Coordinates	21°58′30″N96°5′0″N
native name	འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་'' 'Brug Rgyal-khab'' (Wylie)''Dru Gäkhap''
conventional long name	Kingdom of Bhutan
common name	Bhutan
image coat	Bhutan emblem.svg
symbol type	Emblem
national anthem	''Druk Tsendhen''
capital	Thimphu
largest city	capital
official languages	Dzongkha
demonym	Bhutanese
government type	Unitary parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy
leader title1	King
leader name1	Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
leader title2	Prime Minister
leader name2	Jigme Y. Thinley
sovereignty type	Formation
sovereignty note	Early 17th century
established event1	Wangchuk Dynasty
established date1	17 December 1907
established event2	Constitutional Monarchy
established date2	2007
area rank	135th
area magnitude	1 E10
area km2	38,394
area sq mi	14,824
area footnote
percent water	1.1
population estimate	691,141
population estimate rank	161st
population estimate year	2009
population census	634,982
population census year	2005
population density km2	18.0
population density sq mi	46.6
population density rank	154th
gdp ppp	$3.875 billion
gdp ppp year	2010
gdp ppp per capita	$5,429
gdp nominal	$1.412 billion
gdp nominal year	2010
gdp nominal per capita	$1,978
hdi	0.619
hdi rank	132nd
hdi year	2007
hdi category	medium
currency	Ngultrum2
currency code	BTN
time zone	BTT
utc offset	+6
time zone dst	not observed
utc offset dst	+6
drives on	left
cctld	.bt
calling code	975
footnote1	The population of Bhutan had been estimated based on the reported figure of about 1 million in the 1970s when the country had joined the United Nations and precise statistics were lacking. Thus using the annual increase rate of 2–3%, the most population estimates were around 2 million in the year 2000. A national census was carried out in 2005 and it turned out that the population was 672,425. Consequently, United Nations Population Division had down-estimated the country's population in the 2006 revision for the whole period from 1950 to 2050.
footnote2	Indian rupee is also legal tender }}

Bhutan (; Dzongkha: ; Wylie: '' 'brug yul'', "Druk Yul"; , ''Bhutān''), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China. Bhutan is separated from the nearby country of Nepal to the west by the Indian state of Sikkim, and from Bangladesh to the south by West Bengal.

Bhutan existed as a patchwork of minor warring fiefdoms until the early 17th century, when the area was unified by the Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, who was guided by a prophecy, fled religious persecution in Tibet and cultivated a separate Bhutanese identity. In the early 20th century, Bhutan came into contact with the British Empire, after which Bhutan continued strong bilateral relation with India upon its independence. In 2006, ''Business Week'' magazine rated Bhutan the happiest country in Asia and the eighth-happiest in the world, based on a global survey.

Bhutan's landscape ranges from subtropical plains in the south to the Sub-alpine Himalayan heights in the north, with some peaks exceeding . The state religion is Vajrayana Buddhism, and the population of 691,141 is predominantly Buddhist, with Hinduism the second-largest religion. The capital and largest city is Thimphu. After centuries of absolute monarchy, Bhutan became a constitutional monarchy and held its first general elections in 2007. Bhutan is a member of the United Nations and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC); it hosted the sixteenth SAARC summit in April 2010. The total area of the country has been reported as since 2002. The area had previously been reported as approximately in 1997.

Name

"Bhutan" is a Kachari word, as at one time Bhutan was part of Tibet. "A place of Bod" in Tibetan, Di-Bod meant a place of frozen water, it later became DiBodo / Tibodo / Tibet. Likewise, Bodo hathan / Bhuthan / Bhutan is a possible origin of the name: from Bod, a name of place and Hathan — a kind of place, in this way Bod Hathan-Bhuthan-Bhutan. In another theory of Sanskritisation, ''Bhoṭa-anta'' (भोट-अन्त) means "At the end of Tibet", as Bhutan is immediately to Tibet's south.

Historically Bhutan was known by many names, such as ''Lho Mon'' (southern land of darkness), ''Lho Tsendenjong'' (southern land of the ''Tsenden'' cypress), ''Lhomen Khazhi'' (southern land of four approaches) and ''Lho Men Jong'' (southern land of medicinal herbs).

History

Stone tools, weapons, elephants, and remnants of large stone structures provide evidence that Bhutan was inhabited as early as 2000 BC, although there are no existing records from that time. Historians have theorized that the state of ''Lhomon'' (literally, "southern darkness", a reference to the indigenous Mon religion), or ''Monyul'' ("Dark Land", a reference to the Monpa, the aboriginal peoples of Bhutan) may have existed between 500 BC and AD 600. The names ''Lhomon Tsendenjong'' (Sandalwood Country), and ''Lhomon Khashi'', or Southern Mon (country of four approaches), have been found in ancient Bhutanese and Tibetan chronicles.

Buddhism was first introduced to Bhutan in the 7th century AD. Tibetan king Songtsän Gampo (reigned 627–49), a convert to Buddhism, ordered the construction of two Buddhist temples, at Bumthang in central Bhutan and at Kyichu (near Paro) in the Paro Valley. Buddhism was propagated in earnest in 746 under King Sindhu Rāja (''also'' Künjom; Sendha Gyab; Chakhar Gyalpo), an exiled Indian king who had established a government in Bumthang at Chakhar Gutho Palace.

Buddhist saint Padma Sambhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche) came to Bhutan in in 747. Much of early Bhutanese history is unclear because most of the records were destroyed when fire ravaged the ancient capital, Punakha, in 1827. By the 10th century, Bhutan's political development was heavily influenced by its religious history. Various sub-sects of Buddhism emerged which were patronized by the various Mongol warlords. After the decline of the Mongols in the 14th century, these sub-sects vied with each other for supremacy in the political and religious landscape, eventually leading to the ascendancy of the Drukpa sub-sect by the 16th century.

