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Thimphu is the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The ancient capital city of Punakha was replaced by Thimphu when it was established as capital in 1955.
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Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in Asia. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, Bhutan is geopolitically in South Asia. Thimphu is its capital and largest city
The ancient capital city of Punakha was replaced by Thimphu when it was established as capital in 1955 The city is spread out laterally in a north-south direction on the west bank of the valley formed by the Raidāk River
The Raidāk River, which is known as the Wang Chuu or Thimphu Chuu in Bhutan
13.7 meter- standing Buddha statue at the Centenary Park, Thimphu
The Clock Tower Square is a recently renovated square surrounded by shops and restaurants
Thimphu Clock Tower Square. Various programs and activities are held here
Fountains and traditional Bhutanese Mani or prayer wheels make the Clock Tower Square more comfortable
Thimphu Hotel hall Thimphu is the fourth highest capital in the world by altitude and is spread over an altitudinal range between 2,248 and 2,648 metres Typical architecture
Typical Bhutaese decorated entrance door Thimphu Clock Tower Square Traffic policeman
Thimphu Clock Tower Square Thimphu main street
The culture of Bhutan is fully reflected in Thimphu in respect of literature, religion, customs, and national dress code, the monastic practices of the monasteries, music, dance, literature and in the media School in Thimphu
The national language is Bhutanese (Dzongkha), one of 53 languages in the Tibetan language family. The script, here called Chhokey ("Dharma language"), is identical to classical Tibetan. In the schools English is the medium of instruction and Dzongkha is taught as the national language. The literacy rate in Bhutan is 59.5 percent
Ethnologue lists 24 languages currently spoken in Bhutan, all of them in the Tibeto-Burman family, except Nepali, an Indo-Aryan language Shop in Thimphu
The National Post Office, located in the north wing of a large building on the Dremton Lam (Drentoen Lam), is where the famous Bhutan's Philatelic Bureau sells stamps and souvenir sheets of Bhutan stamps
Shops in the lower market of Thimphu Roadside shops
Covered bridge to the Thimphu market There are many such bridges throughout Bhutan, typically strongly built, highly ornate and festooned with flags
Traditional cantilever bridge to the Thimphu market In Bhutan, with her unlimited number of rivers and gorges, all kind of bridges were built since times remembered. Bazams or wooden Cantilever Bridges were invented for situations where wooden single-span bridges were not sufficiently long to span a river. The limit for such bridges was about 10 meters
Cantilever bridge frequently is covered by a roof, traditionally of wooden shingles Traditional cantilever bridge to the Thimphu market
The dried yak cheese commonly eaten in Bhutan is called "Chugo"
There are two kinds of things that people chew in Bhutan. One is betel nut and the other is the chugo (dried yak cheese)
It is so rock hard that Bhutanese place a cube in their mouth to suck on it and absorb the flavor over a couple of hours, sort of like chewing gum (but without chewing)
Thimphu, as the political and economic center of Bhutan, has a dominant agricultural and livestock base, which contributes to 45% of the country's GNP. Tourism, though a contributor to the economy, is strictly regulated, maintaining a balance between the traditional, development and modernization
Passiflora caerulea, the blue passionflower or common passion flower, is a species of flowering plant native to South America “The Government shall ensure that, in order to conserve the country’s natural resources and to prevent degradation of the ecosystem, a minimum of sixty percent of Bhutan’s total land shall be maintained under forest cover for all time” Article 5:3, The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan
One of many new hotels being built, still using traditional styles