GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Detailed explanation-1: -*Note: Dzongkha is the official language of Bhutan used mainly in the country’s western region. Hindi is the official language of India, but it was previously used in Bhutanese classrooms. Bhutan is a multilingual country where approximately 20 languages are commonly spoken.

Detailed explanation-2: -Dzongkha has been the national language of Bhutan since 1971. It originated from Sino-Tibetan family. It is a native language of the largest ethnic group in Bhutan – the Ngalops which are dominant in Western Bhutan. Also, it is the native language of over 500, 000 people in Bhutan.

Detailed explanation-3: -Dzongkha, the national language, is the only native language of Bhutan with a literary tradition, though Lepcha and Nepali are literary languages in other countries.

Detailed explanation-4: -One of the important milestones in the development of Dzongkha took place in September 1971 when Bhutan under the initiative of the Third Druk Gyalpo joined the United Nations and saw Dzongkha codified and declared as the national language.

Detailed explanation-5: -The population in 2014 is estimated to be around 750.000 people, inhabiting an area of 38, 394 square kilometers. Some 22 living languages belonging to three unrelated families, Tibeto-Burman, Indo-European and Dravidian, are spoken in its territory. The major languages of Bhutan are Dzongkha, Nepali and Tshangla.