Until the early 17th century, Bhutan existed as a patchwork of minor warring fiefdoms, when the area was unified by the Tibetan lama and military leader Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal who had fled religious persecution in Tibet. To defend the country against intermittent Tibetan forays, Namgyal built a network of impregnable ''dzong'' (fortresses), and promulgated the Tsa Yig, a code of law that helped to bring local lords under centralized control. Many such ''dzong'' still exist and are active centers of religion and district administration. Portuguese Jesuit Estêvão Cacella and another priest were the first recorded Europeans to visit Bhutan, on their way to Tibet. They met Ngawang Namgyal, presented him with firearms, gunpowder and a telescope, and offered him their services in the war against Tibet, but the Shabdrung declined the offer. After a stay of nearly eight months Cacella wrote a long letter from the Chagri Monastery reporting on his travels. This is a rare extant report of the Shabdrung.

After Namgyal's death in 1651, Bhutan fell into civil war. Taking advantage of the chaos, the Tibetans attacked Bhutan in 1710, and again in 1730 with the help of the Mongols. Both assaults were successfully thwarted, and an armistice was signed in 1759.

In the 18th century, the Bhutanese invaded and occupied the kingdom of Cooch Behar to the south. In 1772, Cooch Behar appealed to the British East India Company which assisted them in ousting the Bhutanese and later in attacking Bhutan itself in 1774. A peace treaty was signed in which Bhutan agreed to retreat to its pre-1730 borders. However, the peace was tenuous, and border skirmishes with the British were to continue for the next hundred years. The skirmishes eventually led to the Duar War (1864–65), a confrontation for control of the Bengal Duars. After Bhutan lost the war, the Treaty of Sinchula was signed between British India and Bhutan. As part of the war reparations, the Duars were ceded to the United Kingdom in exchange for a rent of Rs. 50,000. The treaty ended all hostilities between British India and Bhutan.

During the 1870s, power struggles between the rival valleys of Paro and Tongsa led to civil war in Bhutan, eventually leading to the ascendancy of Ugyen Wangchuck, the ''ponlop'' (governor) of Tongsa. From his power base in central Bhutan, Ugyen Wangchuck defeated his political enemies and united the country following several civil wars and rebellions in the period 1882–85.

In 1907, an epochal year for the country, Ugyen Wangchuck was unanimously chosen as the hereditary king of the country by an assembly of leading Buddhist monks, government officials, and heads of important families. The British government promptly recognized the new monarchy, and in 1910 Bhutan signed the Treaty of Punakha, a subsidiary alliance which gave the British control of Bhutan's foreign affairs and meant that Bhutan was treated as an Indian princely state. This had little real effect, given Bhutan's historical reticence, and also did not appear to affect Bhutan's traditional relations with Tibet.

After the new Union of India gained independence from the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, Bhutan became one of the first countries to recognize India's independence. On 8 August 1949 a treaty similar to that of 1910, in which Britain had gained power over Bhutan's foreign relations, was signed with the newly independent India.

In 1953, King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck established the country's legislature – a 130-member National Assembly – to promote a more democratic form of governance. In 1965, he set up a Royal Advisory Council, and in 1968 he formed a Cabinet. In 1971, Bhutan was admitted to the United Nations, having held observer status for three years. In July 1972, Jigme Singye Wangchuck ascended to the throne at the age of sixteen after the death of his father, Dorji Wangchuck.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the country expelled or forced to leave nearly one fifth of its population in the name of preserving its Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist culture and identity. In one of the world’s least known episodes of what many scholars believe was an “ethnic cleansing,” the Nepali-origin, mainly Hindu Bhutanese fled their homeland. According to the UNHCR, more than 107,000 Bhutanese refugees living in seven camps in eastern Nepal is already documented by 2008.

In late 2003, the Bhutanese army successfully launched a large-scale operation to flush out Assom liberationist insurgents who were operating training camps in southern Bhutan. It is called Operation: All Clear and the Royal Bhutan Army drove out the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), and Kamtapur Liberation Organization (KLO) insurgent groups hiding in Bhutan's jungles.

Political reform and modernization

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck introduced significant political reforms, transferring most of his administrative powers to the Council of Cabinet Ministers and allowing for impeachment of the King by a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly.

In 1999, the government lifted a ban on television and the Internet, making Bhutan one of the last countries to introduce television. In his speech, the King said that television was a critical step to the modernisation of Bhutan as well as a major contributor to the country's Gross National Happiness (Bhutan is the only country to measure happiness), but warned that the "misuse" of television could erode traditional Bhutanese values.

A new constitution was presented in early 2005. In December 2005, Jigme Singye Wangchuck announced that he would abdicate the throne in his son's favor in 2008. On 14 December 2006, he announced that he would be abdicating immediately. This was followed with the first national parliamentary elections in December 2007 and March 2008.

On November 6, 2008, 28-year old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, eldest son of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, was crowned King.

Government and politics

Bhutan's political system has developed from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy. In 1999, the fourth king of Bhutan created a body called the Lhengye Zhungtshog (Council of Ministers). The ''Druk Gyalpo'' (King of Druk Yul) is head of state. Executive power is exercised by the Lhengye Zhungtshog, the council of ministers. Legislative power was vested in both the government and the former Grand National Assembly.

On the 17th of December 2005, the 4th King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, announced to a stunned nation that the first general elections would be held in 2008, and that he would abdicate the throne in favor of his eldest son, the crown prince. King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck took the throne on December 14, 2006 upon his father's abdication. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was adorned with Bhutan's Raven Crown at an ornate coronation ceremony in Thimphu on Thursday, November 6, 2008, becoming the world's youngest reigning monarch and head of the newest democracy.

The new political system comprises an upper and lower house, the latter based on political party affiliations. Elections for the upper house (National Council) were held on December 31, 2007, while elections for the lower house, the 47-seat National Assembly, were held on March 24, 2008. Two political parties, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) headed by Sangay Ngedup, and the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) headed by Jigmi Thinley, competed in the National Assembly election. The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa won the elections taking 45 out of 47 seats in the parliament.

Judicial power is vested in the courts of Bhutan. The Chief Justice is the administrative head of the Judiciary.

Military and foreign affairs

The Royal Bhutan Army is Bhutan's military service. It includes the Royal Bodyguard and the Royal Bhutan Police. Membership is voluntary, and the minimum age for recruitment is 18. The standing army numbers about 16,000 and is trained by the Indian Army. It has an annual budget of about US$13.7 million — 1.8 percent of the GDP. Being a landlocked country, Bhutan has no navy. Additionally, Bhutan has no air force or army aviation corps. Instead the Army relies on Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force for air assistance.

