It was 98 years in the making, but the Buddhist country of Bhutan became an democracy on December 17, 2005 when King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, announced that he would abdicate, clearing the way for the country’s first general elections in 2008.
Bhutan was first formed on December 17 1907 by the Wangchuk Dynasty, a kingdom that was formally recognized by the British government who signed a treaty with Bhutan in 1910. The reigning monarchs seemed to have a bent for democracy, especially King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck who during his term set up a a 130-member National Assembly to promote a more democratic form of governance.

This tiny land-locked country in Asia is a mystery to many. They were one of the last countries to allow television and Internet (in 1999) and they measure their country’s quality of life with the Gross National Happiness, a play on the more commonly used Gross National Product, which measures the goods a country produces in terms of dollars.