Kingdom of Bhutan

National name: Druk-yul

Ruler: King Jigme Singye Wangchuck (1972)

Prime Minister: Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba (2004)

Area: 18,147 sq mi (47,000 sq km)

Population (2005 est.): 2,232,291 (growth rate: 2.1%); birth rate: 34.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 100.4/1000; life expectancy: 54.4; density per sq mi: 123

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Thimphu (official), 60,200

Monetary unit: Ngultrum

Language: Dzongkha (official), Tibetan dialects (among Bhotes), Nepalese dialects (among Nepalese)

Ethnicity/race: Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15%

Religions: Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%

Literacy rate: 42% (1995 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2003 est.): $2.9 billion; per capita $1,400. Real growth rate: 5.3%. Inflation: 3% (2002 est.). Unemployment: n.a. Arable land: 3%. Agriculture: rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs. Labor force: n.a.; note: massive lack of skilled labor (1997 est.); agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry and commerce 2%. Industries: cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide. Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide. Exports: $154 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.): electricity (to India), cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, precious stones, spices. Imports: $196 million (c.i.f., 2000 est.): fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics, rice. Major trading partners: India, Bangladesh, Philippines, Japan, Austria (2003).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 6,000 (1997); mobile cellular: n.a. Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998). Radios: 37,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997). Televisions: 11,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): n.a. Internet users: 2,500 (2002).

Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 3,690 km; paved: 2,240 km; unpaved: 1,450 km (1999 est.). Ports and harbors: none. Airports: 2 (2002).

International disputes: approximately 100,000 Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal, 90% of whom reside in seven UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees camps, place decades-long strains on Nepal.