 |
|
 The country is still
predominantly rural and 66% of the population is farmers. An estimated 80%
of the population lives more than an hour’s walk from a road and as much as
50% lives more than one day of walking from a motorable road. The urban
population is increasing and is now estimated at 21%.
The population can be categorized into three main ethnic groups. The
Sharchops, who live in the east of the country, are recognized as the
original inhabitants of Bhutan. They are Indo-Mongoloid; it is still unclear
exactly where they migrated from and when they arrived in Bhutan. Their
name, Sharchop, is translated as 'people of the east'.
 The Ngalop are descendants of Tibetan immigrants who arrived in Bhutan from
the 9th century. These immigrants settled in the west of the
country; Ngalops dominate the region west of the Black Mountains. The
Ngalops and Sharchops are collectively known as Drukpas, and account for
about 65% of the population.
The third group is the people of Nepali descent, who began settling in the
south of Bhutan in the late 19th century. Called the Lhotshampa,
they represent numerous Nepali-speaking ethnic groups – primarily Brahman,
Chhettri, Gurung, Rai and Limbu, but also Newars. Several smaller groups,
many with their own language, form about 1% of the population.
There are 19 languages spoken in Bhutan. The official language is Dzongkha,
which is related to Tibetan, but is sufficiently different that Tibetan
cannot understand it. Dzongkha is written in the same script as Tibetan, but
the orthography has been made more Bhutanese.
English is the medium of instruction in schools, and most educated people
speak it fluently. There are English signboards, books and menus throughout
the country. Road signs and government documents are written in both English
and Dzongkha. The national newspaper, Kuensel, is published in three
languages: English, Dzongkha and Nepali. In the monastic schools, Choekey,
the classical Tibetan language, is taught.
|
