National symbols of Bhutan

Location of Bhutan in its region.

The National symbols of Bhutan include the national flag, national emblem, national anthem, and the mythical druk thunder featured in all three. Other distinctive symbols of Bhutan and its dominant Ngalop culture include Dzongkha, the national language; the Bhutanese monarchy; and the driglam namzha, a seventeenth-century code on dress, etiquette, and dzong architecture. These national symbols are established variously by law and tradition. While most laws codifying the national symbols of Bhutan such as the flag, emblem, and national anthem are modern, the tradition behind many of them is much older than the kingdom itself, deriving from Buddhist mythology. The druk thunder dragon is heavily associated with the Bhutanese state religion and has symbolized Bhutan ("Druk-yul") in particular since the late twelfth century. Traditional natural symbols, such as the raven and Himalayan cypress, possess not only admired characteristics, but religious meanings as well.

Symbols

	Symbol	Image
Coat of arms	Coat of arms of Bhutan
Flag	Flag of Bhutan
Flowers	National flower of Bhutan Meconopsis gakyidiana
Tree	National tree of Bhutan Cupressus torulosa
Bird	National bird of Bhutan Corvus corax tibetanus
Animal	National animal of Bhutan Budorcas taxicolor whitei

Related pages

• National symbols of Myanmar
• National symbols of Tibet (China)