1981 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1981 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
- Voting strength (1980 elections): UBP 54%, PLP 46%; the UBP holds 22 House of Assembly seats, the PLP holds 18 seats
- 46,600 km2; 15% agricultural, 15% desert, waste, urban, 70% forested
Communists
negligible
Land boundaries
about 870 km
Other political or pressure groups
Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) headed by Ottiwell Simmons
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
60% Bhotias, 25% ethnic Nepalese, 15% indigenous or migrant tribes
Labor force
300,000; 99% agriculture, 1% industry; massive lack of skilled labor
Language
Bhotias speak various Tibetan dialects — most widely spoken dialect is Dzongkha, the official language; Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects
Literacy
insignificant
Nationality
noun — Bhutanese (sing., pi.); adjective — Bhutanese
Population
1,364,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.3%
Religion
75% Lamaistic Buddhism, 25% Buddhistinfluenced Hinduism
Government
Branches
appointed Ministers and indirectly elected Assembly consisting of village elders, monastic representatives, and all district and senior government administrators
Capital
Thimphu
Legal system
based on Indian law and English common law; in 1964 the monarch assumed full power — no constitution existed beforehand; a Supreme Court hears appeals from district administrators; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday
17 December
Official name
Kingdom of Bhutan
Political subdivisions
4 regions (east, central, west, south), further divided into 15-18 subdivisions
Type
monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Economy
Agriculture
main products — bananas, vegetables, Easter lilies, dairy products, citrus fruits
Aid
economic — bilateral commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-80), from US $34 million; from Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (FY70-79), $109 million; no military aid
Budget
revenues, $132 million; expenditures $132 million; (FY81/82)
Electric power
110,000 kW capacity (1981); 355 million kWh produced (1981), 5,460 kWh per capita
Exports
$31 million (f.o.b., 1979); mostly reexports of drugs and bunker fuel
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$598 million (FY79/80), $10,894 per capita; real growth rate FY79/80, est. 3%
Imports
$234 million (f.o.b., 1979); fuel, foodstuffs, machinery
Major industries
tourism, finance
Major trade partners
imports, 50% US; tourists, 90% US
Monetary conversion rate
1 Bermuda dollar=US$l
Communications
Airfields
1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659
Civil air
4 major transport aircraft
Highways
190 km, all paved
Ports
3 major (Hamilton, St. George Freeport, Ireland Island)
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
modern telecom system, includes fully automatic telephone system with 39,500 sets (63.7 per 100 popl.); 3 AM, 1 FM, and 2 TV stations; 3 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station