In 2007, Bhutan and India signed a new treaty that clarified that Bhutan was master of its own foreign relations, superseding the treaty signed in 1949. The superseded treaty is still sometimes misinterpreted to mean that India controls Bhutan's foreign affairs, but the government of Bhutan handles all of its own foreign affairs, including the sensitive (to India) border demarcation issue with China. Bhutan has diplomatic relations with 21 countries, and with the European Union, with missions in India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Kuwait. It has two UN missions, one in New York and one in Geneva. Only India and Bangladesh have residential embassies in Bhutan, while Thailand has a consulate office in Bhutan.

By a long standing treaty, Indian and Bhutanese citizens may travel to each other's countries without a passport or visa using their national identity cards instead. Bhutanese citizens may also work in India without legal restriction. Bhutan does not have formal diplomatic ties with its northern neighbour, the People's Republic of China, although exchanges of visits at various levels between the two have significantly increased in recent times. The first bilateral agreement between China (PRC) and Bhutan was signed in 1998, and Bhutan has also set up honorary consulates in Macau and Hong Kong. Bhutan’s border with China is largely not demarcated and thus disputed in some places. Approximately 269 square kilometers remain under discussion between China and Bhutan.

On 13 November 2005, Chinese soldiers crossed into the disputed territories between China and Bhutan, and began building roads and bridges. Bhutanese Foreign Minister Khandu Wangchuk took up the matter with Chinese authorities after the issue was raised in the Bhutanese parliament. In response, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang of the People's Republic of China has said that the border remains in dispute and that the two sides are continuing to work for a peaceful and cordial resolution of the dispute. An Indian intelligence officer has said that a Chinese delegation in Bhutan told the Bhutanese that they were "overreacting." The Bhutanese newspaper ''Kuensel'' has said that China might use the roads to further Chinese claims along the border.

On 8 February 2007, the Indo-Bhutan Friendship Treaty was substantially revised. The Treaty of 1949, Article 2 states: "The Government of India undertakes to exercise no interference in the internal administration of Bhutan. On its part the Government of Bhutan agrees to be guided by the advice of the Government of India in regard to its external relations." In the revised treaty it now reads as "In keeping with the abiding ties of close friendship and cooperation between Bhutan and India, the Government of the Kingdom of Bhutan and the Government of the Republic of India shall cooperate closely with each other on issues relating to their national interests. Neither government shall allow the use of its territory for activities harmful to the national security and interest of the other." The revised treaty also includes this preamble: "Reaffirming their respect for each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity", an element that was absent in the earlier version. The Indo-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 2007 clarifies Bhutan's status as an independent and sovereign nation.

Bhutan has no formal relations with the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France. Informal contact with the United States is made through the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.

Geography

The Kingdom of Bhutan is nestled in the southern slopes of the eastern Himalayas, and landlocked between the Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and the Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to the west and south. It lies between latitudes 26° and 29°N, and longitudes 88° and 93°E. The land consists mostly of steep and high mountains crisscrossed by a network of swift rivers, which form deep valleys before draining into the Indian plains. Elevation rises from in the southern foothills to more than . This great geographical diversity combined with equally diverse climate conditions contributes to Bhutan's outstanding range of biodiversity and ecosystems.

The northern region of the country consists of an arc of Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows reaching up to glaciated mountain peaks with an extremely cold climate at the highest elevations. Most peaks in the north are over above sea level; the highest point in Bhutan is Gangkhar Puensum at , which has the distinction of being the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. The lowest point, at , is in the valley of Drangme Chhu, where the river crosses the border with India. Watered by snow-fed rivers, alpine valleys in this region provide pasture for livestock, tended by a sparse population of migratory shepherds.

The Black Mountains in the central region of Bhutan form a watershed between two major river systems: the Mo Chhu and the Drangme Chhu. Peaks in the Black Mountains range between above sea level, and fast-flowing rivers have carved out deep gorges in the lower mountain areas. The forests of the central Bhutan mountains consist of Eastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests in higher elevations and Eastern Himalayan broadleaf forests in lower elevations. Woodlands of the central region provide most of Bhutan's forest production. The Torsa, Raidak, Sankosh, and Manas are the main rivers of Bhutan, flowing through this region. Most of the population lives in the central highlands.

In the south, the Shiwalik Hills are covered with dense Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests, alluvial lowland river valleys, and mountains up to around above sea level. The foothills descend into the subtropical Duars Plain. Most of the Duars is located in India, although a wide strip extends into Bhutan. The Bhutan Duars is divided into two parts: the northern and the southern Duars. The northern Duars, which abuts the Himalayan foothills, has rugged, sloping terrain and dry, porous soil with dense vegetation and abundant wildlife. The southern Duars has moderately fertile soil, heavy savannah grass, dense, mixed jungle, and freshwater springs. Mountain rivers, fed by either the melting snow or the monsoon rains, empty into the Brahmaputra River in India. Data released by the Ministry of Agriculture showed that the country had a forest cover of 64% as of October 2005.

Climate

The climate in Bhutan varies with altitude, from subtropical in the south to temperate in the highlands and polar-type climate, with year-round snow in the north. Bhutan experiences five distinct seasons: summer, monsoon, autumn, winter and spring. Western Bhutan has the heavier monsoon rains; southern Bhutan has hot humid summers and cool winters; central and eastern Bhutan is temperate and drier than the west with warm summers and cool winters.

Wildlife

More than 770 species of bird and 5,400 species of plants are known to occur throughout the kingdom. Bhutan has a rich primate life with rare species such as the golden langur. Recently, a variant Assamese macaque, which is also regarded by some authorities as a new species, Macaca munzala has also been recorded.

The Bengal tiger, Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, clouded leopard, hispid hare and the sloth bear live in the lush tropical lowland and hardwood forests in the south. In the temperate zone, grey langur, tiger, Indian leopard, goral and serow are found in mixed conifer, broadleaf and pine forests. Fruit bearing trees and bamboo provide habitat for the Himalayan black bear, red panda, squirrel, sambar, wild pig and barking deer. The alpine habitats of the great Himalayan range in the north are home to the snow leopard, blue sheep, marmot, Tibetan wolf, antelope and Himalayan musk deer.

The endangered Wild Water Buffalo occurs in southern Bhutan although in small numbers.

