Southern Asia · BTN
Bhutan
The story · 8 chapters
How it was drawn
Himalayan valleys converted by Tibetan lamas, unified by one of them in the seventeenth century against Tibet's armies, cut back by Britain in the south, and still negotiating its northern border with China.
Play the story Take the first lessonThrough the ages
Rivals in history
The kingdoms, empires and states Bhutan fought or stood against, from the first to today.
- Tsang rulers of Tibet1616 to 1634
The ruler of Tsang, then the strongest power in Tibet, backs a rival claimant to the Drukpa leadership and sends troops against Ngawang Namgyal. The Zhabdrung's forces defeat the last Tsang invasion in 1634.
- Tibet under the Dalai Lamas1644 to 1714
Once the Fifth Dalai Lama's government rules Tibet with Mongol support, it sends armies into Bhutan in 1644, 1648 to 1649, 1656 to 1657 and 1714. All are beaten back, and Bhutan keeps its independence from Lhasa.
- East India Company1772 to 1774
Bhutan invades the neighbouring kingdom of Cooch Behar in 1772. Its ruler calls in the East India Company, whose troops push the Bhutanese back into the hills. A treaty in 1774 restores peace and opens the first British mission to Bhutan.
- British India1841 to 1865
Britain annexes the Assam Duars in 1841 and quarrels with Bhutan over raids in the plains. After its envoy Ashley Eden is humiliated in 1864, Britain declares war, and the Treaty of Sinchula of 1865 gives it the Bengal Duars.
After China takes control of Tibet, Bhutan closes its northern border in 1960. Boundary talks began in 1984 and are still unfinished. In 2017 Indian and Chinese troops faced off for more than two months on the Doklam plateau, land Bhutan claims.
Today
Bhutan now
After Britain’s victory in the 1865 Duar War, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding land to British India. Ugyen WANGCHUCK -- who had served as the de facto ruler of an increasingly unified Bhutan and had improved relations with the British toward the end of the 19th century -- was named king in 1907.
- Capital
- Thimphu
- Government
- constitutional monarchy
- Head of government
- Tshering Tobgay
- Head of state
- Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
- Languages
- Dzongkha
- Area
- 38,390 km²
Through time
Then and now
- Population786,4002023 · 170,000 in 1950
- Life expectancy73.0 years2023 · 35.3 years in 1950
- Living in cities43%2025 · 2% in 1950
- Literacy65%2022 · 3% in 1950
- Political regimeElectoral democracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
- Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
- War deathsNone2025
Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.
Relations
Close partners and tensions
Close partners
- India
- United States
Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.