Thimphu

Thimphu is the capital and largest city of Bhutan, a country in South Asia. It became the capital in 1955, replacing the ancient city of Punakha. The city is located in a valley and sits at a very high altitude, making it one of the highest capitals in the world.

Thimphu is an important political and economic center for Bhutan. Many key government buildings are there, including the National Assembly and the king's official residence, Dechencholing Palace. The city's growth follows a special plan to protect the natural environment.

The culture of Bhutan shines brightly in Thimphu. People there follow traditional ways of life, including special clothing and customs. Each year, the city hosts the Tshechu festival, where colorful mask dances called Cham dances are performed.

History

Further information: History of Bhutan

Before 1960, Thimphu was made up of small villages spread out across a valley. These villages included places like Motithang and Changangkha, which are now parts of the city. In 1885, an important battle happened at what is now Changlimithang sports ground. This victory helped Ugyen Wangchuck, the first King of Bhutan, gain control of the whole country. The sports ground has always been important to the city, hosting games like football and archery. The modern Changlimithang Stadium was built there in 1974.

Under the Wangchuck kings, Bhutan made many changes to improve life for its people. The third king, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, ended old unfair systems, gave out land to people, and made new laws. In 1952, it was decided to move the capital from Punakha to Thimphu. The fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, opened Bhutan to development with help from India. In 1961, Thimphu officially became the capital of Bhutan.

Bhutan joined international groups like the Colombo Plan and the United Nations in the following years. As more international groups and diplomats came to Thimphu, the city grew quickly.

The fourth king introduced a parliament in 1953 and later let the people choose their leaders. In 2005, he announced that he would pass control to his son, Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk. The new king was crowned in Thimphu in 2008, marking the start of a new government system focused on making people happy, known as Gross National Happiness, along with regular economic growth Gross National Product.

Geography and climate

Thimphu is located in a narrow valley along the Raidāk River, also called the Thimphu River. The surrounding hills rise between 2,000 to 3,800 metres tall, but the city itself sits between 2,248 and 2,648 metres above sea level. This difference in height and climate helps decide where plants grow and where people can live in the valley. The valley has few trees and stretches out toward the north and west. A bridge at the city's southern end connects the two sides of the river that flows through the city center.

The Raidāk River begins in the snow-covered mountains about 7,000 metres high. Many smaller rivers flow from the Himalayan peaks and shape the valley's landscape. The valley is bounded by a steep ridge on the east and gently sloping land to the west. Because the valley faces away from the prevailing winds, it tends to be drier than areas on the windward side, which affects the types of plants that grow there. The city has a climate influenced by summer rains, with frequent lightning, thunderstorms, and sometimes heavy downpours that can cause landslides and muddy roads. Winters are cold at night but milder during the day, and fog can sometimes make it hard to see. As spring arrives, the weather can be windy with clearer, drier skies.

Demographics

According to a count in 2005, the city of Thimphu had about 79,000 people. By 2011, the city's population grew to about 91,000 people.

Urban structure

Demkhongs

Changangkha

Changangkha is a western central district, located between the Chubachu centre and Motithang to the west. It contains the Changangkha Temple, one of the oldest temples in the Thimphu valley, founded by Phajo Drugom Zhigpo, founder of the Drukpa Lineage in Bhutan, and extended by his son Nyima in the 13th century. The temple houses a statue as well as large prayer wheels and sacred scriptures. The temple was restored in 1998–99. A well known incense factory is located above the temple in Changangkha.

Changzamtok

Changzamtok is a southern district from the main centre, bordered by the Hospital Area to the west, by Gongphel Lam and the Wang Chuu river to the east.

Panoramic view of Thimphu, Bhutan

Chubachu

Chubachu is the central district. It is bounded by the Chubachu River to the north, the Wang Chuu River to the east and Changangkha and Motithang to the west. Below Chubachu lies the Centenary Farmers Market which runs throughout the week. A weekend market is held on the western bank of the Wang Chu. To the west lies the Norzin Lam road which divides Chubachu from Motithang. This road contains the Bhutan Textile Museum and the National Library of Bhutan. The central road of the district is called Yanden Lam. The eastern road of the district is Chogyal Lam which runs northwest–southeast along the banks of the Wang Chu.

