bhutan_ an in-depth investigation

8/10/2019 BHUTAN_ an in-Depth Investigation

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It is fascinating fact thatBhutanese called themselves

Drukpas (dragon people) andtheir country Druk Yul whichmeans Land of the ThunderDragon. This concept is evidentlyseen on their flag having a thunderdragon.

Aside from calling their land

that way, Bhutan is also consideredthe Last Shangri-La as it is usedto be one of the isolated nations inthe world and considered culturallypure. The Readers Digest names it

The living Edens. This is so

because Bhutanese peoplepreserve their land as a home to avariety of ecosystem. Indeed,Bhutan, in general, is noteworthyfor its biological magnificence

If there is any countryon Earth that qualifies asan Eden -- not just in

part, but in its entirety --I believe it is Bhutan.

--Harry Marshall


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TheLand of the thunderdragon lies at the eastern end ofHimalayas. It is bordered by twocountries: China and India. Thus,called landlocked state. It is located27 30'North and 90 30'East.

Having this geographical location,

the land of the thunder dragon hasmostly cool and pleasant climate.

Additionally it falls between theequator and tropic of cancer, henceit doesnt have a typical tropicalclimate.

Being positioned in good portion

of the earth, Bhutan is gifted by itsmagnificent natural and serenadingscenery

If I had to name the biggest difference

between Bhutan and the rest of the world,

I could do it in one word, civility.

Linda Leaming, Married to Bhutan
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4397507.Linda_Leaminghttp://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/14348027http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/14348027http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4397507.Linda_Leaming


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MONTH CLIMATE

May to Late

September

Bhutan experiences summer

monsoon

June to

August

Cloudy weather is experienced

in Himalayas

March-May Wet season. Spring time is

expected

August Wild Orchids are in full bloom

September-

November

Frequently, very mild and clear.

The magnificent views of

Himalaya range are visible

Bhutans climate is quiteunpredictable. It varies even within a dayor from one day to another. Generally,southern plains are tropical and hot

summer and cool winter in central valleys,whereas severe winters and cool summersare experienced in Himalayas.

Its two known valleys: Thimpu

and Paro are soothed by anaverage daytime temperature of15C and cooled below freezingpoint during the night. Duringthe summer temperature risesup to 30C. With its cool

temperature, Bhutans highestpeak, Himalayas, are coveredwith snow all year long lightsnow and rare heavysnowstorms are experienced.

CLIMATE


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The FAO/UNESCO soil map (FAO/UNESCO, 1977) classified

about 27 percent of Bhutan as having either cambisols or

fluvisols (cambisols are most common in the medium- altitude

zone, while fluvisols mostly occur in the southern belt). Less

fertile acrisols, ferrasols and podzols were estimated to cover 45

percent of the country. The same study also reports that 21

percent of the soil-covered area suffers from shallow depth with

mostly lithosol occurring on steep slopes (Roder et al., 2001).Bhutans forest soils have been classified by Sargent et al.

(1985) and Okazaki (1987) who delineated 5 major soil groups

(yellow soils, yellow brown forest soils, brown forest soils,

podzols and alpine meadow soils) based on 69 samples

collected from sites between 150 and 5,300 m. Altitude and

prepcipitation were the main factors used in the classification.

Currently a Soil Survey Project has embarked on a systematic

soil survey of Bhutan

The soil of the Last Shangri-La ispermeable but has reasonablemoisture retention. Forest soil aregenerally shallow, but has a good tilt.

According to soil analysis

conducted by some agencies asMPFD, topsoil in agricultural areashas pH between 5 and 6. Thus,considered the land as partly acidic.10-30 percent of soil is loamy clayand 20-50 percent silt.


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Bhutan really has a lot tooffer. With its breath-taking andspecial geographical features,tourists eyes would certainly

be satisfied. The landlockedsovereign state caters differentnatural scenery that trulyinvites different people withvarious preferences: glaciers,lakes, mountains, rivers, andvalleys.

