Did you know the landlocked country of Bhutan is actually the most mountainous nation in the world? It’s also home to the tallest mountain that has never been climbed. The country didn’t have Internet, or even television, until 1999. Let’s learn more about Bhutan!
Bhutan Basics
Bhutan is a country in South Asia that borders India and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It’s thought the name of the country might come from the Sanskrit word Bhoṭa-anta, which means “end of Tibet” and describes its location at the southern end of the Tibetan plateau.
It’s estimated to have a population of around 777,000 people, and the country is 14,824 square miles, or 38,394 square kilometers. Nearly 99 percent of the country is covered by mountains, and the elevation ranges from 322 feet/98 meters at its lowest point to 24,840 feet/7,570 meters at the top of Gangkhar Puensum.
The country is a constitutional monarchy, having both a king and a prime minister. Vajrayana Buddhism is the state religion. The official name of the country is Druk yul, which means “country of the Drupka lineage” or “the land of the thunder dragon,” in reference to the sect of Buddhism practiced there. (Bhutan is only used in English-language documents.)
The capital and largest city is Thimphu.
Bhutan National Symbols
Bhutan’s flag is divided into triangles of yellow and orange with a Chinese dragon in the center, which is a reference to the name of the country. The dragon is holding a jewel in each of its claws. The flag was adopted in 1969, though the basic design dates to 1947.
“Druk Tsenden” is the national anthem, which means “the thunder dragon kingdom.” It was adopted in 1953.
The national animal is the takin, which is in the same subfamily as goats and sheep, but much larger than either. It kind of looks like a small musk ox.
The Himalayan blue poppy is the national flower, and the raven is the national bird.
Bhutan Activities for Kids
If you have an archery set you can try your hand at the national sport.
Learn more about the animals in Bhutan from A-Z Animals. Holidify has a good page on traditional dress in Bhutan.
Learn more about Gangkhar Puensum and talk about why it hasn’t been climbed before (the linked article has some insight on that). Would you want to try to climb it? What would you need to do to be ready to climb an unclimbed mountain? And you can learn about other unclimbed mountains.
Weaving is an important traditional craft in Bhutan, so you can try your hand at weaving with materials you have at home.
Check out the stunning Buddha Dordenma statue, a 169 foot golden Buddha that actually holds 125,000 much smaller Buddha statues inside itself.
Find Bhutan resources for the classroom at Teachers Pay Teachers.
Try one of the most popular dishes from Bhutan: ema datshi, a stew made with hot peppers and cheese. It is recognized as the national dish, if only unofficially. It’s traditionally made with yak cheese, but this recipe from 196 Flavors suggests a combination of feta, cheddar and farmer cheese.
