Overview
Known as “the last Shangri-La,” the isolated and landlocked Himalayan country of Bhutan has recently initiated a process of gradual modernization. Internet and television were finally allowed in the 1990s, and democratic governance was introduced in a new constitution in 2005. Bhutan does not have formal relations with the United States, and tourism is somewhat limited. A traditional and peaceful country with no real enemies, Bhutan sells hydro power to India and attracts a small but steady stream of tourists. Alhough the country generally respects human rights, there is controversy about its expulsion in the early 1990s of about 100,000 ethnic Nepalis.
Basic Information
Lay of the Land: Bhutan is an isolated, landlocked kingdom nestled in the eastern Himalayas of south central Asia, with China to the north and India to the south. The land rises steeply from the low-lying plains of Assam in the south to mountain peaks of 24,000 feet along the Himalayan crest that forms the border with Tibet. With an area of 18,147 square miles, Bhutan is about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Most of the population is concentrated in the valleys of the country’s powerful rivers, which generally run north to south. Because the weather of Bhutan is notably violent, the people of Bhutan call their country Druk-Yul, “Land of the Thunder Dragon.”
Population: 682,231
Religions: Mahayana Buddhist (either Drukpa Kagyupa or Ningmapa disciplines) 65.9%, Hindu 27.1%, Ethnoreligious (Bön, usually in conjunction with Buddhism) 4.5%, Christian 1.3%, Muslim 1.0%, non-religious 0.1%
Ethnic Groups: Bhote 50%, Nepalese 35%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15%
Languages: Nepali 26.0%, Tshangla 23.0%, Dzongka (official) 21.7%, Khengkha 6.7%, Lepcha 5.8%, Bumthangkha 5.0%, Chocangacakha 3.3%, Dakpakha 2.5%, Brokpake 0.8%, Tibetan 0.6%. There are 24 living languages in Bhutan.
History
Bhutan has been occupied since about 2000 BC, but little is known of its prehistory. Bhutan was a patchwork of small warring fiefdoms until the early 17th century, when the area was unified by the Tibetan lama and military leader Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, who fled religious prosecution in Tibet. Border tensions with British India in the 18th and 19th centuries were settled by treaty in 1865. Two decades later, internal strife was settled by the ascension of the Wangchuck family to power, followed in 1907 by a decision to make that family the hereditary monarchs of Bhutan, which they remain today. A 1910 treaty allowed Great Britain to “guide” Bhutan’s foreign relations, an arrangement that was continued in 1947 by placing newly independent India in Britain’s role. Despite its geographical isolation, Bhutan is a member of the United Nations, and has foreign relations with 22 countries, including the European Union, with missions in India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Kuwait. However, Bhutan has no formal relations with several major powers, including the United States, Russia, China, the U.K. and France. In the past several decades, Bhutan’s kings have fostered a gradual transition to democratic governance, culminating in a new constitution in 2005 and the country’s first ever parliamentary elections in 2007 and 2008.
History of U.S. Relations with Bhutan
The United States and Bhutan have never had formal diplomatic relations.
Current U.S. Relations with Bhutan
The United States ambassador to India, Dr. David C. Mulford, made a goodwill visit to Bhutan from April 16 to 18, 2007. He emphasized that the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries did not pose a problem for either of them. He is reported to have said that, “I think what we have today in terms of our relations is working very well. There are no disadvantages for either of us and in my opinion, there is no need to move ahead quickly and try to do that because there is no real driving necessity.”
Tourism is the main link between the United States and Bhutan. 5,018 Americans visited Bhutan in 2006, a number that has increased dramatically since 2002, when 1,923 Americans journeyed to the isolated mountain nation. On the flip side, 183 Bhutanese visited the U.S. in 2006. The number of Bhutanese traveling to the U.S. has stayed between 150-200 since 2002.
Alhough there are no official statistics on the number of Bhutanese living in the United States, that number is set to grow in the coming years. The U.S. recently agreed to accept up to 60,000 Bhutanese refugees who were expelled from Bhutan in the early 1990s. These ethnically Nepali refugees claim they are Bhutanese citizens who were forced to leave their country, while Bhutan asserts they were not citizens and left voluntarily. The first group of 121 refugees arrived in the United States in March 2008.
Where Does the Money Flow
The Bhutanese people, for the most part, engage in subsistence agriculture, and thus live their productive lives outside of the capitalist market. In fact, agriculture provides the main livelihood for more than 80% of the population. As a result, Bhutan has little industry and produces few commodities for international commerce, although it does sell hydroelectric power to India. Trade between the United States and Bhutan is thus minuscule. U.S. exports to Bhutan in 2007 totaled only $4 million dollars, dominated by telecommunications equipment ($1.6 million or 39.5%), household appliances ($1.38 million or 34%) and medical equipment ($266,000 or 6.5%). U.S. imports from Bhutan totaled only $817,000, mainly parts and accessories ($352,000 or 43%), feedstuff and food grains ($237,000 or 29%) and artwork, antiques, stamps, and other collectibles ($131,000 or 16%).
Consistent with the fact that U.S. does not have direct relations with Bhutan, the U.S. does not give security assistance or foreign aid to Bhutan.
Human Rights
Bhutan has, in the past several decades, gradually transformed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament able to impeach the king by a 2/3 vote. Parliamentary elections were held in December 2007 and March 2008, with participation rates of nearly 75%. Although the government's human rights record improved during the year, some problems remained. There were limitations on freedom of assembly; regulation of freedom of religion; limited political expression; and some discrimination against the ethnic Nepalese minority, a large portion of which was forced to leave the country in the early 1990s.
Bhutan's Ambassador to the U.S.
Penjo, Daw
Bhutan does not have formal diplomatic relations with the U.S., however Bhutan's Permanent Mission to the U.N. has consular jurisdiction in the U.S. Daw Penjo is Bhutan’s Ambassador to the United Nations and its Ambassador to Canada. Born March 7, 1958, he earned a BA at the University of Delhi in India and an MA in international relations at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Penjo joined Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1980. He served at the UN from 1986 to 1990, as head of the bilateral and multilateral division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 1994 and as deputy chief of mission at the Bhutanese Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh between 1994 and 1997. From 1997 to 2000, Penjo was the deputy chief of mission of Bhutan’s embassy in India, after which he returned to Bhutan as the director of bilateral affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He assumed his current positions in November 2003.
Bhutan's Embassy Web Site in the U.S.
Bhutan’s Consulate General in the United States
2 UN Plaza
27th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Telephone: 212-826-1919
Fax: 212-826-2998
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