BHUTAN

 Bhutan (boo-tan') is a small country of Asia situated between India and China in the Himalayan Mountains.  It is a little smaller than our state of West Virginia and a little larger than Maryland.  I'm just going to give you a list of facts in this little part of the world so different from ours.

The country is a constitutional monarchy - ruled by a king.  The current king took power in 2008 at the ripe old age of 28.  Bhutan has a military of 16,000 soldiers.  Keep in mind that it's neighbor, China, has a military of 2.5 million.  

The national religion is Buddhism.  Buddhism is the primary religion of China and Hinduism is the most common in India.  

The Bhutanese people are forbidden to marry foreigners.  Homosexuality is forbidden by law.  Included in their laws is a national dress code.

Bhutan was the first country to blanketly ban the production and sale of tobacco products.  The country is one of the few places on earth that has a negative score in the measurement of carbon emissions.  It actually removes more carbon from the air than it puts into it due to it's mountain forests and minimal industry.  

Healthcare is free in Bhutan but finding a doctor is almost impossible.  This is a real problem with which they have been wrestling.  

Here is the creme de la creme:  Unlike the rest of the world, Bhutan does not keep track of the national GDP (gross domestic product) as a monetary measure of their country's well being.  Their standard is to measure the GDH i.e. Gross Domestic Happiness.   Dwell on that!