Hospital Area

The Hospital Area is a central district of Thimphu. Located south of the Memorial Chorten, it contains the central roundabout, JDWR Hospital and the Royal Bhutan Police national headquarters. The Gongphel Lam road divides it from Changzamthok District.

Jungshina

Jungshina is a northern district. It contains the Wangduetse Gompa.

Kawangjangsa

Kawangjangsa (or Kawajangsa) is a western district, north of Motithang, and north of the Chubachu River. The Institute of Traditional Medicine, Institute for Zorig Chusum, the National Library of Bhutan, the Folk Heritage Museum and the Bhutan Telecom Offices are located in Kawajangsa. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has its Bhutanese headquarters here; it has been responsible for facilitating tiger conservation in Bhutan.

Langjupakha

Langjupakha is a northeastern district of Thimphu. Located on the eastern bank of the Wang Chuu it contains the Royal Banquet Hall, SAARC building and National Assembly and Centre for Bhutan Studies.

The SAARCC building in Thimphu was initially built for the purpose of holding the SAARC (South East Asia Association for Regional Cooperation) conference, in the early 1990s. It is located across the Wang Chuu River opposite to the Tashechho Dzong. This elegant structure is built in a fusion of Bhutanese and modern architecture with high tech facilities. It presently houses the Ministries of Planning and Foreign Affairs. The National Assembly, which used to meet in the Tashechhoe Dzong until 1993, is now held in this building in an elaborately decorated assembly hall at the end of two long decorated corridors. The National Assembly meets here twice a year. The banquet hall is also close by.

Motithang

Motithang is a north-western district of Thimphu. The Chubachu River divides the district from Kawajangsa further north and Chubachu district lies to the east.

Meaning "the meadow of pearls", the area only developed as a residential area in the 1980s, following the initial establishment of the Motithang Hotel in 1974, on the occasion of the coronation of Jigme Singye Wangchuck. At the time, the hotel was located in the middle of forest, separated from the city by farmland but today this area has grown up with houses and gardens.

Aside from the Motithang Hotel, the district contains several notable state guest houses such as the Kungacholing and Lhundupling, Rapten Apartments and the Amankora Thimphu. It also contains the National Commission for Cultural Affairs, a UNICEF station and several grocery stores, including the Lhatshog supermarket. Schools include Motithang Higher Secondary School and Jigme Namgyal School. Other buildings in Mottithang are the Royal Bodyguard Camp and the Youth Centre.

There is also a notable takin wildlife sanctuary in the district, named Motithang Takin Preserve.

Sangyegang

Sangyegang is a western district, north of the Chubachu River but south of Zilukha. It contains the Sangyegang Telecom Tower and a golf course to the east which expands north in the Zilukha part of the city.

Yangchenphug

Yangchenphug is an eastern district, located across the Wang Chu River from the city centre and contains the Lungten Zampa Middle School and Yangchenphug High School. The main road is Dechen Lam which follows the line of the river and connects the district to Zamazingka in the south.

Zamazingka

Zamazingka is an eastern district, located across the Wang Chu River from the city centre. The main road is Dechen Lam, which follows the line of the river and connects the district to Yangchenphug in the north and eventually leads to Paro to the south.

Zilukha

Zilukha is a northern district, located between Jungshina to the north and Sangyegang to the south. It contains the Drubthob Gonpa/Zilukha Nunnery once belonged to the Drubthob (Realized one) Thang Thong Gyalpo often referred to as The King of the open field. The place also has a great view of the majestic, Tashi Chhoe Dzong (Fortress of Glorious Religion) and government cottages nearby. A golf course spans much of the district flanking the lower eastern part.

City planning

Thimphu was selected to be the capital of Bhutan in 1952 but was not officially established as capital of Bhutan until 1961. It was then a hamlet of a few houses built, around the Tashichhoe Dzong. The city has expanded slowly over the years along river banks and on high ground. Lower plains along the river have also been occupied. It was only after the country was opened for foreign visitors that it grew rapidly. Thimphu is now a major city with all civic amenities such as well planned wide roads with traffic police controlling the traffic, banks, hotels and restaurants, institutions of arts, culture, media, sports and also the traditional dzongs, monasteries and chortens. Consequently, a boom in property value in Thimphu has been reported.

