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BHUTAN TODAY

Bhutan is a unique land in a unique time. Having survied the centuries by maintaining a distinct identity, the kindom hopes to face the furture by drawing on its past change represented by the powerful force of today's globalisation, is a threat for a small country in a big world. And, accepting that change is inevitable, Bhutan hopes to survive by clinging on to age old values that the rest of the world has lost. Television and the Internet was introduced for the first time in 1999, and in 2005, a record 13,626 tourists visited Bhutan.

Bhutan took a momentous step in 2008 and made the transition from a hundred year old monarchy to parliamentary democracy. The 672425 Bhutanese people elected a new government in March. And in Jyly, the King of Bhutan, the elected members of a parliament and the national council adopted and signed Bhutan's Consitution.

In the words of His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, the power that the people of Bhutan reposed in him and his forefathers has now been handed back to the people.His Majesty took over the mandate of the state in December 2006 from his father, the fourth King of Bhutan, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck. The coronation of His Majesty the Fifth King of Bhutan took place in November 2008 in a sacred ceremony followed by nation wide festivities as Bhutan and its people celebrate 100years of phenomenal growth under the Wangchuck Dynasty.

Bhutan knows that to leap into a new page in History will not be easy. That is why the kingdom stresses, more than ever before, the need to maintain its pristine environment, its rich culture, and a sacred heritage that influences the daily lifestyle of the people.