Among birds, the globally endangered White-winged Wood Duck has been added recently to the list of Bhutan's avifauna.

Conservation Significance

The Eastern Himalayas have been identified as a global biodiversity hotspot and counted among the 234 globally outstanding ecoregions of the world in a comprehensive analysis of global biodiversity undertaken by WWF between 1995-97.

Bhutan is seen as a model for proactive conservation initiatives. The Kingdom has received international acclaim for its commitment to the maintenance of its biodiversity. This is reflected in the decision to maintain at least sixty percent of the land area under forest cover, to designate more than 40% of its territory as national parks, reserves and other protected areas, and most recently to identify a further nine percent of land area as biodiversity corridors linking the protected areas. Environmental conservation has been placed at the core of the nation's development strategy, the middle path. It is not treated as a sector but rather as a set of concerns that must be mainstreamed in Bhutan's overall approach to development planning and to be buttressed by the force of law.

Conservation Issues

Although Bhutan's natural heritage is still largely intact, the Government has said that it cannot be taken for granted and that conservation of the natural environment must be considered one of the challenges that will need to be addressed in the years ahead.

Pressures on the natural environment are already evident and will be fuelled by a complex array of forces. They include population pressures, agricultural modernisation, poaching, hydro-power development, mineral extraction, industrialisation, urbanisation, sewage and waste disposal, tourism, competition for available land road construction and the provision of other physical infrastructure associated with social and economic development.

Policy implementation needs to be continually improved. Sustainable rural livelihoods that do not rely solely upon natural resource use need to be developed and supported, and there needs to be far wider understanding of the environmental threats that come hand in hand with development, to ensure the future of Bhutan's rich and diverse environment.

In practice, the overlap of these extensive protected lands with populated areas has led to mutual habitat encroachment. Protected wildlife has entered agricultural areas, trampling crops and killing livestock. In response, Bhutan has implemented an insurance scheme, begun constructing solar powered alarm fences, watch towers, and search lights, and has provided fodder and salt licks outside human settlement areas to encourage animals to stay away.

Economy

The Ngultrum is the currency of Bhutan and its value is pegged to the Indian rupee. The rupee is also accepted as legal tender in the country.

Though Bhutan's economy is one of the world's smallest, it has grown rapidly in recent years, by eight percent in 2005 and 14 percent in 2006. In 2007, Bhutan had the second fastest growing economy in the world, with an annual economic growth rate of 22.4 percent. This was mainly due to the commissioning of the gigantic Tala Hydroelectricity project. As of March 2006, Bhutan's per capita income was US$1,321.

Bhutan's economy is based on agriculture, forestry, tourism and the sale of hydroelectric power to India. Agriculture provides the main livelihood for more than 80 percent of the population. Agrarian practices consist largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Handicrafts, particularly weaving and the manufacture of religious art for home altars, are a small cottage industry. A landscape that varies from hilly to ruggedly mountainous has made the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. This, and a lack of access to the sea, has meant that Bhutan has not been able to benefit from significant trading of its produce. Bhutan does not have any railways, though Indian Railways plans to link southern Bhutan to its vast network under an agreement signed in January 2005. Bhutan and India signed a 'free trade' accord in 2008, which additionally allowed Bhutanese imports and exports from third markets to transit India without tariffs. Bhutan had trade relations with the Tibet region until 1960, when it closed its border with China after an influx of refugees.

The industrial sector is in a nascent stage, and though most production comes from cottage industry, larger industries are being encouraged and some industries such as cement, steel, and ferroalloy have been set up. Most development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian contract labour. Agricultural produce includes rice, chilies, dairy (some yak, mostly cow) products, buckwheat, barley, root crops, apples, and citrus and maize at lower elevations. Industries include cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages and calcium carbide.

Incomes of over Nu 100,000 per annum are taxed, but very few wage and salary earners qualify. Bhutan's inflation rate was estimated at about three percent in 2003. Bhutan has a Gross Domestic Product of around USD 2.913 billion (adjusted to Purchasing Power Parity), making it the 162nd largest economy in the world. Per capita income is around $1,400, ranked 124th. Government revenues total $272 million, though expenditures amount to $350 million. 60 percent of the budget expenditure, however, is financed by India's Ministry of External Affairs. Bhutan's exports, principally electricity, cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, precious stones and spices, total €128 million (2000 est.). Imports, however, amount to €164 million, leading to a trade deficit. Main items imported include fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery, vehicles, fabrics and rice. Bhutan's main export partner is India, accounting for 58.6 percent of its export goods. Hong Kong (30.1 percent) and Bangladesh (7.3 percent) are the other two top export partners. As its border with Tibet is closed, trade between Bhutan and China is now almost non-existent. Bhutan's import partners include India (74.5 percent), Japan (7.4 percent) and Sweden (3.2 percent).

Administrative divisions

Bhutan is divided into twenty ''dzongkhags'' (districts), administered by a body called the Dzongkhag Tshogdu. In certain ''thromdes'' (urban municipalities), a further municipal administration is directly subordinate to the Dzongkhag administration. In the vast majority of constituencies, rural ''gewogs'' (village blocks) are administered by bodies called the Gewog Tshogde.

Thromdes (municipalities) elect Thrompons to lead administration, who in turn represent the Thromde in the Dzongkhag Tshogdu. Likewise, gewogs elect headmen called ''gups'', vice-headmen called ''mangmis'', who also sit on the Dzongkhag Thshogdu, as well as other members of the Gewog Tshogde. The basis of electoral constituencies in Bhutan is the ''chiwog'', a subdivision of gewogs delineated by the Election Commission.

|image-width=300 |width=300 |float=right |imagemap= Image:Bhutan location map.svg|320px default desc none # |annotations= }}

# Bumthang # Chukha (''Chhukha'') # Dagana # Gasa # Haa # Lhuntse # Mongar # Paro # Pemagatshel (''Pemagatsel'') # Punakha # Samdrup Jongkhar # Samtse (''Samchi'') # Sarpang (''Sarbhang'') # Thimphu # Trashigang (''Tashigang'') # Trashiyangtse # Trongsa (''Tongsa'') # Tsirang (''Chirang'') # Wangdue Phodrang (''Wangdi Phodrang'') # Zhemgang (''Shemgang'')

Cities and towns

Thimphu, the largest city and capital of Bhutan.