The residential area of the city constitutes 38.3% of the total area. In the non-residential area, 9.3% of the city consists of administrative buildings, 4% of commercial establishments, 10.1% is taken up by health, educational or institutional structures, 2% by industrial establishments and 3.8% by security. The remaining 32.5% of the city constitutes dispersed open spaces with vacant lands, which need to be preserved in any future planning and expansion.

The Thimphu Structure Plan is a modern urban development plan for the Thimphu city, evolved in 1998, with the objective of protecting the fragile ecology of the valley, including its rivers and forests. This planning was necessitated due to growth of automobiles and pressure on the public health infrastructure in the town centre, restrictions imposed on plot coverage and building heights. The plan was approved by the Council of Ministers in 2003. An elected body, the Thimphu Municipal Corporation, is implementing the plan, drawn up by the American architect Christopher Charles Benninger. This plan is estimated to cost more than $1 billion when completed. Funds for implementation of the plan are being provided by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. There are some disputed areas between land owners and stakeholders, which has resulted in the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank requesting the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement (MOWHS) to resolve the issues through a process of the agreement, before further funds are released.

The clear planning concepts that have been established within the 'Structured Plan' are: the Tashichheo Dzong, Wang Chuu and the streams, Green Hills and their Forest cover, monasteries, temples, chortens and prayer flags, the urban core, urban villages and the urban corridor. The southern entrance of the city at Simtokha Dzong anchors the city limits with the Northern and Western limits of the Wang Chuu Valley.

Under a development plan for 2027, much of the city will be car-free pedestrian zones filled with arcaded walkways, plazas, courtyards, cafes, and exhibitions, with automobile traffic confined to the edges of the city. Parks and footpaths will be developed along riverfronts, and no construction will be allowed within 30 metres (98 feet) of a river or stream. City planners also announced that the rule that buildings be constructed to reflect traditional Bhutanese architecture, which was often violated in the past, would be enforced more strictly. Many of the economic activities that take place in the city, along with military and police infrastructure, would be moved. It is expected that by this time, the city's population will have increased to 162,000.

Urban expansion

Over the last 50 years, since its establishment as the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu has witnessed expansion, initially at a slow pace, then rapidly after the country was opened up to the outside world after the coronation of the fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. Broadly, the city's natural systems are under three categories: natural (forest, bush cover, river, and watersheds), agricultural (orchards, rice paddies, grazing lands) and recreational (public open space, parks, stadium).

The urban expansion has seen a structured development plan for 2027. The buildings will continue to be built to retain ancient Bhutanese culture and architectural styles but with a measured and modulated blend of modern development, meeting requirements of national and civic administration and all basic civic amenities such as roads, water supply and drainage, hospitals, schools and colleges, electricity, media centres and so forth. The monuments or buildings of note are the sprawling Tashichho Dzong, built like a fortress, which is the centre of Bhutanese administration as well as monastic centre, the Memorial Chorten, Thimphu and the National Assembly of the newly formed parliamentary democracy within the monarchic rule. The Palace of the King located to the north of the city, called the Dechencholing Palace, the official residence of the King, is an impressive structure that provides a grand aerial view of the city.

Rapid expansion following the pattern of rural exodus has resulted in considerable rebuilding in the city centre and mushrooming of suburban development elsewhere. Norzin Lam, the recently upgraded main thoroughfare, is lined with shops, restaurants, retail arcades and public buildings.

Within the core area of the city, there is a mix of apartment blocks, small family homes and family-owned stores. By regulation, all buildings are required to be designed in traditional style with Buddhist paintings and motifs. A lively weekend market near the river supplies meat, vegetables and tourist items. Most of the city's limited light industry is located south of the main bridge. Thimphu has a growing number of commercial services and offices, which provide for ever-growing local needs.

