Nepalese and English are also spoken, English being the main language taught in schools. English is also the language of instruction. Mahayana Buddhism, mainly the Drukpa school of the Kagyuna sect, although Nepali settlers practise Hinduism. The small, isolated and mountainous Kingdom of Bhutan is situated in the eastern Himalayas, bordered on the north by China and on all other sides by India. Bhutan's early history is obscure but, since at least the 12th century, it has been colonised by a succession of rival Buddhist religious orders from Tibet with the currently ruling Drukpa sect becoming established in the 17th century following a dispute in Lhasa with the Gelugpa sect headed by the Dalai Lama.
Bhutanese society is divided into several ethnic groups.
They are commonly referred to as the southern Bhutanese. In 1999, Bhutan s population was estimated to be 2.1 million. Economy Bhutan is one of the poorest countries in the world and heavily aid-dependent, with India the largest bilateral donor. Economic reforms are, however, progressing as a corollary to political reforms. In 1999, the Government released its 2020 vision statement, which outlined Bhutan s significant development achievements since the 1960s when the average life expectancy of a Bhutanese citizen was 35 years.