Damphu, the administrative headquarters of Tsirang District

Jakar, the administrative headquarters of Bumthang District and the place where Buddhism entered Bhutan.

Mongar, the eastern commercial hub of the country.

Paro, site of the international airport.

Phuentsholing, Bhutan's commercial hub.

Punakha, the old capital.

Samdrup Jongkhar The south eastern town on the border with India

Trashigang, administrative headquarters of Trashigang District the most populous district in the country.

Trongsa, in central Bhutan which has the largest and the most magnificent of all the dzongs in Bhutan.

Demographics

Bhutanese people primarily consist of the Ngalops and Sharchops, called the Western Bhutanese and Eastern Bhutanese respectively. The Ngalops primarily consist of Bhutanese living in the western part of the country. Their culture is closely related to that of Tibet. Much the same could be said of the Sharchops, the dominant group, who originate from the eastern part of Bhutan (but who traditionally follow the Nyingmapa rather than the official Drukpa Kagyu form of Tibetan Buddhism). In modern times, with improved transportation infrastructure, there has been much intermarriage between these groups. In the early 1970s, intermarriage between the Lhotshampas and mainstream Bhutanese society was encouraged by the government.

The national language is Dzongkha, one of 53 languages in the Tibetan language family. The script, here called ''Chhokey'' ("Dharma Language"), is identical to classical Tibetan. In the schools English is the medium of instruction and Dzongkha is taught as the national language. Ethnologue lists 24 languages currently spoken in Bhutan, all of them in the Tibeto-Burman family, except Nepali, an Indo-Aryan language. Until the 1980s, the government sponsored the teaching of Nepali in schools in Southern Bhutan. However, after the armed uprising in the south, Nepali was dropped from the curriculum. The languages of Bhutan are still not well-characterized, and several have yet to be recorded in an in-depth academic grammar. Before the 1980s, the Lhotshampa (Nepali-speaking community), mainly based in southern Bhutan, constituted approximately 30% of the population. However, during the 1980s, after the Bhutanese government instituted a policy of one language and one culture, these Lhotshampas were forced to wear the national costume of Bhutan, which is not well-suited to the high temperatures of the southern region. This cultural discrimination led to protests which eventually resulted in the eviction of more than 100,000 Lhotshampas throughout the 1990s. These Lhotshampas took refuge in Nepal via India. Those residing in Bhutan are still threatened by the government. Because the bilateral talks between Nepal and Bhutan to repatriate Bhutanese refugees (Lhotshampas) have been proven futile, the UNHCR is now helping the refugees to settle in various developed countries such as Norway, USA, Canada and many others.

The literacy rate is 59.5 percent. The country has a median age of 22.3 years. Bhutan has a life expectancy of 62.2 years (61 for males and 64.5 for females) according to the latest data from the World Bank. There are 1,070 males to every 1,000 females in the country.

Religion

{{bar box | title=Religions of Bhutan | left1=religion | right1=percent | float=right | bars = }} It is estimated that between two thirds and three quarters of the Bhutanese population follow Vajrayana Buddhism, which is also the state religion. About one quarter to one third are followers of Hinduism. Other religions account for less than 1% of the population. The current legal framework, in principle guarantees freedom of religion; proselytism, however, is forbidden by a royal government decision.

Buddhism was introduced to Bhutan in the 7th century AD. Tibetan king Srongtsen Gampo (reigned 627–49), a convert to Buddhism, ordered the construction of two Buddhist temples, at Bumthang in central Bhutan and at Kyichu (near Paro) in the Paro Valley.

Languages

Bhutanese, or Dzongkha, is the language of the Ngalop. It is a Southern Tibetan language that is partially intelligible with Sikkimese and spoken natively by 25% of the population. Tshangla, the language of the Sharchop and the principal pre-Tibetan language of Bhutan, is spoken by a greater number of people. It is not easily classified and may constitute an independent branch of Tibeto-Burman. Nepali speakers constituted some 40% of the population as of 2006. The larger minority languages are Dzala (11%), Limbu (10%, immigrant), and Kheng (8%). There are no reliable sources for the ethnic or linguistic composition of Bhutan, so these numbers do not add up to 100%.

Culture

Bhutan has a rich and unique cultural heritage that has largely remained intact because of its isolation from the rest of the world until the early 1960s. One of the main attractions for tourists is the country's culture and traditions. Bhutanese tradition is deeply steeped in its Buddhist heritage. Hinduism is the second dominant religion in Bhutan, being most prevalent in the southern regions. The government is increasingly making efforts to preserve and sustain the current culture and traditions of the country. Because of its largely unspoiled natural environment and cultural heritage, Bhutan has been referred to as ''The Last Shangri-la''.

While Bhutanese citizens are free to travel abroad, Bhutan is viewed as inaccessible by many foreigners. There is a widespread misconception that Bhutan has set limits on tourist visas. Another reason for it being an unpopular destination is the cost, which is high for tourists on tighter budgets. Entry is free for citizens of India and Bangladesh, but all other foreigners are required to sign up with a Bhutanese tour operator and pay around $200 per day that they stay in the country.

The national dress for Bhutanese men is the ''gho'', a knee-length robe tied at the waist by a cloth belt known as the ''kera''. Women wear an ankle-length dress, the ''kira'', which is clipped at one shoulder and tied at the waist. An accompaniment to the kira is a long-sleeved blouse, the ''toego'', which is worn underneath the outer layer. Social status and class determine the texture, colours, and decorations that embellish the garments. Differently coloured scarves and shawls are important indicators of social standing, as Bhutan has traditionally been a feudal society. Jewellery is mostly worn by women, especially during religious festivals (tsechus) and public gatherings. To strengthen Bhutan's identity as an independent country, Bhutanese law requires all Bhutanese citizens to wear the national dress in public areas and as formal wear.

Rice, buckwheat, and increasingly maize, are the staples of Bhutanese cuisine. The local diet also includes pork, beef, yak meat, chicken, and mutton. Soups and stews of meat and dried vegetables spiced with chillies and cheese are prepared. ''Ema datshi,'' made very spicy with cheese and chilies, might be called the national dish for its ubiquity and the pride that Bhutanese have for it. Dairy foods, particularly butter and cheese from yaks and cows, are also popular, and indeed almost all milk is turned to butter and cheese. Popular beverages include butter tea, tea, locally brewed ''ara'' (rice wine) and beer. Bhutan is the only country in the world to have banned the sale of tobacco under its Tobacco Act of 2010.