Architecture

The buildings in Thimphu mix old Bhutanese styles with new, modern designs. Traditional structures include monasteries, dzongs (fortress-like buildings), and chortens (memorial towers). Important examples are the Tashichho Dzong, Tango Goempa, Cheri Goempa, the Memorial Chorten, Thimphu, Dechen Phodrang, and Changangkha Lhakhang. These buildings have a long history and rich culture.

Newer buildings, built after 1962 when Thimphu became the capital, blend old and new styles. Examples include the National Institute for Zorig Chusum, National Library, National Assembly building, and many others. Homes in Thimphu also use traditional designs, similar to old Swiss houses.

The Tashichho Dzong is a major landmark. It sits on the west bank of the Wang Chuu river and serves as both a religious and government building. It has been renovated many times after fires and earthquakes.

The Simtokha Dzong is the oldest surviving fortress-monastery in Bhutan, established in 1629. It now houses a school for learning the Dzongkha language.

The Dechen Phodrang monastery, north of Thimphu, was turned into a school for monks in 1971. It holds important old paintings and statues.

The Tango Monastery was founded in the 13th century and rebuilt in 1688. It is known for a special statue and is built like a dzong with a main tower.

The Cheri Monastery, established in 1620, is a major center for Buddhist learning and is located about 15 kilometres from Thimphu.

Construction is underway on the large Buddha Dordenma statue, which will be one of the tallest Buddha statues in the world. It is being built to honor the Bhutanese monarchy and fulfill old prophecies.

The Memorial Chorten in Thimphu was built in 1974 to honor the 3rd King of Bhutan. It has golden spires and bells and is a well-known landmark.

Other attractions

Thimphu has other interesting places such as the National Post Office, Clock Tower Square, and the Motithang Takin Preserve.

The National Post Office sells special stamps, and the Bhutan Postal Museum opened in 2015.

Clock Tower Square is a busy area with shops, restaurants, and fountains.

The Motithang Takin Preserve is a home for the takin, Bhutan's national animal. It was created because the takins would not leave the town after being released from a zoo.

Economy

Further information: Economy of Bhutan and Bhutanese ngultrum

Thimphu is the political and economic center of Bhutan and the location of the central government.

A morning market is held on the central square during weekends. These are the only days when the residents of Thimphu can buy fresh fruit and vegetables. The inhabitants rely on the supermarkets for other provisions throughout the week. The market also sells yak butter, cheese, wooden bowls, and fabrics. A number of cheap souvenirs from Nepal are also sold at the market. Behind the open market, several shops sell Chinese and Bangladeshi crockery, appliances, shoes, silks, and carpets.

The Loden Foundation, Bhutan's first registered charity, has been based in Thimphu since 2007. It is run by a board of trustees composed of prominent citizens, and the foundation has a working team in the United Kingdom (UK). The organisation was established to support education and promote learning and entrepreneurship in Bhutan and other Himalayan areas and to promote Bhutanese culture and religion in other parts of the world.

Tourism

Initially, when Bhutan was opened up for tourism in 1974, the government-owned Tourism Corporation was set up in Thimphu to encourage and organise individual and group tours to destinations of cultural importance in Bhutan, concentrating on Buddhism, weaving, birds, nature and trekking, and any special package. This organization was privatised in 1994 and named as Bhutan Tourism Development Corporation. The corporation also owns and manages hotels and tourist lodges at all major tourist centres in Bhutan. It has its own fleet of cars and also interpreters in several international languages to cater to tourists from various countries.

Thimphu does not have a vibrant night life but the number of places for young people to visit is growing quickly.

The main street, Norzim Lam, contains a number of shops, small hotels, and restaurants. The Bhutan Textile Museum, the National Library, the Chang Lam Plaza and the sports field are buildings of note around this street area. Near the main square is a clock, decorated with dragons, which is now an open-air theatre site and art and craft stores and the Tashi supermarket. In the building in front of the old cinema there is a Chinese restaurant and trekking stores.

