A lesson on Bhutan

1. Bhutan- land of the THUNDER DRAGON.
To know about Bhutanese culture.
To understand how Bhutan maintains its UNIQUE culture.
Describe Bhutan in 10
adjectives

2. Describe Bhutan’s location (3)
Bhutan is a landlocked/ coastal country that
lies between the countries
----- and -----.
It lies to the ----- of the Brahmaputra river
and the -------.

3. Bhutan became a nation in 1949 when
it was granted independence from
neighbouring INDIA.
Population= 716, 896
Life expectancy- 66.8 years
Capital city= Thimphu
Main language- Dzongkha
Religion- 80% Buddhist,
20% Hindu.
TASK-Working
with
your
neighbour
you have 1
minute to
remember
the following
information!
The countries nickname is ‘land of
the thunder dragon’ because of the
frequent storms.

4. Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .
Its capital city is called .
The country has a population of .
People on average live to be years.
The main language is .
80% of Bhutanese people are .
The countries nickname is land of the .
Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .
Its capital city is called .
The country has a population of .
People on average live to be years.
The main language is .
80% of Bhutanese people are .
The countries nickname is land of the .
Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .
Its capital city is called .
The country has a population of .
People on average live to be years.
The main language is .
80% of Bhutanese people are .
The countries nickname is land of the .
Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .
Its capital city is called .
The country has a population of .
People on average live to be years.
The main language is .
80% of Bhutanese people are .
The countries nickname is land of the .
COMPLETE YOUR COPY AND STICK IT
IN YOUR BOOK.

5. Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .
Its capital city is called .
The country has a population of .
People on average live to be years.
The main language is .
80% of Bhutanese people are .
The countries nickname is land of the .
Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .
Its capital city is called .
The country has a population of .
People on average live to be years.
The main language is .
80% of Bhutanese people are .
The countries nickname is land of the .
Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .
Its capital city is called .
The country has a population of .
People on average live to be years.
The main language is .
80% of Bhutanese people are .
The countries nickname is land of the .
Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .
Its capital city is called .
The country has a population of .
People on average live to be years.
The main language is .
80% of Bhutanese people are .
The countries nickname is land of the .

6. Bhutan became a country in this year .
When it became independent from .
Its capital city is called .
The country has a population of .
People on average live to be years.
The main language is .
80% of Bhutanese people are .
The countries nickname is land of the .

7. Describe the DISTRIBUTION of the
world’s happiest countries.
Bhutan is one of the world’s happiest countries according to the Happy Planet Index
(HPI). This looks at the countries ability to sustain itself into the future.

8. The culture of Bhutan- UNIQUE!

9. TASK- stick this in the centre of a double page of your book- annotate around it aspects
of Bhutanese culture.

10. Eating in Bhutan
• Food is usually eaten with hands.
• Family members eat while sitting cross legged on the wooden floor with
food first being served to the head of the household first.
• Usually women (mother) serve food and in most cases.
• A short prayer is offered and a small morsel placed on the floor as an
offering to the local spirits and deities before eating.
• A typical Bhutanese meal consists of rice, a dish of Ema Datshi, the
country’s
favourite dish
of chili and
cheese, pork,
beef curry or
lentils.

11. Bhutanese dress
Women
Woven keyras illustrate the vibrant
and sophisticated designs found in
Bhutanese textiles.
The keyra is worn around the waist by
women to secure the kira which is an
ankle-length traditional dress. Designs
are unique to families and areas.
Men
The gho is a long
robe hoisted to
the knee and held
in place with a
kera, a woven
cloth belt, wound
tightly around the
waist.
This forms a large
pouch above that
may be used to
contain particular
items,
traditionally a
bowl and betel
nut.
The Bhutanese dress is only found in Bhutan
and neighbouring tibet.

12. The Bhutanese
environment
Torsa Strict Nature Reserve- pristine (untouched) place
- no humans live there.
Bhutan has 5 national parks
and 5 wildlife sanctuaries.
Sakteng wildlife sanctuary. Home
to snow leopards, red pandas and
nomadic humans. No
development here.
Jigme Dorji National Park
Beautiful scenery here- lakes and mountains.
Habitat of the snow leopard and Bengal tiger.
The environment is well protected in
Bhutan- most of the country’s
landscape is protected.

13. The national flower is the Blue
Poppy (Meconopsis Grandis).
The national tree is the cypress
(Cupressustorolusa).
It is a delicate blue or purple tinged
blossom with a white filament. It grows to a
height of 1m, and is found above the tree
line (3500-4500 meters) on rocky mountain
terrain.
Cypresses are abundant there are often large
ones near temples and monasteries. It is found
in the temperate climate zone, between 1800
and 3500 meters. Its capacity to survive on
rugged harsh terrain is compared to bravery
and simplicity.
It’s associated with religious history and
mythology. It’s a rare mammal with a thick
neck and short legs. It lives in groups and is
found above 4000m in the northern parts of
the country. They feed on bamboo. The
The national animal is the Takin adult Takin can weigh over 200 kgs
(Burdorcastaxicolor)

14. Religion in Bhutan
• Many Bhutanese are
Buddhists but there is
freedom of religion in the
kingdom- so people are free to
practice whatever religion
they like.
• Many Bhutanese practice
animism, worshipping deities
and spirits.

