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thimphu administrative divisions: 18 districts (dzongkhag. singular and plural); bumthang. chhukha. chirang. dagana. geylegphug. ha. lhuntshi. mongar. paro. pemagatsel. punakha. samchi. samdrup jongkhar. shemgang. tashigang. thimphu. tongsa. wangdi phodrang note: there may be two new districts named gasa and yangtse independence: 8 august 1949 (from india) national holiday: national day (ugyen wangchuck became first hereditary king). 17 december (1907) constitution: no written constitution or bill of rights; note - in 2001 the king commissioned the drafting of a constitution. and in march 2005 publicly unveiled it; now awaiting referendum legal system: based on indian law and english common law; has not accepted compulsory icj jurisdiction suffrage: each family has one vote in village-level elections; note - in late 2003 bhutan's legislature passed a new election law executive branch: chief of state: king jigme singye wangchuck (since 24 july 1972) head of government: chairman of the council of ministers sangay ngedup (since 5 september 2005) cabinet: council of ministers (lhengye shungtsog) nominated by the monarch. approved by the national assembly; members serve fixed. five-year terms; note - there is also a royal advisory council (lodoi tsokde). members nominated by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary. but democratic reforms in july 1998 grant the national assembly authority to remove the monarch with two-thirds vote legislative branch: unicameral national assembly or tshogdu (150 seats; 105 elected from village constituencies. 10 represent religious bodies. and 35 are designated by the monarch to represent government and other secular interests; members serve three-year terms) elections: local elections last held november 2002 (next to be held na 2005) election results: na judicial branch: supreme court of appeal (the monarch); high court (judges appointed by the monarch) political parties and leaders: no legal parties political pressure groups and leaders: buddhist clergy; ethnic nepalese organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign; indian merchant community; united front for democracy (exiled) international organization participation: asdb. cp. fao. g-77. ibrd. icao. ida. ifad. ifc. imf. interpol. ioc. iom (observer). iso (correspondent). itu. nam. opcw. saarc. sacep. un. unctad. unesco. unido. upu. wco. who. wipo. wmo. wtoo. wto (observer) diplomatic representation in the us: none; note - bhutan has a permanent mission to the un; address: 2 united nations plaza. 27th floor. new york. ny 10017; telephone [1] (212) 826-1919; fax [1] (212) 826-2998; the bhutanese mission to the un has consular jurisdiction in the us consulate(s) general: new york diplomatic representation from the us: the us and bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations. although informal contact is maintained between the bhutanese and us embassy in new delhi (india) flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side economy - overview: the economy. one of the world's smallest and least developed. is based on agriculture and forestry. which provide the main livelihood for more than 90% of the population. agriculture consists largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. the economy is closely aligned with india's through strong trade and monetary links and dependence on india's financial assistance. the industrial sector is technologically backward. with most production of the cottage industry type. most development projects. such as road construction. rely on indian migrant labor. bhutan's hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists are key resources. model education. social. and environment programs are underway with support from multilateral development organizations. each economic program takes into account the government's desire to protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. for example. the government. in its cautious expansion of the tourist sector. encourages visits by upscale. environmentally conscientious tourists. detailed controls and uncertain policies in areas like industrial licensing. trade. labor. and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. gdp (purchasing power parity): $2.9 billion (2003 est.) gdp (official exchange rate): na gdp - real growth rate: 5.3% (2003 est.) gdp - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1.400 (2003 est.) gdp - composition by sector: agriculture: 45% industry: 10% services: 45% (2002 est.) labor force: na note: massive lack of skilled labor labor force - by occupation: agriculture 93%. industry and commerce 2%. services 5% unemployment rate: na population below poverty line: na household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: na highest 10%: na inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2002 est.) budget: revenues: $146 million expenditures: $152 million. including capital expenditures of na note: the government of india finances nearly three-fifths of bhutan's budget expenditures (fy95/96 est.) agriculture - products: rice. corn. root crops. citrus. foodgrains; dairy products. eggs industries: cement. wood products. processed fruits. alcoholic beverages. calcium carbide industrial production growth rate: 9.3% (1996 est.) electricity - production: 1.882 billion kwh (2003) electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.1% hydro: 99.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) electricity - consumption: 250.3 million kwh (2003) electricity - exports: 1.51 billion kwh (2003) electricity - imports: 10 million kwh (2003) oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) oil - consumption: 1.100 bbl/day (2003 est.) oil - exports: na (2001) oil - imports: na (2001) exports: $154 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) exports - partners: india 85.6%. bangladesh 6.7%. japan 4.3% (2004) imports: $196 million c.i.f. (2000 est.) imports - partners: germany 41.8%. india 35.5%. japan 9.2%. austria 4.3% (2004) debt - external: $245 million (2000) economic aid - recipient: substantial aid from india and other nations currency (code): ngultrum (btn); indian rupee (inr) currency code: btn; inr exchange rates: ngultrum per us dollar - na (2005). 45.317 (2004). 46.583 (2003). 48.61 (2002). 47.186 (2001) fiscal year: 1 july - 30 june telephones - main lines in use: 25.200 (2003) telephones - mobile cellular: 22.000 (2005) telephone system: general assessment: telecommunications facilities are poor domestic: very low tele-density; domestic service is very poor especially in rural areas; wireless service available since 2003 international: country code - 975; international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through india; satellite earth station - 1 (2005) radio broadcast stations: am 0. fm 1. shortwave 1 (2004) radios: 37.000 (1997) television broadcast stations: 1 (2005) televisions: 11.000 (1997) internet country code: .bt internet hosts: 985 (2003) internet service providers (isps): na internet users: 15.000 (2003) airports: 2 (2004 est.) airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1.524 to 2.437 m: 1 (2005 est.) airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1.523 m: 1 (2005 est.) roadways: total: 8.050 km paved: 4.991 km unpaved: 3.059 km (2003) military branches: royal bhutan army (includes royal bodyguard and royal bhutan police) (2005) military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 483.860 (2005 est.) manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 314.975 (2005 est.) manpower reaching military service age annually: males: 23.939 (2005 est.) military expenditures - dollar figure: $13.7 million (2004) military expenditures - percent of gdp: 1.8% (2004) disputes - international: approximately 104.000 bhutanese refugees live in nepal. 90% of whom reside in seven un office of the high commissioner for refugees camps; bhutan cooperates with india to expel indian separatists
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