Bhutan People
Bhutan people are known as Bhutanese to the outside world, they are also known as the Drukpas meaning the people from the kingdom of the thunder dragon. The population of Bhutan is estimated to be one million, making it one of the countries with the least population. The population is distributed across twenty states, the urban areas having the most people in Bhutan.
Bhutanese people are categorized in three groups namely the Ngalops(people from the western parts of Bhutan), Sharchops(people from the eastern parts of Bhutan and the Lhotsampas(people from the southern parts of Bhutan). Population wise, Sharchops constitute the majority of the Bhutan people and the Lhotsampas being the minority.
People of Bhutan speak a number of dialects such as dzongkha, sharchogpa, nepali, bumthap, kurtoep, khengkha and so on. The official language of Bhutan is known as DZONGKHA, which is being spoken by all the ngalops with little variation in accent. The Dzongkhags(states) from where the Ngalops originate are Thimphu, Paro, Punakha, Wangdue, Haa and Chukha. Dzongkhags like Tashigang, Mongar, Bumthap, Zhemgang consitute the sharchops and Gelephu and Samtse mainly constitute of Lhotsampas who speak Nepali.
A majority of Bhutan’s people follow Buddhism with Hindus and Christians being the minority and muslims almost non-existent. Buddhism being all about compassion, it is not hard for outsiders to judge the Bhutanese people as compassionate, forgiving, understanding, helpful and very hospitable.
A large number of Bhutanese still practice farming as a living, particularly in the rural ares of Bhutan. The country being gifted with rich fertile lands, it is not hard for the people to grow all kinds of food, from rice to chillies. As you go towards the urban areas, the chief employment is the government civil service and corporations and construction businesses.
The literacy rate in urban areas is high, mainly the outcome of free education everyone in Bhutan enjoys. Though Bhutan is a developing country, free education till high school and health care is provided to everyone by the government.
