than produced.
5. Gangkhar Puensum, the highest mountain, is in Bhutan and is yet to be climbed by anyone.
6. Takin is this country’s national animal, which feeds on grass, bamboo, and leaves.
7. Television was introduced in Bhutan as late as 1999.
8. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan. They even have an Olympic team for it.
9. In Bhutan, the citizens need to wear their national dress.

Conclusion  

In this article, we discovered that Bhutan is the happiest country among all the countries in Asia and has eight provinces. We also learned about the national flower of Bhutan, the capital of Bhutan, and various other facts related to this country that adds to its identity. We also learned that before 1999, no households in Bhutan had televisions and that it was the last country where television was introduced, among other interesting facts.