15. Painting natural landscapes and
important figures is a key part of
Bhutanese culture. They are used to
decorate the temples and monasteries
and for festivals.
These amazing boots are custom made by men,
for royal occasions and religious festivals. There
are many different designs all unique.
Dance in full
costume is very
important in
Bhutan
especially during
mourning
periods and birth
rituals
Bhutan’s national sport is Archery.
It is one of the only sport’s Bhutan
enters a team for at the Olympics.
Archery is played at all national
events and religious festivals.

16. Bhutan has unique architecture- all
buildings are made out of traditional
stone.
The buildings are beautiful they include
Dzongs (fortresses) which are to
protect important points like mountain
passes and river confluences. They are
used to house local government now.
Tashichhoe Dzong in the capital Thimphu.
Chortens or prayer walls are very common
in Bhutan, they represent Buddha's mind
and are built in dangerous places to ward
off evil spirits. You will find them at
crossroads, mountain passes and bridges.

17. ‘Tigers nest’ monastery, a
very popular site for tourists
in spite of the location and
the difficult climb to reach it.
Known as Gonpas locally,
these house the Buddhist
monks.
Lakhhangs- temples- usually small
buildings. Each has someone in control
of a religious nature.
There are usually many small ones
with in Dzonga or monastery.

18. • Bhutan is a kingdom.
• But the country is
free- it is a
democracy.
• The king bought
democracy to the
nation to try and
make the country
fairer.
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

19. How does Bhutan maintain its UNIQUE culture?
1) It is isolated
• What does that mean?
• It is high in the Himalayas.
• Hard to get too
• Few people visit or cross the border.

20. How does Bhutan maintain its UNIQUE culture?
2)The government limits tourist visitors
Tourists have to pay a royalty payment to enter the country- it
goes towards school fees, healthcare and infrastructure.
All tours have to be booked through Bhutanese companies to
keep the money all in the country.
There is only one airline (Drukair) operating flights in and out of
Bhutan.

21. How does Bhutan maintain its UNIQUE culture?
3) TV and internet are recent
additions to Bhutan- banned till 1999.
Now allowed and widely used.
Less Bhutanese have been exposed to
‘western’ TV shows and ‘other ways
of life’ shown on TV shows.
But TV is limited- broadcast only in
evenings (repeated following
morning).
Most is in the national language
Dzongkha but a few hours in English
and Nepali (for Nepali’s in Bhutan).
There is only one broadcast station in
Bhutan, but some have satellite
access to foreign TV.

22. Task
• Explain in your own words how Bhutan maintains
its unique culture.
• Use the hand-out to help you.

23. Bhutan- striving for happiness.
• Unlike many other governments who worry about GDP
figures (money per person) in Bhutan they worry about HPI
(happiness levels).
• They are more concerned with being sustainable, helping
their environment flourish by protecting it from people.
• In Bhutan- tourist money goes to only Bhutanese tour
companies.
• All tourists pay a ‘royal’ charge which goes into health and
education spending to keep it free.
• 80% of the country is protected by law from destruction.
• The king and queen frequently plant trees and encourage all
Bhutanese to do the same.
• There are strict limits on people entering the country.
• There is only one airport and all flights are operated by
Drukair (Bhutanese airline).
• All architecture must follow traditional design, including new
buildings.
• All people must wear traditional dress to religious and state
occasions.
• The king has made Bhutan into a democracy so the people
can vote for people to represent them.
SUSTAINABLE-maintaining
something in its
natural state
for as long as
possible, ideally
forever.
Task
Choose 2/3 of
the
statements in
red and
explain why
each makes
Bhutan more
SUSTAINABLE.

24. • Bhutan is aiming to become the first country
to go completely ORGANIC.
https://ww
w.finedining
lovers.com/
blog/news-trends/
can-a-
country-be-
100-
organic/

25. Task!
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
gR3YmZRoug
• Complete a wordle to show why Bhutan is
happy!

26. • http://www.oneworldeducation.org/bhutan-worlds-happiest-country
summary of Bhutan life
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iyhIb5YzjU how to travel to
Bhutan
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uphDHRfO5w Bhutan a
kingdom of happiness?
• http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/bhutans-human-rights-record-defies-
happiness-claim/ the dark side of Bhutan
• http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/around_asia/AJ201407020042
going green in Bhutan
• http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/life/article_80cd8286-edbc-
11e3-b4c6-0017a43b2370.html
• http://www.abc.net.au/site-archive/
rural/news/content/201303/s3713451.htm