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Five-Year Plans of Bhutan

Bhutan's Five-Year Plans have guided the country's development since 1961, when the First Five-Year Plan was launched with Indian financial support. Now on the 13th Five-Year Plan, the planning process has evolved from basic infrastructure development to GNH-guided holistic planning overseen by the Gross National Happiness Commission.

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Recently improved: Bhutanese Ngultrum: A Practical Guide · Treaty of 1774 (Anglo–Bhutanese Treaty) · Simtokha Dzong · Cham Dance · Kunzangdrak Monastery

On this day

September 13

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Coming up · September 21

1971Bhutan Admitted to the United Nations

Bhutan was admitted as the 128th member state of the United Nations, securing full international recognition of its sovereignty under the Third King's policy…

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September 30

1990Mass Protests in Southern Bhutan

Tens of thousands of Lhotshampa marched across southern Bhutan demanding democratic rights and an end to discriminatory policies. The government responded wi…

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Did you know?

  • Bhutan is the world's only carbon-negative country, absorbing more CO2 than it produces.
  • Gangkhar Puensum (7,570m) is the highest unclimbed mountain in the world — Bhutan banned climbing above 6,000m.
  • Bhutan was the last country to introduce television, in 1999.

From the timeline · Zhabdrung Era (1616-1907)

1616Zhabdrung Arrives in Bhutan

Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal arrives from Tibet, beginning the unification of Bhutan's warring fiefdoms into a single nation.

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Word of the day

Dzongkha
རྩིས་རྩེད།

Khuru

noun

Bhutanese darts. A traditional outdoor game played with weighted wooden darts thrown at a small target 20 metres away, accompanied by team songs and dances.

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Recently published

The No Objection State · Corporal Punishment in Bhutanese Schools · Punatsangchhu-III Hydropower Project · Tempa Dorji · Overseas Employment Programme · FSC Forest Certification Pilot in Bhutan · Bhutanese in the Gulf States · Nation Building Bond (Gelephu Mindfulness City) · Remit Bhutan · Department of Revenue and Customs

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Bhutan's 20 districts

Navigate every dzongkhag from Haa in the west to Trashigang in the east. Discover schools, hospitals, monasteries, government offices, and more across the Land of the Thunder Dragon.

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About BhutanWiki

Bhutan has no independent domestic press and ranks 90th out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. BhutanWiki exists to fill that gap — a free, open, community-built encyclopedia documenting Bhutan's history, culture, politics, and people from every perspective, including the stories that official narratives have erased. Anyone can write an article or record an oral history — anonymous contributions are welcome, and no account is required.