The Kingdom of Bhutan lies deep in the Himalayan Plateau, land-locked by the masses of China and India. The total land area equates to 47,000 sq km and is representative of a largely high ground of mountainous plateau and fertile valleys, sloping gently downwards to savannahs and grassy plains. The highest point is Kula Kangri at a height of 7553m. The higher elevations are nearer to the Chinese border and this is where Bhutan's main rivers begin their journeys south to India. The main rivers Kuru and Mangde merge into the mighty Brahmaputra upon crossing the Indian border. Bhutan translates as the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon and the flag of this nation clearly reflects this.

The British originally annexed Bhutan in 1865 although after the break up of British India in 1947, Bhutan was recognised as a sovereignty in its own right. The core religion within Bhutan is Lamaistic Buddhism and relics to testify this are dotted about the country in the form of exceptionally beautiful pagodas and stupas. The national language is Dzongkha although many people also speak Nepalese and Tibetan dialects. The official units of currency are both the ngultrum and the Indian rupee.

Bhutan is not only one of the smallest but also one of the poorest countries on earth. Due to the high terrain of the country, it is both difficult and expensive to build and construct roads for transportation. Industry remains largely underdeveloped due to this fact as well. 93% of Bhutan's national workforce are in agriculture, producing rice, corn, root crops, citrus and foodgrains.

The climate of Bhutan is tropical on the plains in the south, with cool winters and hot summers in the centre of the country and freezing, hard winters in the Himalayas. Violent storms from the Himalayas affect much of Bhutan, bringing with them frequent landslides and much destruction during the rainy season.