The varied altitudes across the country lead to constant temperature change as you traverse between various Dzongkhags (districts).
The country shares a tropical southern border with India whereas on the other hand, steep slopes climb to snow-capped heights of over 24,750 feet / 7,500m in the north sharing borders with Tibet. Consequently, temperatures vary greatly between day and night and at different altitudes. While travelling layered clothing is recommended for the rapidly changing climatic conditions.
In the central valleys, the summer rains are not as heavy as in the south. It rains mostly in the late afternoon and at night. From mid-May to the end of September, the weather is warm at night (60-64F/17-18C) and in the day (72-78F/22-26C). In winter, the sky is bright, and it is sunny but cold, especially when the sun hides behind the mountains in the mornings and evenings. At night, the temperature falls below zero. Spring and Autumn are very pleasant with warm days and cool nights.
Bhutanese people can be generally categorized into three main ethnic groups. The Tshanglas, Ngalops and the Lhotshampas. The other minority groups are the Bumthaps and the Khengpas of Central Bhutan, the Kurtoeps in Lhuentse, the Brokpas and the Bramis of Merak and Sakteng in eastern Bhutan, the Doyas of Samtse and finally the Monpas of Rukha villages in WangduePhodrang. Together the multiethnic Bhutanese population number just over 700,000.
Bhutanese society is free of class or a caste system. Slavery was abolished by the Third King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck in the early 1950s through a royal edict. Though, a few organizations to empower women were established in the past, Bhutanese society has always maintained relative gender equality. In general our nation is an open and a good-spirited society.
Bhutan is listed as one among the top 10 biodiversity hot spots in the world. Bhutan has total forest coverage of over 70% of the country’s total geographical area with the constitution requiring 60% of the country under forest coverage for all times to come.
The array of flora and fauna available in Bhutan is unparalleled due to conservation and its wide altitudinal and climatic range. Physically, the country can be divided into three zones:
Alpine Zone (4000m and above) with no forest cover;
Temperate Zone (2000 to 4000m) with conifer or broadleaf…. ….forests;
Subtropical Zone (150m to 2000m) with Tropical or Subtropical vegetation.
Economists all over the world have argued that the key to happiness is obtaining and..enjoying… material development..Bhutan however, adheres to a very different belief and.advocates that… amassing material wealth does not necessarily lead to happiness. Bhutan is.now trying to.measure… progress not by the popular idea of Gross Domestic Product but through Gross National… Happiness.
While conventional development models stressed on economic growth as the ultimate.objective,… the.concept of Gross National Happiness is based on the premise that true development of human… society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and… reinforce each other.