]! ^! In 1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding some border land. Under British influence, a monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later, a treaty was signed whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. This role was assumed by independent India after 1947. Two years later, a formal Indo-Bhutanese accord returned the areas of Bhutan annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and foreign relations. A refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of the refugees are housed in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps. 
]" ^" Southern Asia, between China and India ^# 27 30 N, 90 30 E ^$ Asia ^% `! 47,000 sq km `" 47,000 sq km `# 0 sq km ^& about half the size of Indiana ^' `! 1,075 km `U China 470 km, India 605 km ^( 0 km (landlocked) ^) none (landlocked) ^* varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas ^+ mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna ^, `% Drangme Chhu 97 m `& Kula Kangri 7,553 m ^- timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbonate ^. `' 3.09% `( 0.43% `) 96.48% (2001) ^/ 400 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season ^1 soil erosion; limited access to potable water _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes `L Law of the Sea ^2 landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes 
]# ^3 2,232,291 note: other estimates range as low as 810,000 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 39.1% (male 452,213/female 420,675) `+ 56.9% (male 654,109/female 615,431) `, 4% (male 45,281/female 44,582) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 20.27 years `- 20.11 years `. 20.44 years (2005 est.) ^6 2.11% (2005 est.) ^7 34.03 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 12.94 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.05 male(s)/female `0 1.08 male(s)/female `+ 1.06 male(s)/female `, 1.02 male(s)/female `1 1.07 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 100.44 deaths/1,000 live births `- 98.19 deaths/1,000 live births `. 102.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 54.39 years `- 54.65 years `. 54.11 years (2005 est.) ^= 4.81 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? less than 100 (1999 est.) ^@ NA ^A `2 Bhutanese (singular and plural) `3 Bhutanese ^B Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35% (includes Lhotsampas - one of several Nepalese ethnic groups), indigenous or migrant tribes 15% ^C Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25% ^D Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 42.2% `- 56.2% `. 28.1% (1995 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Kingdom of Bhutan `5 Bhutan ^H monarchy; special treaty relationship with India ^I Thimphu ^J 18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Dagana, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang note: there may be two new districts named Gasa and Yangtse ^K 8 August 1949 (from India) ^L National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907) ^M no written constitution or bill of rights; note - in 2001 the King commissioned the drafting of a constitution, and in November 2004 presented a draft to the Council of Ministers; now awaiting referendum ^N based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction ^O each family has one vote in village-level elections; note - in late 2003 Bhutan's legislature passed a new election law ^P `6 King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972) `7 Chairman of the Council of Ministers Lyonpo Sangay NGEDUP (since 5 September 2005) `8 Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed, five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch `9 none; the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms in July 1998 grant the National Assembly authority to remove the monarch with two-thirds vote ^Q unicameral National Assembly or Tshogdu (150 seats; 105 elected from village constituencies, 10 represent religious bodies, and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and other secular interests; members serve three-year terms) `9 local elections last held November 2002 (next to be held NA 2005) `: NA ^R Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges appointed by the monarch) ^S no legal parties ^T Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community; United Front for Democracy (exiled) ^U AsDB, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) ^V none; note - Bhutan has a Permanent Mission to the UN; address: 2 United Nations Plaza, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10017; telephone [1] (212) 826-1919; FAX [1] (212) 826-2998; the Bhutanese mission to the UN has consular jurisdiction in the US `R New York ^W the US and Bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassy in New Delhi (India) ^X divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side 
]% ^Y The economy, one of the world's smallest and least developed, is based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for more than 90% of the population. Agriculture consists largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links and dependence on India's financial assistance. The industrial sector is technologically backward, with most production of the cottage industry type. Most development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists are key resources. Model education, social, and environment programs are underway with support from multilateral development organizations. Each economic program takes into account the government's desire to protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. For example, the government, in its cautious expansion of the tourist sector, encourages visits by upscale, environmentally conscientious tourists. Detailed controls and uncertain policies in areas like industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. ^Z $2.9 billion (2003 est.) ^[ 5.3% (2003 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $1,400 (2003 est.) ^] `; 45% `< 10% `= 45% (2002 est.) ^^ NA note: massive lack of skilled labor ^_ agriculture 93%, industry and commerce 2%, services 5% ^` NA ^a NA _! `> NA `? NA _" 3% (2002 est.) _# `@ $146 million `A $152 million, including capital expenditures of NA note: the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of Bhutan's budget expenditures (FY95/96 est.) _$ rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs _% cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide _& 9.3% (1996 est.) _' 2.001 billion kWh (2002) _( 312.9 million kWh (2002) _) 1.56 billion kWh (2002) _* 12 million kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 1,020 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _/ $154 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) _0 electricity (to India), cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, precious stones, spices _1 Bangladesh 47.4%, Japan 30.2%, France 3.4% (2004) _2 $196 million c.i.f. (2000 est.) _3 fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics, rice _4 Germany 65.4%, Japan 14.3%, Austria 6.8%, UK 4.5% (2004) _5 $245 million (2000) _6 substantial aid from India and other nations _7 ngultrum (BTN); Indian rupee (INR) _8 ngultrum per US dollar - 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003), 48.61 (2002), 47.186 (2001), 44.942 (2000) _9 1 July - 30 June 
]& _: 25,200 (2003) _; 22,000 (2005) _< `B telecommunications facilities are poor `C very low tele-density; domestic service is very poor especially in rural areas; wireless service available since 2003 `D country code - 975; international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2005) _= AM 0, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004) _> 1 (2005) _? .bt _@ 985 (2003) _A 15,000 (2003) 
]' _B `! 4,007 km `E 24 km `F 3,983 km (2002) _D 2 (2004 est.) _E `! 1 `^ 1 (2004 est.) _L `! 1 `_ 1 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Royal Bhutan Army (includes Royal Bodyguard and Royal Bhutan Police) (2005) _M 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) _] males age 18-49: 483,860 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 314,975 (2005 est.) _^ `` 23,939 (2005 est.) _N $13.7 million (2004) _O 1.8% (2004) 
]) _H approximately 104,000 Bhutanese refugees live in Nepal, 90% of whom reside in seven UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees camps; Bhutan cooperates with India to expel Indian separatists 