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; frequent landslides during the rainy season
Environment-current issues: soil erosion; limited access to potable water
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography-note: landlocked; strategic location between China and
India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes
@Bhutan:People
Population: 1,908,307 (July 1998 est.) note: other estimates range as low as 600,000
Age structure: 0-14 years: 40% (male 396,839; female 368,391) 15-64 years: 56% (male 549,050; female 518,780) 65 years and over: 4% (male 38,235; female 37,012) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.27% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 37.33 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 14.6 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)