Land use: arable land: 2.98% permanent crops: 0.43% other: 96.59% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
400 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
violent storms 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
People Bhutan
Population: 2,139,549 note: other estimates range as low as 810,000 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.6% (male 438,784; female 407,919)
15-64 years: 56.4% (male 621,666; female 585,550)
65 years and over: 4% (male 43,262; female 42,368) (2003 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.1 years
male: 19.9 years
female: 20.3 years (2002)