This is a list of flags used in Bhutan. For more information about the national flag, see flag of Bhutan.
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1969-Present | Flag of Bhutan | Divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner to the upper fly-side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange, with a white dragon holding four jewels in its claws centered along the dividing line and facing away from the hoist. [1] [2] |
 | 1969-Present | Flag of the Bhutan (vertical) | |
 | 1969-Present | Flag of the Bhutan (variant) |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1958-Present | Flag of the Royal Bhutan Army [3] | A horizontal tricolour of white, black and red with the bhutanese flag in the canton and defaced with a Kartika |
 | 1958-Present | Flag of the Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan [4] | Divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner to the upper fly-side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is red, with a Dharmachakra centered along the dividing line. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 19??-Present | Flag of Royal Bhutan Police | |
 | 19??-Present | Flag of Royal Bhutan Police (variant) |
| Flag | Date | Party | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 2003-Present | Communist Party of Bhutan | |
 | 1990-Present | Bhutan Peoples' Party |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 751-842 | Flag of The Tibetan Empire | |
 | 1271-1354 | Battle Flag of The Yuan dynasty | |
 | 1271-1354 | Battle Flag of The Yuan dynasty | |
 | 1271-1354 | Battle Flag of The Yuan dynasty | |
 | 1616-1774 | Banners of Bhutan | |
 | 1949-1956 | 1st Flag of Bhutan | Divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner to the upper fly-side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is red, with a white dragon holding four jewels in its claws centered along the dividing line and facing away from the fly. [5] [6] The design of the flag is credited to Mayeum Choying Wongmo Dorji in 1947. [7] |
 | 1956-1969 | 2nd Flag of Bhutan | Divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner to the upper fly-side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is red, with a white dragon holding four jewels in its claws centered along the dividing line and facing away from the hoist. [8] |
Thimphu is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan, and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The ancient capital city of Punakha was replaced by Thimphu as capital in 1955, and in 1961 Thimphu was declared as the capital of the Kingdom of Bhutan by the 3rd Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck.
The Government of Bhutan has been a constitutional monarchy since 18 July 2008. The King of Bhutan is the head of state. The executive power is exercised by the Lhengye Zhungtshog, or council of ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. Legislative power is vested in the bicameral Parliament, both the upper house, National Council, and the lower house, National Assembly. A royal edict issued on April 22, 2007 lifted the previous ban on political parties in anticipation of the National Assembly elections in the following year. In 2008, Bhutan adopted its first modern Constitution, codifying the institutions of government and the legal framework for a democratic multi-party system.
Bhutan has diplomatic relations with 54 of 193 member states of the United Nations and the European Union. Bhutan's limited number of such relations, including the absence of formal relations with any of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, is part of a deliberate isolationist policy of limiting foreign influence in the state. This stance has been safeguarded by close relations with India, of which Bhutan has previously been considered a protected state.
The national flag of Bhutan is one of the national symbols of Bhutan. The flag features a Chinese dragon from Bhutanese mythology. This alludes to the Dzongkha name of Bhutan – Druk Yul – as well as the Drukpa Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, which is the dominant religion of Bhutan.
Trashigang District is Bhutan's easternmost dzongkhag (district).
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia situated in the Eastern Himalayas between China in the north and India in the south. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi), Bhutan ranks 133rd in land area and 160th in population. Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy with a king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. Vajrayana Buddhism is the state religion and the Je Khenpo is the head of the state religion.
Punakha is the administrative centre of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu. It is about 72 km away from Thimphu, and it takes about 3 hours by car from the capital. Unlike Thimphu, it is quite warm in winter and hot in summer. It is located at an elevation of 1,200 metres above sea level, and rice is grown as the main crop along the river valleys of two main rivers of Bhutan, the Pho Chu and Mo Chu. Dzongkha is widely spoken in this district.
Bhutanese art ༼འབྲུག་པའི་སྒྱུ་རྩལ༽ is similar to Tibetan art. Both are based upon Vajrayana Buddhism and its pantheon of teachers and divine beings.
The bilateral relations between the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan and the Republic of India have been traditionally close and both countries share a "special relationship", making Bhutan a protected state, but not a protectorate, of India. India remains influential over Bhutan's foreign policy, defence and commerce. Bhutan is the largest beneficiary of India's foreign aid.