The Drentoen Lam street is located off the main street and contains the post office, bank, administrative buildings, and several music stores. Doebum Lam road runs parallel to the main Norzim Lam and also contains the Chamber of Commerce, Department of Tourism and the Ministry of Trade buildings and the odd bakery. In 2006, a new shopping district opened between Doebum Lam and Norzim Lam which includes the Zangdopelri shopping complex, the Phuntsho Pelri Hotel and Seasons, an Italian restaurant.

Government and civic administration

As the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu is home to many important government buildings, including embassies and the National Assembly of Bhutan. The National Assembly has 47 members, who were elected in the first ever general elections on March 24, 2008. Jigme Thinley's Druk Phuensum Tshogpa Party won most of the seats.

The city is managed by the Thimphu Municipal Corporation (TMC), which was created in 1995. It became fully independent in 1999. The TMC is led by a mayor, called Thrompon in Bhutanese, who is chosen by the government. The corporation works with a group of 17 people to help run the city. However, it sometimes struggles because it doesn’t have enough staff to handle all its work.

Thimphu has many basic services like clean water, health care, and waste collection. Plans are in place to improve these services even more. Most people in Thimphu have access to clean water, though it doesn’t flow all the time. There are also systems to collect and clean wastewater, though more work is needed to make sure every home has proper toilets and sewer systems. The city collects and disposes of waste, but there is a concern that the current waste site might not be enough in the future.

Law and order

Law and order in Thimphu and throughout the country are managed by the Royal Bhutan Police. This police force is part of the armed forces and was set up in Thimphu in September 1965, with 555 people moving from the Royal Bhutan Army to join it. The police help keep the peace, manage traffic, and prevent crime. In 1988, a special office for fingerprints was created in Thimphu. Bhutan joined Interpol on September 19, 2005, and now has an office there.

The police are led by a chief of police, who works under the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs. The main office of the police is in Thimphu and has three main parts. Police officers work in different areas called "ranges," with Thimphu being in Range I. New police officers train at several centres across the country, including places near Gelephu and Chukha.

Health care

Main article: Health in Bhutan

Further information: National Referral Hospital (Thimphu) and Royal Institute of Health Sciences (Bhutan)

In Bhutan, all citizens can get basic health care for free. There are no private clinics where people pay for care. Even visitors from other countries can get free medical help if they need it. The main health center in Thimphu is called the National Referral Hospital.

The National Referral Hospital was opened in 1972 and is the biggest hospital in Bhutan. It offers free basic care and can also do advanced surgeries and help with emergencies. The hospital has special machines like CT and MRI for checking health problems and has modern lab services. It also has a library with many books. This hospital is one of five places in Thimphu where people can get medical help.

The Institute of Traditional Medicine was started in 1979 with help from the World Health Organization. It teaches and promotes Bhutan’s old ways of healing using herbs. This medicine comes from old Bhutanese and Tibetan medicine traditions and also some ideas from Indian medicine. The institute is located on a hill above Thimphu and looks like a colorful wooden house. Scientists there study herbal mixtures and test new ways to help people’s health. One important herb they study is Cordyceps sinensis, which grows in Bhutan’s hills.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Bhutan

The culture of Bhutan shines brightly in its capital city, Thimphu. You can see it in the country's literature, religion, customs, clothing, music, dance, and even the media. Thimphu mixes modern life with Bhutan's traditional Buddhist values, keeping its rich heritage alive.

Literature

Bhutan's ancient stories are kept safe in the National Library. These books use a special Bhutanese script that evolved from Tibetan writing. The library also shows how these books were printed on handmade paper long ago. Today, new books are being written in English, including folk tales and short stories. One well-known writer is Kunzang Choeden.

Royal Academy of Performing Arts

The Royal Academy of Performing Arts in Thimphu was started in 1954 by King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. It helps keep Bhutan's dance and music traditions alive. The academy trains dancers in special Bhutanese dances, like mask dances, and folk dances. These dances are shown during the Thimphu Tsechu festival, held each year in the Tashichhoe Dzong.

National Library

The National Library, opened in 1967, looks like a traditional temple. It holds many old Bhutanese and Tibetan books and texts. The library is beautifully decorated and shows Bhutan's famous architecture. It even has a very heavy book that weighs 59 kilograms! The library also keeps old printing tools and shows models of important Bhutanese buildings.

