Showing posts with label Bhutan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bhutan. Show all posts

September 21 – Joining the U.N. Day


Posted on September 21, 2015


I thought it was interesting that eight different nations were admitted to the United Nations on a September 21...but in different years!

  • On this date in 1965, Gambia, Maldives, and Singapore were admitted.
  • On this date in 1971, Bahrain, Bhutan, and Qatar were admitted.
  • On this date in 1976, Seychelles was admitted.
  • And on this date in 1984, Brunei was admitted.

Why are 8 out of the 192 Member States of the U.N. admitted on September 21? 

(If you think about it, more than 4% of the Member States joined on just 0.27% of the possible days.)

I couldn't discover the answer to that question, but there are many other admission dates for the various nations, as you can see on the United Nations' official list. I did notice that the various dates aren't evenly spread out over the entire year. Most of the member states, it seems, have been admitted into the U.N. during the months of September, October, November, or December – over the course of 70 years.


Which nation is which?

The eight nations celebrating their U.N.-iversary today include African and Asian nations. Can you figure out which is the correct answer to each item below?

LOCATION
  1. Which of the nations' locations is marked with a red dot? 

2. Which of the nations is located within the orange square?

3. Which of the nations is located within the green circle?


4. Which of the nations is located in the Middle East, marked on this map in red?

5. Which of the nations is located within the orange dotted shape?


6. Which of the nations is located within the pink circle?


7. Which of the nations is colored green on this map?


8. Which of the nations is this island group located in the Persian Gulf?



FLAG

9. 

10.


11.


12.


13.


14.


15.


16.


DESCRIPTION

17. An island city-state and global financial center
18. A nation made up of 30 islands in the Persian Gulf – a perfect location to be a major trade center
19. A nation located on a peninsula that sticks out into the Persian Gulf; it enjoys a high standard of living because of its petroleum reserves
20. An island nation found in the Indian Ocean, made up of hundreds of islets and coral atolls
21. A group of more than 100 islands off the coast of East Africa
22. A Buddhist kingdom perched high in the Himalaya mountains
23. A tiny Southeast Asian country famous for beaches and rainforest
24. A small nation in Africa that is essentially the two banks of the river for which it is named 

LANDSCAPE

25.


26.


27.


28.


29. 


30. 


31. 


32.



ANSWERS:
    1.Singapore – 2. Brunei - 3. Gambia – 4. Qatar – 5. Seychelles - 6. Maldives – 7. Bhutan - 8. Bahrain –
    9. Bahrain – 10. Bhutan – 11. Qatar – 12. Brunei – 13. Singapore – 14. Gambia – 15. Maldives –
    16. Seychelles – 17. Singapore – 18. Bahrain - 19. Qatar - 20. Maldives - 21. Seychelles - 22. Bhutan –
    23. Brunei – 24. Gambia – 25. Seychelles – 26. Gambia – 27. Maldives – 28. Bhutan – 29. Qatar – 30. Brunei – 31. Bahrain - 32. Singapore

Also on this date:






Independence Day in Armenia


















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August 8 – Independence Day for Bhutan

Posted on August 8, 2015

According to several sources, Bhutan is one of the few countries that has been independent throughout its entire history. (Nearby Nepal is another.)

Part of the reason for this is its location: Bhutan is located high in the Himalayan Mountains. It's a landlocked nation (that means that it doesn't have any coastline and doesn't touch any ocean or sea), and it borders on China to the north and India to the south, east, and west.



Even though Bhutan has always been independent, we still acknowledge today as “Independence Day” for Bhutan because Bhutan was able to keep its political independence from Britain by recognizing Britain as suzerain.

(That means that Britain had a little bit of control over Bhutan, but Bhutan was internally independent.)

And in 1947, after India became independent of Britain, kingdoms such as Bhutan were given the option to remain independent or to join the Indian Union. Bhutan, of course, chose independence. It was on this date in 1949 that India recognized its independence.


"Tiger's Nest" in summer - Bhutan

Here are some interesting facts about Bhutan:

  • Until recently, Bhutan was one of the most isolated countries in the world. Finally, in 1999, the government lifted its ban on TV and the internet.
Some social scientists have been interested
to study the effects of television on Bhutan,
since it is the last nation in the world to have TV.
  • The nation doesn't have things that most people in the world take for granted. For example, Bhutan is the only country in the world that bans the sale of tobacco. Also, there are no traffic lights, even in the capital city of Thimpu.
Instead of traffic lights, Bhutan has traffic
officers.
  • This is a country that takes keeping its environment beautiful very seriously! The constitution requires that at least 60% of the country must remain under forest cover at all times. Also, killing the highly endangered black-necked crane could get you thrown into jail for life!



To find out more about Bhutan, check out this earlier post.

Or just enjoy the beauties of Bhutan's landscapes, culture, and people:






Also on this date:






























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December 17 – Bhutan's National Day

Posted on December 17, 2014

Wishing a happy national day to the people of Bhutan—the happiest people in Asia.

Wh-h-h-a-a-t-t-t?

The “happiest people in Asia”??? Says who?


Says the results of a 2006 survey published by Business Week.

I am pretty sure Bhutan SHOULD have some pretty happy people. How many nations do you know that have a Gross National Happiness Commission in charge of reviewing policy decisions to increase the well-being of its people? No other nation does this—other than today's celebrating country, the Kingdom of Bhutan.

What are they celebrating?

On this date in 1907, Ugyen Wangchuck was elected the hereditary king of Bhutan.

I know that electing a king seems weird—and, trust me, not everyone in Bhutan got to vote! But back when Bhutan wasn't so happy, in the 1700s and 1800s, the people were embroiled in a war with British India and later a civil war between two rival valleys in Bhutan. Finally, in the late 1800s, a powerful governor defeated his political enemies and united the country. You guessed it: it was Ugyen Wangchuck who won control of the country. And it was he who, a few years later, was unanimously chosen to be the king. The people who chose him were monks, government officials, and the heads of important families.

Since this “election” was for a king, there weren't yearly elections—because Ugyen passed down the crown to one of his sons, and so on and on.
On 1999, the Bhutanese government lifted a ban on television and the Internet. It was one of the last countries in the world to introduce television. The king told his people that television was an important step to modernizing the nation and could contribute to the nation's Gross National Happiness. But he also warned that the “misuse” of television could dismantle some of the things that make Bhutan a pretty happy place.

Since 2007, the country became a constitutional monarchy (like the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and many other countries in the world), and so now there are general elections for lawmakers.

Learn about Bhutan

Bhutan is a small, landlocked nation squished between China and India. It is near Nepal and Bangladesh, but certain Indian states lie between these nations.







Bhutan's national animal is the takin, otherwise known as a gnu goat.








Buddhism is the most common religion—and is also the state religion. Like other religions, Buddhism has split several times and has evolved in belief and practice.




The particular flavor of Buddhism that is Bhutan's state religion is Vajrayana Buddhism.








Buddhist temples and monasteries seem to be everywhere in Bhutan:
By rivers...

Clinging to cliffs...

Even at the top of the world!


Also on this date:









































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