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B is for Bhutan

Where in the world is Bhutan? Graphic by Shahid Parvez

Fast Facts

  • Named for: the English Bhutan refers to “Böd” or Tibet, Sanskrit for “End of Tibet” as Bhoṭa-anta (भोट-अन्त). Bhutan calls itself Druk yul (literally, “country of the Thunder Dragon” which is a Buddhist sect but sounds cool).
  • Long/Lat: 27.3 N/ 89.4 E 7500 West of CV, 14 hrs
  • Population: 770,000  (11 CVs), smallest in Asia
  • Size: 14,800 sq mi (1000 CVs)
  • Avg temp in April: 63-80 F (17-26C), cool to dry heat, depending on altitude
  • Median household income: $4,300, but most farm own food
  • Ethnicity: Mostly Ngalop, Sharchop,and  Lhotsamp; some originally from Tibet or Nepal, but many indigenous. Buddhism runs a strong current through culture.
  • Main industries: Tourism, Cryptocurrency, Farming
Topographical map of Bhutan, with borders. Graphic from electionworld.

Bhutan is a strip of land that launches into the Himalayas, east of Nepal, north of India and Bangladesh, and south of Tibet, a region of China. Bhutan is 98.8% mountain, the most mountainous country in the world. The average elevation is 10,761 ft, which makes Andorra look like a flatland, hilly Castro Valley look like it’s under water, and New Orleans like… well… Atlantis.

We might view the people as poor, but they are rural and faithfully Buddhist, farming in those hills as they have for centuries. Except for one thing that comes from those mountains: water. The glaciers in the Himalayas melt, water runs down hill, and that creates hydroelectric power. Bhutan has a large net negative carbon usage, power to sell.

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A is for Andorra

Where in the world is Andorra? Graphic by Bosonic dressing.

Note: Today begins the first of the April A-Z challenge. See Running a Small Country for more details.

Fast Facts

  • Named for: The “Andosins” i.e. Big People or Water People or “land covered with bushes” or “the wild valleys of hell” as in Andor in the Bible. That is, nobody really knows.
  • Long/Lat: 42.30 N/1.30 E. 6,000 miles east of Castro Valley, 10 hours.
  • Population: 89,000 or 1.3 Castro Valleys
  • Size: 467 sq mi or 30 Castro Valleys
  • Avg temp in April: 55 F, very similar to CV
  • Median income: 28,000€ ($30k)
  • Ethnicity: 35% Spanish, 32% Andorran, 10% Portuguese
  • Main industries: Tourism, Banking (tax haven)

Andorra is a carve-out in the Pyrenees, the mountain border separating France and Spain, a roundish dot, balancing the stability between those two large personalities. It’s far larger than my Castro Valley, but more sparsely populated. That’s due to the mountains: average elevation is 6500 ft. Mountains mean ski resorts, which explains the 20 millions of tourists per year, 117 tourists per inhabitant.

It’s also a tax haven, meaning taxes so low that international companies are headquartered there. Nothing like wealthy people skiing after they’ve finished their banking. Meanwhile, the people serving them coffee earn a pittance. Same as it ever was.

Andorra boasts lovely mountain skiing. And low taxes. Photo from wikimedia.
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You Are Here (Castro Valley)

USA map from naturalearth.com.

Fast Facts

  • Castro Valley, California
  • Long/Lat: 37.41 N/ 122.05 W
  • Population: ~66,000
  • Size: 17 sq mi
  • Avg temp in April: 66 F / 18.9 C
  • Median income: $145,000
  • Ethnicity: 33% White/33% Asian/20% Latino
  • Main industries: Healthcare (big hospital) / Bedroom community

If we’re going to learn about small countries in our A to Z Challenge which starts tomorrow, April 1st, then we need some context. I know we need to know Where, but we need a little bit more. There’s no value in learning names, dates and places by themselves, no Who, When, or Where without learning Why and What? Geography is useful in comparison. I thought that one logical way to provide that context was to start with my home town. Then, I can tell you how many Castro Valleys there are in … well, you’ll see.

Alameda County is the middle of the Bay, Castro Valley is kinda middle of Alameda county. Drawing by Arkyan.

Castro Valley is a small enclave nestled in the East Bay Hills of Northern California, not the coastal range, but the second range of rounded, golden hills. It’s halfway between Berkeley and Fremont, partway between the Bay and the Tri-Valley region, about equidistant from San Francisco and from San Jose. We’re that little town people pass on their way to somewhere else. However, it’s the 4th largest unincorporated town in California and in the Top 30 across the U.S. We don’t want to be incorporated. We’ve voted on it twice; we don’t want a mayor or a police force, thanks, very much, just a really good library.

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