President: Nguyen Minh Triet Secretary-general of the Communist Party : Nguyen Phu Trong
Head of state: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Population
91,519,289
716,896
Life Expectancy
72.410 years
67.880 years
Capital City
Hanoi
Thimphu
Largest city
Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh (population: 3,467,330)
Thimphu (population: 98,676)
Human Development Index
0.718
0.613
GDP per capita
$3,400 US
$6,200 US
Literacy Rate
90.3%
47%
Corruption Perception Index
2.7
5.2
Percentage of Women in Parliament
25.8%
13.9%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
2.300%
4.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished
Political System
Communist state
in transition to constitutional monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Independence date
2 September 1945 (from France)
1907 (became a unified kingdom under its first hereditary king)
Religions
Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census)
Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%
Languages
Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects
dong (VND) per US dollar - 16,548.3 (2008 est.), 16,119 (2007), 15,983 (2006), 15,746 (2005), NA (2004)
ngultrum (BTN) per US dollar - 41.487 (2007), 45.279 (2006), 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003) note: the ngultrum is pegged to the Indian rupee
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.500%
1.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
0
Location
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
Southern Asia, between China and India
Area
331,210 km sq
38,394 km sq
Coastline
3,444 km
0 km
Climate
tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)
varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas
