Kingdom of Bhutan

Bhutan is a land-locked Buddhist kingdom, located between the Himalayan mountains and the Brahmaputra River valley of eastern India. It shares borders with China, Tibet and India. Although Bhutan has existed for centuries, its current government originated when Ugyen Wangchuck was selected unanimously by the leaders of the Bhutan state council to become hereditary King. Since the coronation on 17 Dec 1907, Bhutan's government has evolved into a bicameral parliamentary democracy with a National Assembly and National Council. Bhutan is unique among nations in that its Sovereign originated the concept of Gross National Happiness, and had it enshrined in national constitution. Inspired by the example of Bhutan, the United Nations passed Resolution 65/309 in 2011, calling for member states to be conscious that "happiness is a fundamental human goal," and inviting them to "...capture the importance of the pursuit of happiness and well-being in development with a view to guiding their public policies." In the following year, the UN released the first ever World Happiness Report. Bhutan is working hard to modernize by embracing technology and at the same time protecting its culture and environment. Click here to follow His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk on Facebook.