Music

Further information: Music of Bhutan

Bhutan's music includes traditional styles like zhungdra and boedra, influenced by Buddhist music. Old instruments like the lingm (flute), dramnyen (lute), and chiwang (fiddle) are still used today. A newer style called Rigsar music, which mixes old Bhutanese tunes with modern instruments, is popular in Thimphu. Music schools in the city teach both traditional and modern music.

Cinema

There aren't many films made in Bhutan, but the ones that are made are improving. Thimphu holds film awards to encourage local filmmakers. The Luger Cinema Hall in Thimphu shows movies from Bhutan, India, and sometimes other countries.

Thimphu Tsechu Festival

Further information: Tsechu

During the Thimphu Tsechu festival, held each autumn, dancers perform colorful mask dances in the Tashichhoe Dzong. These dances tell stories from Buddhist teachings and honor important figures. People dress in their finest clothes to watch these dances, which are both fun and meaningful.

Nightlife

Thimphu is starting to see more nightlife, with nightclubs offering good food, music, and entertainment.

Arts and crafts

Main article: Bhutanese art

Bhutan's arts and crafts, known as Zorig Chosum (the thirteen arts), include textiles, paintings, sculptures, and many other skills. Thimphu has places where you can see and buy these beautiful crafts.

National Institute of Zorig Chusum

The National Institute of Zorig Chusum teaches Bhutan's traditional arts. Students learn painting, wood carving, embroidery, and more over several years.

Handicrafts emporiums

Near the institute, a large shop sells handmade crafts, traditional clothes, and jewelry. Other shops in Thimphu offer paintings, masks, and antique items.

Folk Heritage Museum

The Folk Heritage Museum in Thimphu looks like an old Bhutanese farmhouse. It shows what life was like in the countryside long ago.

Voluntary Artists Studio

This studio helps young people in Thimphu learn traditional and modern art. Their artwork is sold in the studio's Art Shop Gallery.

National Textile Museum

The National Textile Museum shows Bhutan's beautiful traditional clothes and fabrics, including colorful kiras for women and ghos for men.

Religion

Vajrayana Buddhism is the state religion of Bhutan, and most people belong to the Drukpa group of Kagyu Buddhism. In southern Bhutan, many people follow Hinduism and are of Nepali ethnicity.

Thimphu has an important monastery with 1,160 monks led by a chief abbot called Je Khenpo. He spends half the year in Thimphu at Tashichhoe Dzong and the other half in Punakha. A council led by the chief abbot manages the National Memorial Chorten in Thimphu, as well as Buddhist meditation centers and schools.

Education

Further information: Education in Bhutan

In the 1960s, roads were built in Thimphu thanks to the Third King of Bhutan, who had received education himself. Before that, most people only learned in monasteries, except a few who went to Darjeeling for a different kind of schooling. Today, Dzongkha, the national language, is taught in all schools. Schools welcome both boys and girls, and while parents don’t have to pay for their children’s education, they choose whether to send them to school. Now, education reaches every part of the country.

Thimphu is home to many schools and colleges. There are more private schools here than anywhere else in Bhutan, all overseen by the Department of Education. The National Training Authority runs three technical institutes. The Royal University of Bhutan, started in 2003, includes several colleges. One is the Institute for Language and Culture Studies, located at Simtokha Dzong, where students learn about Bhutan’s language, culture, and traditions. Another is the Royal Institute of Health Sciences, training nurses and healthcare workers, and the Royal Institute of Management, which helps mid-level managers with administrative and financial skills. Private schools and colleges have also opened in Thimphu and other parts of the country.

With help from the World Bank, a big IT Park is being planned in Thimphu. It will cover 50,000 square feet (4,600 m²) on 1,700 acres (690 ha) of land near Babesa. This park will include a place for new businesses to start, a shared technology space, and a data centre, but no factories. The project is a partnership between Thimphu Tech Park Pvt. Ltd., Assetz Property Group Pvt. Ltd. from Singapore, and Druk Holding & Investments Ltd. of Bhutan.