''Rigsar'' is an emerging style of popular music in Bhutan, played on a mix of traditional instruments and electronic keyboards, and dates back to the early 1990s; it shows the influence of Indian popular music, a hybrid form of traditional and Western popular influences. Traditional genres include the ''zhungdra'' and ''boedra''.

Characteristic of the region is a type of castle fortress known as the dzong. Since ancient times, the dzongs have served as the religious and secular administration centres for their respective districts.

Bhutan has numerous public holidays, most of which centre around traditional seasonal, secular and religious festivals. They include the winter solstice (around January 1, depending on the lunar calendar), the lunar New Year (February or March), the King's birthday and the anniversary of his coronation, the official start of monsoon season (September 22), National Day (December 17), and various Buddhist and Hindu celebrations.

Masked dances and dance dramas are common traditional features at festivals, usually accompanied by traditional music. Energetic dancers, wearing colourful wooden or composition face masks and stylized costumes, depict heroes, demons, dæmons, death heads, animals, gods, and caricatures of common people. The dancers enjoy royal patronage, and preserve ancient folk and religious customs and perpetuate the ancient lore and art of mask-making.

Inheritance in Bhutan generally goes in the female rather than the male line. Daughters will inherit their parents' house. A man is expected to make his own way in the world and often moves to his wife's home. Love marriages are common in urban areas, but the tradition of arranged marriages is still common in the villages. Although uncommon, polygamy is accepted, often being a device to keep property in a contained family unit rather than dispersing it. The previous king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who abdicated in 2006, had four queens, all of whom are sisters.

The University of Texas at El Paso in the United States has adopted Bhutanese architecture for its buildings on campus, as have the nearby Hilton Garden Inn and other buildings in the city of El Paso.

Sports

Bhutan's national sport is archery, and competitions are held regularly in most villages. It differs from Olympic standards in technical details such as the placement of the targets and atmosphere. There are two targets placed over 100 meters apart and teams shoot from one end of the field to the other. Each member of the team shoots two arrows per round. Traditional Bhutanese archery is a social event and competitions are organized between villages, towns, and amateur teams. There are usually plenty of food and drink complete with singing and dancing. Attempts to distract an opponent include standing around the target and making fun of the shooter's ability. Darts (''khuru'') is an equally popular outdoor team sport, in which heavy wooden darts pointed with a 10 cm nail are thrown at a paperback-sized target 10 to 20 meters away.

Another traditional sport is the ''Digor'', which resembles the shot put and horseshoe throwing. Cricket has gained popularity in Bhutan, particularly since the introduction of television channels from India. The Bhutan national cricket team is one of the more successful affiliate nations in the region. Football is also an increasingly popular sport. In 2002, Bhutan's national football team played Montserrat, in what was billed as The Other Final; the match took place on the same day Brazil played Germany in the World Cup final, but at the time Bhutan and Montserrat were the world's two lowest ranked teams. The match was held in Thimphu's Changlimithang National Stadium, and Bhutan won 4–0. A documentary of the match was made by the Dutch filmmaker Johan Kramer.

Traffic and transport

Paro Airport is the only international airport in Bhutan. Yongphulla Airport in Trashigang is a small domestic airport that underwent upgrades through 2010. Yongphulla Airport was scheduled for completion in January 2010, but as of August 2011 work is still ongoing. There are plans for further domestic airports to be built at Bathpalathang in Bumthang District and at Gelephu in Sarpang District, which were due to start operations in June 2011.

The Lateral Road is Bhutan's primary east-west corridor, connecting Phuentsholing in the southwest to Trashigang in the east. In between, the Lateral Road runs directly through Wangdue Phodrang, Trongsa, and other population centers. The Lateral Road also has spurs connecting to the capital Thimphu and other major population centers such as Paro and Punakha. As with other roads in Bhutan, the Lateral Road presents serious safety concerns due to pavement conditions, sheer drops, hairpin turns, weather, and landslides.

See also

References

; Cited sources

}}

Further reading

— PDF version

External links

Bhutan Links at the National Library of Bhutan

Category:Constitutional monarchies Category:Landlocked countries Category:Least developed countries Category:Member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Category:South Asian countries Category:States and territories established in 1949 Category:Member states of the United Nations

ace:Bhutan af:Bhoetan als:Bhutan ar:بوتان an:Bután roa-rup:Bhutan frp:Botan as:ভূটান ast:Bután az:Butan bjn:Bhutan bn:ভুটান zh-min-nan:Bhutan be:Бутан be-x-old:Бутан bh:भूटान bcl:Butan bi:Bhutan bar:Bhutan bo:འབྲུག་ཡུལ། bs:Butan (država) br:Bhoutan bg:Бутан ca:Bhutan cv:Бутан (патшалăх) ceb:Bhutan cs:Bhútán cy:Bhutan da:Bhutan de:Bhutan dv:ބޫޓާން nv:Iiʼniʼ Tłʼiishtsoh Bikéyah dz:འབྲུག་ཡུལ་ et:Bhutan el:Μπουτάν es:Bután eo:Butano ext:Bután eu:Bhutan fa:بوتان (کشور) hif:Bhutan fo:Butan fr:Bhoutan fy:Bûtan ga:An Bhútain gag:Butan gd:Butàn gl:Bután - འབྲུག་ཡུལ gu:ભૂતાન xal:Бутанмудин Нутг ko:부탄 haw:Butana hy:Բութան hi:भूटान hsb:Bhutan hr:Kraljevina Butan io:Bhutan bpy:ভুটান id:Bhutan ia:Bhutan ie:Bhutan os:Бутан (паддзахад) is:Bútan it:Bhutan he:בהוטן jv:Bhutan kn:ಭೂತಾನ್ pam:Bhutan ka:ბჰუტანი ks:भूटान csb:Bhutan kk:Бутан Патшалығы kw:Bhoutan rw:Butani ky:Бутан sw:Bhutan kv:Бутан ht:Boutan ku:Bûtan (dewlet) la:Bhutan lv:Butāna lb:Bhutan lt:Butanas lij:Bhutan li:Bhoetaan ln:Butáni lmo:Bhutan hu:Bhután mk:Бутан ml:ഭൂട്ടാൻ mt:Butan mr:भूतान arz:بوتان ms:Bhutan mn:Бутан my:ဘူတန်နိုင်ငံ nah:Butan na:Bhutan nl:Bhutan ne:भूटान ja:ブータン nap:Bhutan pih:Buuten no:Bhutan nn:Bhutan nov:Butan oc:Botan or:ଭୁଟାନ uz:Bhutan pnb:بھوٹان ps:بهوټان pms:Bhutan tpi:Bhutan nds:Bhutan pl:Bhutan pt:Butão crh:Butan ro:Bhutan rm:Bhutan qu:Butan ru:Бутан sah:Бутан se:Bhután sco:Bhutan stq:Bhutan sq:Butania scn:Bhutan simple:Bhutan ss:IBhuthani sk:Bhután sl:Butan (država) so:Butaan ckb:بووتان sr:Бутан sh:Butan (država) su:Bhutan fi:Bhutan sv:Bhutan tl:Butan ta:பூட்டான் tt:Бутан te:భూటాన్ th:ประเทศภูฏาน tg:Бутон tr:Bhutan udm:Бутан (кун) uk:Бутан ur:بھوٹان ug:بۇتان vi:Bhutan vo:Butän fiu-vro:Bhutan war:Butan wo:Butaan wuu:不丹 yo:Bhùtán zh-yue:不丹 diq:Butan bat-smg:Butans zh:不丹

