The Kingdom of Bhutan (Bhutan) is a landlocked country with an area of 38,394 km2 located in South Asia and is bordered by China and India. It is a mountainous country in the Eastern Himalayan ecosystem with summits ranging from 160 meter (m) to over 7,000 m above sea level, abundant water resources, and a healthy primeval forest. The northern part of the country is characterized by snowcapped peaks of elevations above 7,300 m with abundant glaciers and alpine pastures. The country is bordered by mountains in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Lesser Himalayas (Inner Himalayas), and Duars Plain along its southern border. Rivers flow southward and most join the Brahmaputra. The principal rivers flowing from west to east are the Toorsa, Wang, Sankosh,and Manas. Glacier area represented approximately 1.6% of the land cover of Bhutan in 2018. About 72.3% of the country is covered by forest and 13.8% of land is agricultural. As the youngest and highest mountain chain on earth, the Himalaya ecosystem is ecologically fragile and considered a biodiversity hotspot. Climate varies dramatically due to the country’s topography and geographical location at the edge of the tropical circulation in the north and Asian monsoon circulation in the south. 

Source: World Bank Group 2021