Bhutan / The Country and its People / Population

Made up primarily of indigenous Bhutanese known as the Drukpa. Today's Drupka is made of three main ethnic groups, the Ngalops, Sharchops and the Lotshampas.

The Ngalops came from the Tibetan plains and brought Buddhism into Bhutan. The Sharchops stays predominantly in eastern Bhutan and their ancestors can be traced to the tribes of north Burma and north east India. The lower southern regions is where the Lhotshampas lives, who are mostly agricultural workers.

The strategic location of the land kept each ethnic group isolated until the middle of this century when roads were built across the country. The contrasting ethnic diversity has meant that a number of different languages and dialects are spoken throughout the kingdom.

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