Geography of Bhutan
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[[Image:Bhutan topo en.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Topgraphic map of Bhutan]]
The [[Bhutan|Kingdom of Bhutan]] is a [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] [[List of sovereign states|nation]], located towards the eastern extreme of the aforementioned [[mountain range]]. It is fairly evenly sandwiched between the sovereign territory of two nations: first, the [[People's Republic of China]] on the north and northwest. There are approximately 470 kilometers of border with that nation's [[Tibet Autonomous Region]]. The second nation is the [[India|Republic of India]] on the south, southwest, and east; there are approximately 605 kilometers with the states of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[Assam]], [[West Bengal]], and [[Sikkim]], in clockwise order from the kingdom. Bhutan's total borders amount to 1,075 kilometers. The [[Nepal|Kingdom of Nepal]] to the west, the [[Bangladesh|People's Republic of Bangladesh]] to the south, and the [[Myanmar|Union of Myanmar]] to the southeast are other close neighbours; the former two are separated by only very small stretches of Indian territory.
Bhutan is a very compact nation, but with just a small bit more [[length]] than [[width]]. The nation's territory totals an approximate 47 000 km². Because of its inland, [[landlocked]] status, it controls no [[territorial waters]]. Its shape, area, and mountainous location are comparable to that of [[Switzerland]].It is now popularly known as Switzerland of Asia. Bhutan's territory used to extend south into present-day Assam, including the [[protectorate]] of [[Cooch Behar]], but, starting in [[1772]], the [[British East India Company]] began to push back the borders through a number of wars and treaties, severely reducing Bhutan's size until the Treaty of Sinchulu of [[1865]], when some border land was ceded back.
==Political Geography==
[[Image:BhutanOMC.png|400px|thumb|right|Bhutan's towns and villages]]
Bhutan is divided into 20 ''[[dzongkhag]]'', and further into 201 ''[[gewog]]''.
==Natural Geography==
[[Image:GangkharPuensum3.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Gangkhar Puensum from Ura La, Bhutan]]The [[Himalayas]] dominate the north of the country, where mountain peaks can easily reach seven thousand meters; the highest point is claimed to be the [[Kula Kangri]], at 7 553 m, but detailed topographic studies claim [[Kula Kangri]] is wholly in [[Tibet]] and modern Chinese measurements claim that [[Gangkhar Puensum]], which has the distinction of being the [[highest unclimbed mountain]] in the world, is higher at 7 570 m (vs 7 538 m for Kula Kangri). Weather is extreme in the mountains: the high peaks have perpetual snow, and the lesser mountains and hewn gorges have high winds all year round, making them barren brown wind tunnels in summer, and frozen wastelands in winter. The [[blizzard]]s generated in the north each [[winter]] often drift southward into the central [[Highland (geography)|highlands]].
The highlands are the most populous part of the nation; the [[capital]] of [[Thimphu]] lies in the western region. The region is characterized by its many [[river]]s (flowing into [[India]]'s [[Brahmaputra]]), its isolated valleys that house most of the population, and the expansive forests that cover seventy percent of the nation. Winters are cold, summer are hot; the rainy season is accompanied with frequented landslides.
The valleys of Bhutan are linked by a series of passes ("La" in [[Dzongkha]]). Between the [[Haa]] valley and [[Paro]] Valley is the [[Chele La]] (3780m). The Chele La is the highest pass crossed by a Bhutanese highway. The Lateral Road from Thimphu to [[Punakha]] crosses the [[Dochu La]] (3116m), which features 108 [[chortens]] built to commemorate the expulsion of Assamese guerrillas. East of [[Wangdue Phodrang]] is the [[Pele La]] (3390m). Continuing to the east along the main highway, other major passes include the [[Yotang La]], [[Shertang La]], [[Wangthang La]], [[Thrumsing La]] and [[Kori La]] (2298m).
The extreme southern strip of the nation consists mostly of tropical plains, more typical of India. It is largely agricultural land, producing mostly [[rice]]. Only two percent of Bhutan is [[arable land]], with most of it focused here.
Centuries of [[isolationism]], a small [[demographics of Bhutan|population]], and topographical extremes have led to Bhutan maintaining one of the most intact [[ecosystem]]s in the world. The country ranks amongst the top ten countries in the world in terms of species density (species richness per unit area). Over fifty-five hundred varieties of plantlife exist, including around three-hundred medicinal ones. More than 770 species of avifauna and more than 165 species of mammals are known to exist, including many rare and endangered species like the [[red panda]], [[snow leopard]], and [[golden langur]].
==Strategic Location==
Bhutan, situated between [[India]] and Chinese-occupied [[Tibet]], is a potential [[Sino-Indian relations|Sino-Indian]] battleground; India currently has more political influence in the nation. This stems from two things: the fact that after the British granted sovereignty to their [[South Asia]]n possessions, Bhutan, a [[protectorate]], was briefly put under the administration of [[India]], along with [[Sikkim]]. [[Independence]] occurred quickly, but India maintained a special treaty relationship with the now-sovereign [[monarchy]]. The [[Indian Army]] patrols Bhutan's frontiers and has played a major role in the development of the country's road infrastructure. Additionally, the [[Government of India]] continues to provide approximately 60% of Bhutan's government finances.
The second reason comes from the aggression against [[Tibet]] by [[China]] from [[1949]] to [[1959]]; the [[Tibetan people|Tibetans]] have strong cultural, historical, and religious connections to Bhutan.