Coordinates	21°58′30″N96°5′0″N
Name	Jenni Rivera
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Dolores Janney Jennifer Rivera Saavedra
Birth date	July 02, 1969
Origin	Long Beach, California
Label	Fonovisa, Universal
Associated acts	Lupillo Rivera
Website	Jenni }}

Jennifer "Jenni" Rivera (born July 2, 1969) is a Mexican-American singer, better known for her work within the banda and norteña music genres. She's been active in the music scene since 1992 and her recordings include many topical songs and material dealing with social issues, infidelity, and relationships. Her tenth studio album, ''Jenni'' in 2008, became her first number-one album in the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums chart in the United States.

Jenni Rivera plans to record her first Pop song in early 2012 which will feature music produced by Manny and Gil THE LATIN. The new material will be recorded in English and target the general market.

Early Life and Career

Rivera was born Dolores Janney Jennifer Rivera Saavedra in Long Beach, CA. Her parents were Mexican immigrants who raised Jenni and her four brothers and sister (including Lupillo Rivera) in a tight-knit musical household. While still in high school she became pregnant with the first of her five children, and eventually married the child's father, José Trinidad Marín

When she first started singing she was Jenni "La Fea" Rivera.

In 1996 she released her first album ''Chacalosa'', on the Capitol/EMI label, which became popular in Mexico and the American Southwest.

Achievements

Jenni Rivera is a Mexican-American singer/songwriter raised in Long Beach, has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Rivera was nominated at the 2003, 2008 and 2010 Latin Grammys. A successful Regional-Mexican artist and entrepreneur, including Divina Realty, Divina Cosmetics, Jenni Rivera Fragrance, Jenni Jeans, Divine Music and The Jenni Rivera Love Foundation. Jenni Rivera became the first female Banda artist to sell-out a concert at the world famous Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA and most recently became the first artist up-to-date to sell-out two back-to-back nights at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California on August 6, 2010 and August 7, 2010. On August 6, 2010, Jenni Rivera was named spokeswomen for the National Coalition against battered women and domestic violence in Los Angeles. A proclamation was given "officially naming" August 6 “Jenni Rivera day” by the LA City Council for all her charity work and involvement in the community. Jenni Rivera was also the producer to her oldest daughter's (Janney Marin) reality TV show on the cable network MUN2, "Chiquis & Raq-C". is all around the world. And now stars in her sequel/spin-off show called I Love Jenni. Gerardo Reyes is often credited for changing her fashion image to appeal to a greater public.

Discography

''Studio albums''

1995: ''Chacalosa''

1999: ''Si Quieres Verme Llorar''

1999: ''Reina de Reinas''

2000: ''Que Me Entierren con la Banda''

2001: ''Se Las Voy a Dar a Otro''

2001: ''Dejate Amar''

2004: ''Simplemente... la Mejor''

2005: ''Parrandera, Rebelde y Atrevida''

2007: ''Mi Vida Loca''

2008: ''Jenni''

2009: ''La Gran Señora''

2010: ''En Vivo Desde Hollywood''

''Compilation albums

1996: ''17 Exitos''

2003: ''Homenaje a las Grandes''

2009: ''Jenni Super Deluxe''

References

External links

Jenni on Sports Town Chicago

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:American musicians of Mexican descent Category:Banda Category:American people of Mexican descent Category:People from Long Beach, California

es:Jenni Rivera

Coordinates	21°58′30″N96°5′0″N
name	Katy Perry
background	solo_singer
birth name	Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
alias	Katy Hudson
birth date	October 25, 1984
birth place	Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
genre	Pop, rock, gospel
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
years active	2001–present
label	Red Hill, Island, Columbia, Capitol
website	}}

Katy Perry (born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson; October 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents. Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a career in music. As Katy Hudson, she released a self-titled gospel album in 2001, which was unsuccessful. She later recorded an album with production team The Matrix and completed the majority of a solo album from 2004–05, the later of which was never released. Perry is the first female artist to get five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in one year.

After signing with Capitol Music Group in 2007, her fourth record label in seven years, she adopted the stage name Katy Perry and released her first Internet single "Ur So Gay" that November, which garnered public attention but failed to chart. She rose to fame with the release of her second single "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008, which went on to top international charts. Perry's first mainstream studio album ''One of the Boys'' followed later that year and subsequently became the 33rd-best selling album worldwide of 2008. It was accredited platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, while "I Kissed a Girl" and her second single "Hot n Cold" both received multi-platinum certifications.

