Fully flattened Bhutan is half the size of India The total land area of Bhutan is more than 38,394 sq km. How is this possible? Ask Dr Karma Phuntsho! In his seminar work, History of Bhutan, Dr Karma writes, In addition to the general north−south gradient, the country is laterally divided by deep river valleys and high ranges with plunging sides. For this reason, some people describe Bhutan as a ‘vertical country’ and facetiously estimate that Bhutan may be as much as half of India if it were fully flattened (2013, p.18). This is true if the measurement science is not wrong: the area of cone (proxy for mountain) is bigger than the area of circle (base of the mountain). Any discourse on the mountain geography always portray mountains negatively. Mountains are seen as obstacles to development, like building communication infrastructure. Bhutan is not small after all, and we need to stop writing narratives about Bhutan, beginning in a mournful tone. Eg ... Bhutan is a small, landlocked country ... bhah! blah!
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 09:02:56 +0000
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