Bhutan controls several strategic mountain passes through the [[Himalayas]], allowing travel between Tibet and [[Assam]]. These passes are also the only way into the kingdom, and, coupled with its centuries-old policies of [[isolationism]], it has been called the "Mountain Fortress of the Gods." The heartland of Bhutan has never been successfully invaded; the [[United Kingdom|British]], while establishing a protectorate over the nation, did so with threats to the low-lying territories below the highlands.
==Climate==
Bhutan's climate is as varied as its altitudes and, like most of Asia, is affected by monsoons. Western Bhutan is particularly affected by monsoons that bring between 60 and 90 percent of the region's rainfall. The climate is humid and subtropical in the southern plains and foothills, temperate in the inner Himalayan valleys of the southern and central regions, and cold in the north, with year-round snow on the main Himalayan summits.
Temperatures vary according to elevation. Temperatures in Thimphu, located at 2,200 meters above sea level in west-central Bhutan, range from approximately 15°C to 26°C during the monsoon season of June through September but drop to between about -4°C and 16°C in January. Most of the central portion of the country experiences a cool, temperate climate year-round. In the south, a hot, humid climate helps maintain a fairly even temperature range of between 15°C and 30°C year-round, although temperatures sometimes reach 40°C in the valleys during the summer.
Annual precipitation ranges widely in various parts of the country. In the severe climate of the north, there is only about forty millimeters of annual precipitation--primarily snow. In the temperate central regions, a yearly average of around 1,000 millimeters is more common, and 7,800 millimeters per year has been registered at some locations in the humid, subtropical south, ensuring the thick tropical forest, or savanna. Thimphu experiences dry winter months (December through February) and almost no precipitation until March, when rainfall averages 20 millimeters a month and increases steadily thereafter to a high of 220 millimeters in August for a total annual rainfall of nearly 650 millimeters.
Bhutan's generally dry spring starts in early March and lasts until mid-April. Summer weather commences in mid-April with occasional showers and continues through the premonsoon rains of late June. The summer monsoon lasts from late June through late September with heavy rains from the southwest. The monsoon weather, blocked from its northward progress by the Himalayas, brings heavy rains, high humidity, flash floods and landslides, and numerous misty, overcast days. Autumn, from late September or early October to late November, follows the rainy season. It is characterized by bright, sunny days and some early snowfalls at higher elevations. From late November until March, winter sets in, with frost throughout much of the country and snowfall common above elevations of 3,000 meters. The winter northeast monsoon brings gale-force winds down through high mountain passes, giving Bhutan its name-- Drukyul, which in the Dzongkha language mean Land of the Thunder Dragon.
==River systems==
[[Image:Glacial lakes, Bhutan.jpg|thumb|right|300px|This image shows the termini of the glaciers in the Bhutan-Himalaya. Glacial lakes have been rapidly forming on the surface of the debris-covered glaciers in this region during the last few decades.]]
Glacial lakes have been rapidly forming on the surface of the debris-covered glaciers in this region during the last few decades.
Bhutan has four major river systems: the [[Drangme Chhu]]; the [[Puna Tsang Chhu]], also called the [[Sankosh]]; the [[Wang Chhu]]; and the [[Amo Chhu]]. Each flows swiftly out of the [[Himalaya]]s, southerly through the [[Dooars]] to join the [[Brahmaputra River]] in [[India]], and thence through [[Bangladesh]] where the [[Brahmaputra]] (or [[Jamuna]] in Bangladesh) joins the mighty [[Ganges]] (or Padma in Bangladesh) to flow into the [[Bay of Bengal]]. The largest river system, the Drangme Chhu, flows southwesterly from India's state of [[Arunachal Pradesh]] and has three major branches: the [[Drangme Chhu]], [[Mangde Chhu]], and [[Bumthang Chhu]]. These branches form the Drangme Chhu basin, which spreads over most of eastern Bhutan and drains the [[Tongsa]] and [[Bumthang]] valleys. In the Duars, where eight tributaries join it, the Drangme Chhu is called the [[Manas Chhu]]. The 320-kilometer-long [[Puna Tsang Chhu]] rises in northwestern Bhutan as the [[Mo Chhu]] and [[Pho Chhu]], which are fed by the snows from the Great Himalayan Range. They flow southerly to [[Punakha]], where they join to form the [[Puna Tsang Chhu]], which flows southerly into India's state of [[West Bengal]]. The tributaries of the 370-kilometer-long [[Wang Chhu]] rise in [[Tibet]]. The Wang Chhu itself flows southeasterly through west-central Bhutan, drains the Ha, Paro, and Thimphu valleys, and continues into the Duars, where it enters West Bengal as the [[Raigye Chhu]]. The smallest river system, the [[Torsa Chhu]], known as the [[Amo Chhu]] in its northern reaches, also flows out of Tibet into the [[Chumbi Valley]] and swiftly through western Bhutan before broadening near [[Phuntsholing]] and then flowing into India.
==Glaciers==
Glaciers in northern Bhutan, which cover about 10 percent of the total surface area, are an important renewable source of water for Bhutan's rivers. Fed by fresh snow each winter and slow melting in the summer, the glaciers bring millions of liters of fresh water to Bhutan and downriver areas each year. Glacial melt added to monsoon-swollen rivers, however, also contributes to flooding. Where glacial movement temporary blocks riverflows, downstream areas may be threatened by jokulhlaups([[GLOF]]).
==References==
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{{Geography of Asia}}
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[[Category:Geography of Bhutan| ]]
[[bn:ভুটানের ভূগোল]]
[[es:Geografía de Bután]]
[[fr:Géographie du Bhoutan]]
[[it:Geografia del Bhutan]]
[[ja:ブータンの地理]]
[[pt:Geografia do Butão]]
[[ru:География Бутана]]