GEOGRAPHICALFEATURES

In 1980s, 10% of the totalsurface area of Bhutan is coveredwith glaciers. During summer it

slowly melts giving the country amillion liters of fresh water the flowand give life to its rivers. Theimmense number glaciers and glacierlakes which dress Bhutan is classifiedas valley and mountain glaciers.

Some of the countrys glaciers andglacier lakes are Jomolhari Glacier,Tsokar Glacier and Lake, ChubdaGlacier and Lake, Lulana Glacier

Group, among others. There aremore than 59 non-glacier lakes inthe country namely Buli Tsho,Laname Tsho, Dongney Tsho, andothers. Many of its non-glacier lakesare just used for grazing yaks.

The beauty of Bhutan does not end

with it cool and ice-dressed areas.The landlocked state is also bedeckedby high mountains and mountainranges. Mountains and mountainranges of Bhutan are its one of themost well-known features. Indeed, itis one of the most rugged mountainterrains in the world. The highest

peak is located near the border ofChina and is 7554 meters above sea


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The North Bhutan is dominated bythe mountains of Great Himalaya. Itshighest point is Gangkhar Puensumwhich is known as one of theunclimbed mountain in the world.


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CULTURAL HERITAGEOF BHUTAN


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Bhutans culture is largely

influence by Buddhism, thus itcan be said that it is strongly

attached with religion and it isvery noticeable in very part ofthe country.

The cultural affluence of thecountry helps and contributes a

lot to the countrys economicprogress. It is the reason whythe countrys rich culturalheritage is being promoted byits government. Whilemodernization and technological

advances reign, most ofBhutanese people still preservetheir inherited lifestyle such asliving quietly and peacefully insmall and remote villages


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Bhutans national language isDzongkha, but aside from their lenguafranca, English is likewise used ininstruction. Thus, it is not surprising

that a lot of educated Bhutanese ,especially those who live in the citiesspeak and understand English.

The government documents androad signage are both written in

Dzongkha and English. Whereas, thecountrys official newspaper ispublished in three languages:Dzongkha, English and Nepali.

Some Bhutanese such as thoseresidents of east and west have

different dialects making it hard forthem to communicate with eachother.


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Bhutan is religiously muchdifferent compared to the nearbycountries as it is the only countryin the world to have adopted

Mahayana Buddhism in its Tantricform as its official religion.

Bhutan religiosity ismanifested in every corner of thelandlocked state. As you travel the

whole kingdom you would noticeseveral religious structures,monastery, and even religiousflags waving on top of the hills.

Buddhist faith is consideredvital in the countrys cultural,ethical and sociologicaldevelopment. Monks are alwaysgiven the highest form of respectand play an important and activepart in community life.

If truth be told, Buddhism, can

be considered as the one whichshaped the history and destiny ofthe Kingdom.

Buddhist faith has affected allcomponent areas of the statefrom arts and literature up to theform of government. This long-time effect is until now felt.
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The Kingdom of Bhutan offers a lot of colorfuland sacred festivals. Such festivals are connectedwith their religion, thus always preceded withprayers and believed that attendees gain merit forthe next life. . Known celebration includes:Tshechus

Celebrated each year through a word dances andother rites headed by monks or elders in thevillages. The performers wear colorful andsymbolical costumes together with masks. Everydance presented has its own religious meanings andspiritual importance. Tshechus aims to spread

Buddhist teachings.

Dromchoes

Dromchoes is celebrated to honor Mahakala, the

protecting deity of the district. It is celebrated at the

Punakha dzong. During the celebration, songs,dances and Marching Ceremony performed by

traditional military are presented.
http://bhutan.com/images/stories/bhutan_images/Traditional-Bhutanese-Hand-Drums.jpg


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Tse Chu

Tse Chu is another colorful celebrationand a religious monastery festival held allthroughout Bhutan. Its purposes are todisentangle their selves from evil spirit,to reconcile with god, and ask for a goodharvest.

bhutan_ an in-depth investigation

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