Bhutan

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• • • • • The Kingdom of Bhutan covers an area of 38,394 sq. km at the eastern limits of the Himalayas. The length of the country is only slightly larger than the width giving it a compact shape. As observed on the physical map of Bhutan above, the country is highly mountainous. Here several peaks of the Himalayas reach as high 7,000 m along the country's northern border with China. The tallest point in the country (as marked on the map by a yellow upright triangle) is the Kula Kangri. However, there is a lot of dispute regarding the location of this peak as some authorities claim it is part of Tibet. Instead, the 7,570 metres (24,840 ft) tall Gangkhar Puensum is often regarded as Bhutan's tallest peak. The latter is the world's tallest unclimbed mountain. The central parts of Bhutan feature the mountains of the lesser or the lower Himalayas. Along its southern border with India, the Himalayan foothills and associated lowland areas are found. Large parts here are forested. The lowest point in Bhutan at 97 m (318 ft) above sea level is located in the Drangme Chhu river system. The lowest point is located in the Drangme Chhu, a river system in central and eastern Bhutan, at 97 m (318 ft) above sea level. Numerous small rivers drain the land, including the Dangme, Mangde, Sankosh and Torsa. Districts of Bhutan Map Bhutan (officially, The Kingdom of Bhutan) is divided into 20 districts (dzongkhags). In alphabetical order, these districts are: Bumthang, Chhukha, Dagana, Gasa, H...

Kuni Takahashi / Getty Images Some Interesting Facts About Bhutan • With only around 14,800 square miles (38,400 square kilometers) of territory, Bhutan is roughly half the size of South Carolina. The country is slightly smaller than Switzerland. Much of the terrain is made up of mountainous slopes. • Druk Yul—the local name for Bhutan—means "Land of the Thunder Dragon." The dragon appears on the Bhutanese flag. • In 2010, Bhutan became the first country to ban the production and sales of tobacco products. Smoking in public areas is illegal, however, tobacco can be used in private. In 1916, the first King of Bhutan called tobacco "the most filthy and noxious herb." Violators are slapped with a harsh fine: the equivalent of over two months' salary. • In a push to modernize, the King of Bhutan finally allowed television and internet access into the country in 1999. Bhutan was among the last countries in the world to adopt television. A few television channels are received from neighboring India. The king warned that misuse of television could corrupt their old traditions. • Bhutan has a mandatory national dress code. Men wear traditional, knee-length garments and women must wear ankle-length dresses. The colors give away someone's social class and status. • The University of Texas at El Paso used Bhutanese architecture style as an influence when designing its campus. • Bhutan is the only country in the world to officially measure national happiness. The index is known as GNH...

In January, as my Drukair flight from Bangkok approached Paro International Airport in Bhutan, I was on the alert. To visit this small Himalayan Buddhist kingdom, you must surrender (after a multicountry relay from the U.S.) to a landing that is famously tricky, so much so that fewer than two dozen pilots are certified to make it. It requires maneuvering the aircraft through a long, winding valley between mountains as high as 18,000 feet to reach a short runway that comes into view only moments before touchdown. The wings of our plane, resplendent with a white dragon on a yellow and orange background, appear to be almost brushing the steep, darkly forested slopes on both sides. ( Druk means dragon in Dzhongka, the Bhutanese language, and is the country’s spirit animal.) Beyond is the Himalayan range, which for 300 miles traces Bhutan’s border with China. I glimpse only a couple of snow-covered peaks before we descend deeper into the valley, but I still sense the giant mountains’ potent, ineffable presence. "It's rare to come to a place where you have culture shock, and I like that. I'm feeling intrepid." This moment was a long time coming. Bhutan has a richly ambivalent attitude toward outsiders. Wedged between China and India, never colonized or conquered, it was self-protectively closed for centuries. The first tantalizing bits of information about it came out in a 1914 National Geographic article by a British representative to the 1907 coronation of Ugyen Wangchuck, the...