Nominal independence ended in 1975 when voters decided to merge their country with India, and Sikkim was incorporated as India's 22d state. The Inner Himalayas in Bhutan are dissected by a series of fertile north-south valleys where most of the population is concentrated. The Bhutia people are related in language, religion, and customs to the people of Tibet and inhabit the middle reaches of the main north-south valleys in central Bhutan. The Bhutanese kingdom now trades with India and Nepal, since the Tibetan border was closed in 1959. Located in the northernmost region of Western India, Ladakh's Leh village is home to a great number of Tibetan refugees.
Landscape is primarily grassland.
Tibetan-run institutions in the area include a school dedicated to Buddhist Philosophy. Ladakh remains one of the more under-privileged refugee communities in India. Area is 55,126 sq. Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely populated and fastest-growing countries. Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon-type climate, with a hot and rainy summer and a pronounced dry season in the cooler months.