About Bhutan

People

People's representative at a public function, Punakha

The Bhutanese call themselves the Drukpa. Different ethenic groups such as the Sharchops, the Bumthaps, the Ngalops and the Lhotsampas make up today’s population.

Bhutan’s earliest residents, the Sharchops, reside predominantly in eastern Bhutan. Their origin can be traced to the tribes of north Burma and north –east India. The Ngalops migrated from the Tibetan plateau and are the importers of Buddhism to the country. The Bumthaps are also early setellers from Tibet. Most of the Lhotsampas migrated from neighboring Nepal and India to the southern plains in search of agricultural land and work in the early 20th century.

The diversity of the Bhutanese people has meant that a number of different languages and dialects are spoken through out the kingdom. The national language is Dzongkha and the official language is English.

The National newspaper, Kuensel, is published in Dzongkha, English and Nepali. A growing proportion of the people, especially in the urban areas, speak English. The current medium of instruction in schools is English.