Bhutan - Land
Hello, my friends and welcome to Window on the World. Today we will be learning about the country of Bhutan. Bhutan's name means ¨Land of the Thunder Dragon.〃 This name comes from the very violent thunderstorms that often rage there. Bhutan is located in South Asia. Its neighbors are China on the north and northwest borders, and India on the east, south, and southwest borders. Bhutan has an area of 47,000 square kilometers.
Almost all of Bhutan is mountainous. The only flat land is located along the southern border. This area is known as the Duars. The famous Himalayas are located across Bhutan. The mountains are covered with forests full of trees and woodlands.
The climate ranges from subtropical along the Duars to temperate, which is not too hot or cold in lower mountain valley areas but can become very cold in the higher Himalayas. The annual average rainfall is very high. You might find rain in the mountain valleys ranging from about 1,520 millimeters to more than 5,000 millimeters in the flat Duar region. During the rainy season, landslides often occur. A landslide is a mass of soil and rock that slides downhill, either slowly or suddenly. They are very dangerous and often bring damage to the villages.
We must close our Window on the World for today. Next week, we'll find out about the people of Bhutan. I do hope you will be listening then. Goodbye for now, friends.