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People
The population
of Bhutan is estimated at 600,000. Thimphu in Western Bhutan is
the capital with an estimated population of 30,000 - 40,000 people.
The other main urban
settlements are Gelephu, Phuntsholing and Samdrup Jongkhar, located
at the south. Towns are developing in all the 20 dzongkhag (districts)
headquarters.
Bhutan is one of
the least populated countries in South Asia. Most of the population
is concentrated in the valleys, while large areas at higher altitudes
in the north of the country are virtually empty except for nomadic
herders
Language:
Dzongkha is the official
language. A large number of dialects are widely spoken, due to the
physical isolation of many villages. Sharchop Kha, from eastern
Bhutan, is the most widely spoken. Nepali is common in the south
of the country. English has been the language of educational instruction
since 1964 and is widely spoken.
Religion:
Bhutan is the only country
in the world to retain the Tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism as
its official religion. Mahayana Buddhism was the state religion,
and Buddhists comprised about 70 percent of the population in the
early 1990s. Although originating from Tibetan Buddhism, Bhutanese
Buddhism differs significantly in its rituals, liturgy, and monastic
organization.
The Buddhist faith continues
as a fundamental role in the cultural, ethical and sociological
development of Bhutan and its people. It permeates all strands of
secular life, bringing with it a reverence for the land and its
well being.
The minority religion of Bhutan
is Hinduism, whose adherents (those of Nepalese origin) officially
constitute 28 percent of the population. An even smaller religious
minority about 5 percent of the population in 1989 practice Islam.
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