The Punakha Dzong, also known as Pungthang Dewa chhenbi Phodrang, is the administrative centre of Punakha District in Punakha, Bhutan. Constructed by Ngawang Namgyal, 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche, in 1637–38, it is the second oldest and second-largest dzong in Bhutan and one of its most majestic structures. The dzong houses the sacred relics of the southern Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, including the Rangjung Kharsapani and the sacred remains of Ngawang Namgyal and the tertön Pema Lingpa.
Bangladesh–Bhutan relations are the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Bhutan. The King of Bhutan was the first world leader to announce an official recognition of Bangladesh's independence on 6 December 1971. The leadership of both countries have since exchanged many state visits. In 2016, the President of Bangladesh addressed the Parliament of Bhutan. On 6 December 2020, both countries signed a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with provisions for free trade in certain goods. The signing of the PTA was witnessed by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the Prime Minister of Bhutan.
The bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Bhutan and the Kingdom of Thailand were established in 1989. Thailand is one of the only 54 nations with formal diplomatic relations with Bhutan.
The national symbols of Bhutan include the national flag, national emblem, national anthem, and the mythical druk thunder featured in all three. Other distinctive symbols of Bhutan and its dominant Ngalop culture include Dzongkha, the national language; the Bhutanese monarchy; and the driglam namzha, a seventeenth-century code on dress, etiquette, and dzong architecture. Natural symbols of Bhutan are its national flower, the Himalayan blue poppy; its national tree, the Himalayan cypress; its national bird, the raven; and its national animal, the takin.
Sir Raja Sonam Topgay Dorji CIE, also called Tobgay, was a member of the Dorji family and Bhutanese politician who served between 1917 and 1952 in the Royal Government under the First and Second Kings of Bhutan. During this period, Topgay Dorji officially held the posts of Gongzim, Deb Zimpon, and Trade Agent to the Government of Bhutan. As such, Topgay Dorji was responsible for fostering Anglo-Bhutanese relations, and later, Bhutan–India relations. Topgay's ties with the west and modernist political factions contributed significantly to the modern political landscape and modernization of Bhutan.
The Treaty of Punakha was an agreement signed on 8 January 1910, at Punakha Dzong between the recently consolidated Kingdom of Bhutan and British India. The Treaty of Punakha is not a stand-alone document, but represents a modification of the Treaty of Sinchula of 1865, the prior working agreement between Bhutan and British India. As such, the Treaty of Punakha is an amendment whose text incorporates all other aspects of the Treaty of Sinchula by reference.
The military history of Bhutan begins with the Battle of Five Lamas in 1634, marking Bhutan's emergence as a nation under the secular and religious leadership of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Before Bhutan emerged as a separate nation, it remained on the periphery of Tibetan military and political influence. The region that became Bhutan was host to several battles and waves of refugees from turmoil in Tibet. After its founding, Bhutan was invaded numerous times by outside forces, namely Tibetans, Mongols, and the British. Bhutan meanwhile invaded its traditional tributaries in Sikkim, Cooch Behar, and the Duars.
Doklam, called Donglang by China, is an area in Bhutan with a high plateau and a valley, lying between China's Chumbi Valley to the north, Bhutan's Ha District to the east and India's Sikkim state to the west. It has been depicted as part of Bhutan in the Bhutanese maps since 1961, but it is also claimed by China. The dispute has not been resolved despite several rounds of border negotiations between Bhutan and China. The area is of strategic importance to all three countries.
Bhutan–Spain relations are the bilateral relations between Bhutan and Spain.
Dantak, also known as Project DANTAK, is an overseas project of the Border Roads Organisation under the Ministry of Defence of India. Project DANTAK was established on 24 April 1961 as a result of an agreement between Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, the third king of Bhutan and then Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru. Colonel T.V. Jaganathan was appointed as the first Chief Engineer of DANTAK. The project is involved in identifying the most important aspects of connectivity and in spurring the socio-economic development and growth of Bhutan, It is tasked to construct and maintain roads suitable for motorised transportation in Bhutan. and was established under the provision of the Indo-Bhutan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1949.
Zimbiri is a painter and contemporary artist from Bhutan. She was the first woman to have a solo art exhibition in Bhutan. Inspired by writers such as Shel Silverstein and William Blake, as well as minimalism and Bhutanese culture, she is a leading figure in Bhutan's contemporary art scene.
