Geography of Bhutan

The snowcapped Great Himalayas Range situated in the north reaches at the height of over 7,500 meters above sea level extending along the border of Bhutan and China. In the northern region, mainly arc of glaciated mountain peaks with an arctic climate at its maximum elevations. This region provides pasturage for livestock tended by a thin population of migratory shepherds and also being mostly watered by snow-fed rivers.
The inner Himalayas are southward of the Mighty Himalayan Range. Black Mountain in the central Bhutan forms a watershed connecting two major river systems, the Mo Chhu and the Drangme Chhu (chhu means river). The peaks in Black Mountains range between 1,500 meters and 2,700 meters above the sea level, the rapid flowing rivers have carved out magnificent gorges in the lower mountain areas. Central region provide majority of Bhutan’s most valuable forest production. Eastern Bhutan is separated by another southward spur, the Donga Range where as the Western part of Bhutan has fertile, refined valleys and terraced river basins.

In the south, the southern foothills are covered dense deciduous forest, alluvial lowland river valleys and mountains that reach as high as 1,500 meters above sea level. The foothills descend into the subtropical Duars Plain and most of these Duars Plain proper is located in India, ten to fifteen kms entering inside Bhutan. The Bhutan Duars has two parts; they are the northern and the southern Duars. Northern Duars has the rugged slopping terrain and dry porous soil with thick vegetation and abundant wildlife where as the southern Duars has fairly productive soil, heavy savanna grass, dense mixed forest and the freshwater springs. The Duars provide almost the highest and the greatest amount of productive flatlands in Bhutan. Rice and the other crops are mostly grown on the plains and mountainsides up to 1,200 meters. Phuntsholing, Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar are the most important commercial centers of Bhutan and these places are located in the Duars. Rhinoceros, tigers, leopards, elephants, and other wildlife inhabit these regions.

Flora and Fauna

Bhutan is blessed with rich flora and fauna and Bhutanese people value it a lot. It has been tactically preserved that you can even catch a glimpse of endangered and rare species which are on the verge of extinction. The flora and fauna of Bhutan supports in defining the beauty of nature. Therefore, the National Forest Policy of Bhutan recognizes national parks and wildlife sanctuaries as a long-term strategy to protect the flora and fauna as forests in Bhutan occupy a large part of the country; they are the dominant land cover. Thus, they are vital for both ecology and economics. High altitude in Bhutan is home to animals like Snow leopard, blue sheep, red panda, tiger, takin, marmot and musk deer. Temperate zone fauna include Tiger, leopard, goral, gray langur, Himalayan black beer, red panda, sambur, wild pig, and barking deer. The tropical forests in the south have tiger, clouded leopard, elephants, one horned Rhinoceros, water buffalo, golden langur, gaur, swamp deer, hog deer horn bills etc.Black necked crane, Green-backed tit, Plumbeous water Redstart and Oriental Turtle Dove are some of the famous birds found in Bhutan. The national bird of Bhutan is Raven. Indo Malayan and pale arctic elements are among those that have been recorded. Approximately 73 percent are resident. In Bhutan, there are four national parks, one nature reserve and four wildlife sanctuaries provide habitats to some 170 species of mammals, over 770 bird species and at least 5,600 species of vascular plants. Bhutan is putting its maximum effort to minimize the risk of local extinction amongst populations of plants and animals. Bhutan is blessed with almost 60 percent of the endemic plant species of the eastern Himalayas. Of these 5500 known species of vascular plants, 50 or more are endemic to Bhutan itself. It is a known fact to the Bhutanese government that several species are highly valuable for our conservation properties. These include some for Alkaloids and gene pools for crop research, and those that are potential horticultural crops.Bhutanese forests are of three ecological units or zones. The Alpine zone (4,000 and above) has no forest cover. The Temperate zone falls between 2,000m to 4,000m with conifer/broad leaf forests. The Sub-tropical zone has tropical/sub tropical vegetation from an elevation of 1,500m to 2,000m.Forest types include Fir forests, mixed conifer forest blue pine, Chirpine forest, and broad leaf mixed with conifer, upland hardwood forest, lowland hardwood and tropical lowland forests. Three ecological units may be distinguished within Bhutan: High altitude, temperate, and tropical.

Climate

Southern Bhutan has a tropical climate with hot humid monsoon. Spring in the high valleys (Mid-March to May) has a warm days (20o Celsius) and the cool nights. June marks the being of summer when day temperature s warm up to 27-27o Celsius. By July, the rainy season starts and continues till mid-September. The Autumn months of September to November are ideal for trekking with clear blue skies and mild weather. In December temperatures fall, but the days are warmer and clear, azure winter skies serve a striking background to the snowcapped peaks.