Bhutan History

History
Bhutan is lLocated in the Eastern Himalayas, it is bordered by Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north, the Sikkim state of India and the Chumbi Valley of Tibet in the west, the Arunachal Pradesh state of India in the east, and the states of Assam and West Bengal in the south. Bhutan is geopolitically in South Asia and is the region's second least populous nation after the Maldives. Thimphu is its capital and largest city, while Phuntsholing is its financial center.

The independence of Bhutan has endured for centuries and it has never been colonized in its history.The Bhutanese state developed a distinct national identity based on Buddhism and the territory was composed of many fiefdoms and governed as a Buddhist theocracy. Following a civil war in the 19th century, the House of Wangchuck reunited the country and established relations with the British Empire. Bhutan fostered a strategic partnership with India during the rise of Chinese communism and has a disputed border with China. In 2008, Bhutan transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy and held the first election to the National Assembly of Bhutan. The National Assembly of Bhutan is part of the bicameral parliament of the Bhutanese democracy.

In South Asia, Bhutan ranks first in economic freedom, ease of doing business, and peace; third in per capita income; and is the least corrupt country as of 2016. However, Bhutan continues to be a least developed country. The government is a parliamentary democracy; the head of state is the King of Bhutan. The Royal Bhutan Army maintains a close relationship with the Indian Armed Forces. 

Timeline
746 - Buddhism was propagated in earnest 1774 - A peace treaty was signed in which Bhutan agreed to retreat to its pre-1730 borders. However, the peace was tenuous, and border skirmishes with the British were to continue for the next hundred years 1774 - Scottish explorer George Bogle oticed differences between the two regions, cultures and states and his final report to the East India Company formally proposed labelling the Druk Desi's kingdom as Boutan and the Panchen Lama's as Tibet 1827 - Much of early Bhutanese history is unclear because most of the records were destroyed when fire ravaged the ancient capital, Punakha 1864-1865 - Duar War was a confrontation for control of the Bengal Duars and Bhutan lost the war, the Treaty of Sinchula was signed between British India and Bhutan 1949 - A treaty similar to that of 1910, in which Britain had gained power over Bhutan's foreign relations, was signed with the newly independent India

Helpful Links

 * Wikipedia Christianity in Bhutan
 * Nations on Line Bhutan history
 * A Brief Historical Background of the Religious Institutions of Bhutan
 * Wikipedia House of Wangchuck
 * Everyculture
 * Seraphina Landgrebe Photo Tours