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This is a landlocked and mostly mountainous country, about half the size of Indiana, between China and India.
Monarchy established by Britain in 1907. Bhutan independent except in for defense and foreign affairs. After 1947 India assumed control over Bhutan's defense and foreign affairs. Independence from India in 1949. Unicameral legislature, the National Assembly, can remove a monarch with two-thirds vote. Village-level elections with one vote per family. National Assembly consists of 105 members elected at the village level, 10 representative from religious bodies and 35 appointed by the monarch.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Factbook: "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 60% 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."
Estimated per capita GDP:
2008 $5,600
2007 $4,800
2006 $4,200
GDP Growth rate:
2008: 6.6%
2007: 17%
2006: 7.8%
Unemployment estimated for 2004: 2.5%
For 2008: deaths 7.54. Births 20.56.
Estimated for July 2008: 682,321. Growth rate estimated for 2008: 1.301 percent per year.
Infant mortality for 2008: 51.92 (deaths under the age of one for every 1,000 live births).
Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2008: 65.53 years
Lamaistic Buddhist 75 percent, Hinduism 25 percent.
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.