Transport

Roads

The roads in Thimphu are shaped by the city's special landscape. Main roads, usually wide, run north to south, following the river. The most important road is called Norzin Lam. Smaller roads curve up the hills to homes. There are also paths for walking to shops and the Wang Chu River. Getting into the city from the south is through a narrow entry crossed by a wooden bridge. South of the bridge, the road goes to Paro, Punakha, Wangdue Phodrang, Tongsa, and other places. A new expressway has changed the valley, raising land prices, lowering travel costs, and offering more chances for growth in the south.

Bhutan Transport Corporation runs buses from Siliguri in India, which is the closest train station along with nearby New Jalpaiguri. It takes about four hours to reach Phuentsholing, and from there, buses go to Thimphu each day. Taxis are also available.

Thimphu is special because, like Ngerulmud in Palau, it is one of the two capital cities in the world without traffic lights. Even though some traffic lights were put up, they were taken down before they could be used. Instead, traffic police guide cars and buses by moving their arms in a dance-like way. City buses run all day, and there are plans to add tram services soon.

Air

Thimphu’s international airport is Paro Airport, about 54 kilometres (34 miles) away by road. Druk Air used to have its main office in Thimphu but now only has a branch there. Druk Air is one of only two airlines flying into Bhutan, apart from special flights by Buddha Air. It connects Bhutan to the rest of the world, helping both the Bhutanese people and growing tourism. Recently, Tashi Air started as a new private airline in Bhutan.

Sports

The Bhutan Olympic Committee started in November 1983, with the King of Bhutan as its leader, and its office is in Thimphu. Bhutan joined the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles for the first time, with six archers representing the country. Since then, Bhutan has sent archers to every Summer Olympics, but they have never competed in the Winter Olympics or won a medal.

Archery, called datse, is Bhutan's national sport. People play it with both old-style bows and arrows and newer methods at the Changlimithang Sports and Archery Stadium in Thimphu. Archery is very important to Bhutan’s culture. All tournaments start with a special ceremony. Women watch in beautiful clothes and cheer for their favourite teams. Men stand near the target and joke with the players if they miss. The targets are placed 140 metres apart. Winning teams celebrate with songs and dances. Archery is managed by the Bhutan Archery Federation.

Monks cannot join archery games, so they play daygo, a sport where they throw flat stones like a discus. Another stone-throwing game called pungdo, similar to shot put, is also popular. There is also a game called Khuru, or the local dart game, played with short targets and darts made from wood and chicken feathers.

Thimphu’s national stadium hosts many modern sports such as football, basketball, golf, Kwon do, squash, and cricket. Bhutan won a gold medal in Kwon do in the South Asia Federation Games in 2004. Thimphu has 12 cricket teams and two small golf courses. The Royal Thimphu Golf Course was created in 1971 by King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk.

Changlimithang Stadium

Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu is the National Stadium. It was built in 1974 to celebrate the coronation of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. It could hold 10,000 people at first, but it was rebuilt in 2007 to hold 25,000 for important celebrations. The stadium covers about 11 hectares and is used for many sports and events. It was also where national celebrations took place during the time of the third king. Nearby are football, cricket, and archery areas. The stadium has hosted many archery tournaments with both modern and traditional bows. It is also used for other activities, and a film called "The Other Final" was made there about a special football match between Bhutan and Montserrat.

Media

Main article: Media of Bhutan

The Bhutan Broadcasting Service began in 1973 as a radio service, sharing news on short wave and the FM band in Thimphu. It is managed by the Government of Bhutan. In 1999, during the ceremony for the new king, television and satellite channels started. Bhutan was the last country to begin television. Soon after, cable television was added as part of the king's plan to update the country. By 2002, there were 42 TV channels from two cable companies.

Kuensel started in Thimphu in 1965 as a government update sheet. It grew into a national weekly paper in 1986 and was the only newspaper in Bhutan until 2006 when two more papers, Bhutan Times and Bhutan Observer, began. Kuensel, once owned by the government, became its own company in 1992. It prints in English, Nepali, and Dzongkha.

A new private radio station, Radio Valley FM at 99.9, has also started broadcasting in Thimphu, joining older stations BBS and Kuzoo FM.