BHUTAN

Bhutan's government has worked to preserve the country's nontechnological culture, monarchical power, and natural environment. International humanitarian groups have expressed concern over the measures being taken to achieve these goals. The main conflict has been over the political status of ethnic Nepalese residents or former residents of Bhutan. Originally brought to Bhutan as laborers, many of the ethnic Nepalese minority regard Bhutan as their home and have struggled for full citizenship in the context of a pluralistic, democratic society. The government, on the other hand, fears that Bhutan will lose its identity as the last ofthe Buddhist Himalayan kingdoms and that Bhutan's culture will be overwhelmed by the rapidly growing Nepalese minority, which is of the Hindu faith. During the 1980's and 1990's many ethnic Nepalese fled to refugee camps in Nepal. The conflict has been marked by public demonstrations, violence by extremists on both sides, and government repression.

Bhutan is a small nation, with a population of about 2 million in 2002, not counting an estimated 100,000 Bhutani refugees in Nepal. The country covers about 18,147 square miles in area (almost twice the size of the state of Maryland) and is located in the foothills of the eastern Himalaya Mountains. It is bordered by India to the east and south, Tibet to the north, and Sikkim (now part of India) to the west.

Bhutan's eight mountain ranges run north to south, dividing the country into steep hills and fertile valleys. Five main rivers flow south into India. For such a small area, it has a great range of climates, from steamy jungles in the south to the frigid mountains of the north. Temperatures vary greatly with differences in altitude.

Bhutan has several unique animal and plant species, and jungle wildlife includes elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, leopards, and bears. Because the land is so mountainous, erosion is a problem, and only about 8 percent of it can be used for farming or as pasture land. As a result of these conditions, Bhutan's valleys are

Very crowded. Ninety percent of the people are farmers, and terraced rice paddies climb the sides of many hills.