South Asia (between Assam in northeast India and China).

GMT + 6.

47,000 per sq km (18,146 sq miles).

682,321 (2005).

14.5 per sq km.

Thimphu. Population: 100,000 (estimate, Greater Thimphu).

Bhutan is located in the eastern Himalayas, bordered to the north by China and to the south, east and west by India. The altitude varies from 180m (590ft) in the narrow lowland region to over 7,300m (23,950ft) in the Himalayan plateau in the north, and there are three distinct climatic regions. The foothills are tropical and home to deer, tigers, leopards and the rare golden langur monkey as well as much tropical vegetation, including many species of wild orchids. The Inner Himalaya region is temperate; wildlife includes bear, boar and sambar, and the area is rich in deciduous forests. The High Himalaya region is very thinly populated, but the steep mountain slopes are the home of many species of animals, including snow leopards and blue sheep.

Constitutional Monarchy.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck since 2006.

Prime Minister Jigme Thinley since April 2008 (third non-consecutive term of office).

Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom with close links between the monarchy and the priesthood. Some representative political institutions were established in the 1950s and in 1998, Druk Gyalpo (‘Dragon King') Jigme Singye Wangchuk gave up some of the monarch's absolute powers. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck took over when his father abdicated in December 2006.

In March 2008, the party of the former Prime Minister, Jigme Thinley, won a landslide victory after a move to democratic rule was proposed by Bhutan's royal family.

The long-standing issue of ethnic Nepalese whose citizenship is in dispute is being addressed by the United-Nations with gradual resettlement to Western countries.

Dzongkha is the official language. A large number of dialects are spoken, owing to the physical isolation of many villages. Sharchop Kha is spoken in eastern Bhutan. Nepali is common in the south of the country. English has been the language of education since 1964 but there is growing emphasis on learning Dzongkha to strengthen national identity.

The Tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism (Drukpa Kagyu) is the state religion; the majority of Bhutanese people follow the Drukpa school of the Kagyupa sect. Those living in the south are mainly Hindu.

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The lifestyle, manners and customs of the Bhutanese are in many respects unique to the area. The strongest influence on social conventions is the country's state religion, and everywhere one can see the reminders of Buddhism and the original religion of Tibet, Bonism. There are no rigid clan systems and equal rights exist between men and women. The majority of the Bhutanese live an agrarian lifestyle.

In 1989, it was made compulsory for citizens to wear national dress and failure to comply at official functions or in government buildings incurs a fine; the men wear a gho, a robe resembling a dressing gown with upturned white cuffs and knee-high socks, whilst the women wear a kira, a sari-like garment that is furnished with ornate brooches, and worn over a blouse. Bhutan has outlawed the sale of tobacco products, and also banned smoking in public places. Healthcare and education are free. The political leaders of the country have also been religious leaders historically.

For years the country has deliberately isolated itself from visitors, a policy which is now to some extent being reversed. But Bhutan continues to bear the hallmarks of seemingly peculiar customs borne from legacy and legend. Giant phalluses can often be seen painted onto walls, etc, in order to ward off evil spirits and ensure good crops and healthy children. Climbing some of the Himalayan peaks is banned due to the belief that the mountains are the repository of the gods and all life, animal or plant, is treated with respect as a divine gift.