Theme Week Bhutan – Thimphu

Saturday, 31 July 2021 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  4 minutes

Tashichho Dzong © Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-4.0

Tashichho Dzong © Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-4.0

Thimphu is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan, and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan’s dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The ancient capital city of Punakha was replaced as capital by Thimphu in 1955, and in 1961 Thimphu was declared as the capital of the Kingdom of Bhutan by the 3rd Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck.

The city extends in a north–south direction on the west bank of the valley formed by the Raidāk River, which is known as the Wang Chuu or Thimphu Chuu in Bhutan. Thimphu is the fifth highest capital in the world by altitude and ranges in altitude from 2,248 metres (7,375 feet) to 2,648 metres (8,688 feet). Unusually for a capital city, Thimphu does not have its own airport, relies on the Paro Airport connected by road some 52 kilometres (32 miles) away.

Clock Tower square © Christopher J. Fynn/cc-by-sa-3.0 Shops in the lower market © Stephen Shephard/cc-by-sa-3.0 Simtokha Dzong © Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-4.0 Tango Monastery © fotopedia.com - Jean-Marie Hullot/cc-by-3.0 Tashichho Dzong © Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-4.0 Tashichho Dzong © Bernard Gagnon/cc-by-sa-4.0 © Christopher J. Fynn/cc-by-sa-3.0 © Md. Aminul Hassan Cheri Monastery © Stephen Shephard/cc-by-sa-3.0
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Tango Monastery © fotopedia.com - Jean-Marie Hullot/cc-by-3.0
Thimphu, as the political and economic center of Bhutan, has a dominant agricultural and livestock base, which contributes 45% of the country’s GNI, with Gross National Happiness (GNH) being the most important indicator for the country’s leadership. Tourism, though a contributor to the economy, is strictly regulated, maintaining a balance between the traditional, development and modernization. Thimphu contains most of the important political buildings in Bhutan, including the National Assembly of the newly-formed parliamentary democracy and Dechencholing Palace, the official residence of the King, located to the north of the city. Thimphu is co-ordinated by the “Thimphu Structure Plan”, an Urban Development Plan which evolved in 1998 with the objective of protecting the fragile ecology of the valley. This development is ongoing with financial assistance from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

The culture of Bhutan is fully reflected in Thimphu in literature, religion, customs, and national dress code, the monastic practices of the monasteries, music, and dance, and in the media. Tshechu is an important festival when mask dances, popularly known as Cham dances, are performed in the courtyards of the Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu. It is a four-day festival held every year in September or October, on dates corresponding to the Bhutanese calendar.

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

Read more on Bhutan.travel – Thimphu, Wikivoyage Thimphu and Wikipedia Thimphu. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.










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