Location: Southern Asia, in the Himalayas, between China and India

Map references: Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 47,000 sq km
land area: 47,000 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than half the size of Indiana

Land boundaries: total 1,075 km, China 470 km, India 605 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none; landlocked

International disputes: none

Climate: varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas

Terrain: mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna

Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide

Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 5%
forest and woodland: 70%
other: 23%

Irrigated land: 340 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: soil erosion; limited access to safe drinking water
natural hazards: violent storms coming down from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon
international agreements: party to - Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes

NOTE: The information regarding Bhutan on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bhutan Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bhutan Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.