1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
46,600 km2; 15% agricultural, 15% desert, waste, urban, 70% forested
Land boundaries
about 870 km
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., pl.); adjective—Bhutanese
Population
1,364,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.3%
Religion
75% Lamaistic Buddhism, 25% Buddhist-influenced Hinduism
Government
Branches
appointed Ministers and indirectly elected Assembly consisting of village elders, monastic representatives, and all district and senior government administrators Government leader: King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK
Capital
Thimphu
Communists
no overt Communist presence
Elections
popular elections on village level held every three years
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
Member of
Colombo Plan, G-77, IBRD, IFAD, IMF, NAM, UPU, UN
National holiday
17 December
Official name
Kingdom of Bhutan
Other political or pressure groups
Buddhist clergy
Political parties
all parties illegal
Political subdivisions
4 regions (east, central, west, south), further divided into 15-18 subdivisions
Suffrage
each family has one vote
Type
monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Economy
Agriculture
rice, barley, wheat, potatoes, fruit
Aid
economic—India (FY61-72), $180 million
Budget
domestic revenue $12.9 million, expenditures $39.3 million (FY81 est.)
Electric power
3,000 kW capacity (1981); 8 million kWh produced (1981), 6 kWh per capita
Exports
$12 million (FY81); fruit and vegetables, timber, coal, and cardamom
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GNP
$116 million (FY81), $97 per capita; 3.6% growth in FY81
Imports
about $19 million (FY81); textiles, cereals, vehicles
Major industries
handicrafts (particularly textiles)
Major trade partner
India
Monetary conversion rate
both ngultrums and Indian rupees are legal tender; 9.16 ngultrums=9.16 Indian rupees=US$1 as of October 1981
Communications
Airfields
2 total; 2 usable; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Freight carried
not available, very light traffic
Highways
1,304 km total; 418 km surfaced, 515 km improved, 371 km unimproved earth
Telecommunications
facilities inadequate; 1,300 telephones (0.1 per 100 popl.); 6,000 est. radio sets; no TV sets; 1 AM station and no TV stations
Military and Security
Military manpower
males 15-49, 332,000; 178,000 fit for military service; about 16,000 reach military age (18) annually
Supply
dependent on India