Kevin Gower

Bhutan’s official name is the Kingdom of Bhutan. It is also known as “The Land of the Thunder Dragon.” This refers to Druk the mythical dragon, a national symbol of Bhutan.

Bhutan was first unified in the early 17th century by a Buddhist monk, Ngawang Namgyal. It was ruled under the Tibetan dual system of government led by the Zhabdrung – reincarnations of the mind, body and speech of Ngawang Namgyal.

In the late 19th century, Bhutan was being pulled apart by conflicts with Tibet and the British Empire.

This led to a power struggle between regional leaders with Ugyen Wangchuck, the Ponlop of Tongsa in central Bhutan emerging as the dominant figure in Bhutan, uniting the country and establishing better relations with British India.

The rise of Ugyen Wangchuck highlighted the ineffectiveness of the dual system and in November 1907, an assembly of religious leaders and, government officials was held, which decided to end the 300-year-old dual system of government and to establish a new absolute monarchy with Ugyen Wangchuck as the king.

December 17th 1907 saw the Coronation of His Majesty the First King of Bhutan, Druk Gyalpo Ugyen Wangchuck. This established the Wangchuck Dynasty which continues to rule Bhutan.

The Druk Gyalpo is the official title of the head of state of Bhutan, meaning “Dragon King” in Dzongkha.

This is Bhutan’s most significant national holiday and is widely celebrated throughout the country.

The white color of the dragon in Bhutan’s flag represents purity, the yellow represents the Kingdom of Bhutan’s yellow Kabney, the orange represents the Buddhist tradition, and the jewels represent Bhutan’s wealth and security.

Bahrain is an archipelago of 33 islands. From the 1860s, Bahrain had been a British protectorate.

Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa was made the first emir of Bahrain from 1961 until his death. Born in Jasra, he became emir upon the death of his father, Salman ibn Hamad.

During his 38 year reign, Bahrain gained its independence from the United Kingdom on August 15th 1971, and Bahrain underwent an economic transformation into a modern nation and a key financial center in the Persian Gulf area.

At the age of 65, Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa died of a heart attack on March 6th 1999 at the al Sakhir Palace in Manama shortly after his meeting with the United States defense secretary William Cohen. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

YOUR mother would like to know what you want to have a row about this Christmas so she can plan accordingly.

With Christmas just weeks away, your organised mum needs to find out if you are planning to get annoyed at your dad’s political views over dinner, or if you are more in the mood for getting pissed off with probing questions about your personal life.

Your mum said: “You threw a childish tantrum over what we got you for your big present last year, remember? The shirt and tie set? So I’m guessing you don’t want to do that again so soon.

“Unresolved traumas are always popular. Would you like me to dredge up some repressed memories I can drop into conversation at the worst possible moment? Coming last at sports day maybe? I’d be happy to do that if you give me some notice.

“Arguments about money are a bit predictable, and I expect everyone will be doing them this year. But if you’ve got your heart set on that then send me some recent bank statements and I’ll start finding criticisms of your income and spending.

“If you’re not fussed either way we’ll keep it simple with a squabble about when we’re opening presents or what to watch on TV. You know, the traditional disagreements.”

Your dad said: “I’ve already sorted out an argument about your mum’s cooking for Boxing Day, so try to avoid that topic.”

The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a legal instrument that sets out the political relationship between the four countries that constitute the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten in the Caribbean and the Netherlands. It is the leading legal document of the Kingdom. The Constitution of the Netherlands and the Basic Laws of the three other countries are legally subordinate to the Charter.

The first version of the Charter, which described the relationship between the Netherlands, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles, was signed by Queen Juliana on December 15th 1954. This version lasted for a couple of decades until November 25th 1975, when Suriname became an independent republic.

Bonaire was part of the Netherlands Antilles until the country’s dissolution in 2010 when the island became a special municipality (officially, a “Caribbean public body”) within the country of the Netherlands. It is one of three special municipalities in the Caribbean; the others are Sint Eustatius and Saba, and all three are known as the Caribbean Netherlands.

Kingdom Day became a new public holiday in the Netherlands Antilles in 2008, replacing Antilles’ Day (October 21st).

After the split of the Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao announced that KIngdom Day would no longer be a public holiday in Curaçao.