Located in the middle E the high chain of the Himalayas,
Boutan is a closed country, surrounded
by mountains in North and the West. The
population of 620000 inhabitants is mainly made up of Bhutanais native. Altitude
in the South spreads out from 300 to 1400 meters. Altitude in the most populated
central areas goes from 1200 to 5200 meters with the most coll altitude the
Thimphu capital is of 2350 meters.
The immense beauty of the Himalayas is contained
in its varied landscapes. Cascades, conifers,
wild rhododendrons and blue poppies, the long
ones and broad valleys, fields of but and
tops and imposing snow-covered tops: they are only some poetic references.
During centuries,
the insulation of Bhutan and its autarkical character kept the kingdom outwards
way of economic
development. Although this reclusion is prevented Bhutan from fully profiting
from many medical projections, technical and scientist, it also protected the
country
much of the
collateral detriments of the badly planned and hazardous development. Like
result,
Bhutan emerged
like a model of safeguarding of the culture and environment in the world of
today.
Bhutan
Climate
 The climate of the Kingdom quickly changes the Subtropical one
in the South with moderate in the center until Alpin in North.
The southern part of Bhutan
is tropical, and in general, Is of
Bhutan is hotter than the West of the country.
The
central valleys of Punakha, Wangdiphodrang, Mongar, Trashigang
and Lhuntsi profit from a subtropical climate with one very soft
winter whereas Thimphu, Trongsa and Bumthang have a climate much
more rigorous, with
an abundant monsoon the summer and heavy
snowfalls the winter, which often block the collars of access to
the central valleys
The winter in Bhutan is spread out mid-November in mid-March,
and at that time of the year, the climate is dry, with a diurnal
temperature falling in lower part from zero. Monsoon usually
arrives at mid-June, the rain falling down especially the
afternoon and the evening. At the end of September, after the
last downpours, the autumn arrives suddenly, and it is one
splendid season
for the trekking- finishing mid-November.
Culture
Bhutan perpetually seems to oscillate between the old world
and modernity.
Monks transcribe Buddhist antiques texts on laptops,
the traditional archers
use arcs and steel arrows and the hirers out of video cassettes made fortune
before the appearance of the programs televised in 1999. The paramount role
that the dzongs continue to hold (monastery-fortresses) and the temples are
worth often the nickname
of “alive museum to him”. This last Buddhist State
of the Himalayan area does not resemble to in no case with a nation crowned
or ascetic with monks of another age. Its population is shown on the
contrary very open, enthusiastic and cultivated. The philosophy of Buddhism
Drukpa Kagyu, the official religion, guides all the aspects of the life. It
is essential
to have some keys of them to fully be able to appreciate the
country.
All the
artistic creation, which it is of dance, theatre or music, is closely
related to Buddhism. One does not create a work to like to the tourists but
for religious reasons. The festivals really testify to the national faith
and the majority of the artistic events illustrate the fight between
the
good and the evil. These traditions are expressed fully at the time
of the tsechus, of spectacular religious holidays.
Religion
The religion of State (75% of the population) is a tantric
form Mahayana Buddhism of the School of Drukpa Kagyu, introduced in Bhutan
in VIIIe century. The Mahayana doctrines-or Large Vehicle-are one of the two Buddhist universities (practised in Vietnam, in Japan, in Nepal, in
China).
It is based on the belief in the faith of the community of
faithful like vector
of hello of Humanity. She is opposed to the Theravada
doctrines - or Small Vehicle (Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, valley of
Katmandu), which professes safety by the individual way. These two doctrines
(which gave themselves birth to various Schools) were formed after
schism resulting from divergent interpretations of the lesson
of Buddha, which did not leave any Writing.
Buddhism plays a paramount role in the company. Each house
has a vault which is also used as reception point for the hosts of mark. The
festivals
are the occasion for the community to find itself around crowned
dances
and of the embarrassing tomfooleries clowns - the Bhutaneses are
goods- alive with humour ribald. Crowned and obscene always coexist in
Bhutan.
In margin of this religion of State, there exists a Hindu community
(25%) strongly concentrated in the South, where it is majority-only
Sherpas
and part of Tamangs is Buddhist
Population
Bhutanais
belong to the Mongoloïde race.
TIMPHU
Current capital of Bhutan is located at 2300
meters of altitude in a valley irrigated by Wang-Chu, the river of Thimphu.
Tashichho Dzong, the principal administrative building, shelters the throne room
of the King and
is the residence of summer of the monastic high ranking
officials. Although not corresponding so that one waits of a Capital, Thimphu is
nevertheless
a modernized and animated place.
Tashichho
Dzong, frame
initially at the 17th century was rebuilt with beginning of the year 60 by the
third King, Jigme Dorje Wangchuk. Dzong shelters
the administration and the
heart of the monastic institutions. Dzong is opened to the visitors during the
festival of Thimphu and when the monks leave
to the heat in Punakha during the
winter months. The history of Bhutan
is registered on incunables which are
preserved at the national library.
In addition to the thousands of manuscripts
and old texts, the library also has modern university books and block letters
for Lungtaa (flags with prayers). Located above the library, the school of
painting teaches the techniques
of traditional painting. At the time of the
visit, one can see the students with work, carrying out reasons complicated on
fabrics
The south, a
zone of plain of a few kilometers of width forms
the border with India.
Quickly altitude rises up to 2000 m
and this area is covered with thick
semi-tropical forests.
It is the kingdom of the orchises.
The climate is hot with truly five seasons, refreshing only
in winter which
lasts from November to February. Spring
and the autumn are short with
temperatures around 25°.
The summer from April at June is very dry and hot,
the temperatures rising until 40°. Monsoon is abundant
of mid-June at the
end of September and to go in these areas becomes particularly painful then
because of the leeches.
The central zone,
this zone which covers an altitude of 2000m with 3500m west in the east of
the country, with some exceptions of lower valleys, constitutes the
historical
and cultural heart of Bhutan. The climate is there of alpine type
with monsoon but in certain lower valleys of the east,
it is of
semi-tropical type with monsoon. The seasons are well marked: from November
to March, the winter can be rigorous with temperatures falling the night
under zero and some snowfalls;
Geography
Bhutan
is located at the latitude of Morocco. Hardly 150 km separate the southern
border with India from the northern border with Tibet (China)
and on this
short distance, altitude passes 300 m with 7300 Mr. Bhutan is thus a
gigantic staircase which rises starting from the moistness of the plains
of
Assam and of Bengal in India to reach the rarefied air of the large
Himalayas which separate it from the plate Tibetan. In the south of the
impenetrable jungles, in North, a barrier of mountains,
geography of
the country are complex. It is first of all marked by NORTH-SOUTH directed
assembly lines which separate
valleys where
rivers run. The collars between each valley rise up to 4000 m, which
involved a fold of the areas on themselves, of very important local
particularisms and the unquestionable difficulties of communications.
Schematically,
of the south in north, the country divides into three great ecological zones
and of settlement.
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