Jigme Singye Wangchuk
King

(pronounced "JlG-mee SEEN-gay wang-CHOOK")

"We will slowly and gradually develop into a constitutional monarchy."

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small landlocked nation encompassing 47,000 sq km (18,147 sq mi). The country is bordered to the east, south, and west by India and to the north and northwest by China. Located in the Himalaya Mountains, Bhutan is a rugged mountainous country with great extremes in climate. The southern slopes of the mountains receive heavy rainfall and are covered with thick forests. The low foothills in the south are extremely hot and the Himalaya Mountains in the north are extremely cold.

The population was estimated at 2.1 million in 2002 by the U.S. Department of State, with a note that other estimates of Bhutan's population range as low as 810,000. The population is estimated to be growing at an annual rate...