Thimphu - Thimphu (English spelling)

Thimphu is the capital of Bhutan, a kingdom at the eastern end of the Himalayas. It is located at an altitude of 2,450 meters in the western part of the country, and is a town developed around the river terraces of the Wong River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra River. It has a population of 35,000 (estimated in 2003). The population of the entire Thimphu district is 98,676 (Bhutanese authorities' statistics in 2005). It was originally a quiet farming village, but it was rapidly modernized after it was designated the capital in 1962. Tashicho Dzong (castle), which forms the center of the town, is a faithful restoration of an old castle, and has over 100 rooms, including the king's office, rooms for the ministers of each ministry, a temple for Buddhism, the state religion, and rooms for the monks. The National Diet is also held here. Near the castle are buildings for various government departments, a general hospital, and an outdoor sports stadium. There is a road between Thimphu and India. There are many historically important temples and ruins in the vicinity, such as Simtokha Dzong, which was built in 1627.

[Kyoji Nishioka and Satoko Nishioka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ヒマラヤ山脈東端の王国ブータンの首都。日本ではシンプーとも表記する。同国西部の標高2450メートルに位置し、ブラマプトラ川支流ウォン川の河川段丘を中心に開けた町である。人口3万5000（2003推計）。なお、ティンプー県全体の人口は9万8676（2005ブータン当局統計）。もとは静かな農村であったが、1962年首都に定められてから急速に近代化した。町の中心をなすタシチョ・ゾン（城）は昔の城を忠実に復原したもので、国王執務室、各省大臣室、国教である仏教の寺院、僧たちの居室など、100を超える部屋がある。国会もここで開かれる。城の近くに政府各部局の建物が並び、総合病院、野外競技場なども建設されている。インドとの間に自動車道路が通じる。近郊には、1627年につくられたシムトカ・ゾンなど、歴史的に重要な寺院、遺跡が多い。

［西岡京治・西岡里子］

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