Her second studio album ''Teenage Dream'' was released in August 2010 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album included the Billboard chart-toppers "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework", and "E.T." and most recently "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". The album produced five Hot 100 toppers, making ''Teenage Dream'' only the second album—after Michael Jackson's ''Bad''—to do so. With "E.T." at number one on the chart of May 12, 2011, Perry became the first artist in history to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Perry was a guest judge on the seventh series of British television show ''The X Factor'', has released a fragrance called "Purr", and voices Smurfette in the 2011 film ''The Smurfs''. Perry had a long relationship with Travie McCoy; she married Russell Brand on October 23, 2010.

Early life and career

1984–2006: Early life and career beginnings

Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in Santa Barbara, California to Keith, a West Coast scenester in the 1960s, and Mary Hudson (née Perry), an evangelist who grew up in Southern California and had "a tempestuous first marriage in Zimbabwe". Perry has German, Portuguese, Irish, and English ancestry. She is the second child of two pastors. She has an older sister and younger brother. Perry's mother's aunt and uncle were screenwriter Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry.

Perry was incorporated into her parents' ministry and sang in their church between the ages of nine and seventeen. She grew up listening to gospel music, was not allowed to listen to what her mother called "secular music", and attended Christian schools and camps. As a child, Perry learned how to dance in a recreation building in Santa Barbara. She was taught by seasoned dancers and began with swing, Lindy Hop, and jitterbug. She took her GED after her freshman year at Dos Pueblos High School and decided to leave school in the pursuit of a career in music. Perry initially started singing "because [she] was at that point in [her] childhood where [she] was copycatting [her] sister and everything she [would do]." Her sister practiced with cassette tapes, while Perry took the tapes herself when her sister was not around. She rehearsed the songs and performed them in front of her parents, who suggested she take vocal coaching. She grabbed the opportunity and began taking lessons at the age of nine and continued until she was sixteen. She later enrolled in at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and studied Italian opera for a short period of time.

At the age of 15, Perry's singing in church attracted the attention of rock veterans from Nashville, Tennessee, who brought her there to polish her writing skills. In Nashville, Perry started recording demos and was taught by country music veterans on how to craft songs and play guitar. Perry signed to the Christian music label Red Hill, under which she recorded her first album at the age of 15. Performing as Katy Hudson, she released the self-titled Gospel-rock album in 2001. The album was unsuccessful, however, after the label ceased operations at the end of 2001. She later changed her surname to Perry, her mother's maiden name, because "Katy Hudson" was too close to film actress Kate Hudson.

At the age of 17, Perry left her home for Los Angeles, where she worked with Glen Ballard on an album for record label Island. Growing up listening to mostly gospel music, Perry had few references when she began recording songs. Asked by the producer with whom she would like to collaborate, Perry had no idea. That night, she went with her mother to a hotel. Inside, she turned on VH1 and saw producer Glen Ballard talking about Alanis Morissette; Ballard produced Morissette's ''Jagged Little Pill'', which had had a "huge influence" on Perry. She expressed interest in working with Ballard to her initial collaborator, who arranged a meeting for her with Ballard in Los Angeles. Perry presented one her songs to Ballard, and received a call back a day later. Ballard then helped Perry develop her songwriting over the next few years. The album was due for release in 2005, but ''Billboard'' reported it also went nowhere. Perry was dropped by The Island Def Jam Music Group. Some of Perry and Ballard's collaborations included "Box", "Diamonds" and "Long Shot", were posted on her official MySpace page. "Simple", one of the songs she recorded with Ballard, was released on the soundtrack to the 2005 film ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants''.

Perry signed to Columbia Records in 2004. However, the label was not amenable with her vision, not putting her in the "driver's seat". Instead, one of Columbia's ideas was to pair Perry with the record production team The Matrix, who was working on an album, to serve as its female vocalist. Although the album was later shelved, she caught the attention of the music press: Her burgeoning music career led to her being named "The Next Big Thing" in October 2004 by ''Blender'' magazine. With no album project ongoing, Perry began recording her own. Eighty percent completed, however, Columbia decided not to finish it and dropped her off the label. While waiting to find another label, she worked in an independent A&R; company called Taxi Music. In 2006, Perry was featured in the tail-end of the video to P.O.D.'s single "Goodbye for Now". She made a cameo appearance in Carbon Leaf's video, "Learn to Fly". She also appeared in other videos like Timbaland's "If We Ever Meet Again" and more. There were other videos she was included in too.

2007–09: ''One of the Boys'' and ''MTV Unplugged''

While in the process of being dropped by Columbia in 2006, the company's publicity executive Angelica Cob-Baehler enthusiastically recommended Perry to Virgin Records chairman Jason Flom. At the time Flom was leading a complete revival in fortunes at the label and looking to crown recent achievements by breaking a global pop act. Despite mixed reactions from fellow Virgin executives, Flom became convinced that Perry could be that breakthrough star, and at the start of 2007 extended discussions with Columbia resulted in Katy Perry signing to the newly created Capitol Music Group, a merger between Virgin and Capitol. As part of the deal, the label secured the masters to the unfinished album, recorded while at Columbia, that would go on form a significant part of her official mainstream debut album, ''One of the Boys''. The Columbia recordings were seen by Flom as being "very strong but lacking an undeniable smash or two that would work both at U.S. pop radio and internationally" and so one of the executive's first actions after completing the signing was to set up a collaboration between Perry and the writer-producer Dr. Luke. The results were the songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold". Establishing her image was one of the immediate concerns of her management. A campaign was started in November 2007 with the release of the video to "Ur So Gay", aimed at introducing her to the music market. A digital EP led by "Ur So Gay" was later released to create online buzz and press story. This was a successful move that resulted in bringing Perry to the attention of Madonna, who mentioned her on KISS FM and KRQ's ''JohnJay & Rich'' morning show in Arizona. On March 10, 2008, she appeared as herself on the ABC Family television series, ''Wildfire'', on the episode "Life's Too Short".

She went on the next step of promoting the album, undertaking a two-month tour of radio stations. The album's official lead single, "I Kissed a Girl", was released on May 6, 2008. Perry's A&R;, Chris Anokute, told HitQuarters the song and its controversial theme met with strong resistance at the label, "People said, 'This is never going to get played on the radio. How do we sell this? How’s this going to be played in the bible belt?'" Anokute said that they needed the support of one of the label's radio promoters to convince people to believe in the record otherwise Perry would have likely been dropped again. Capitol's SVP of Promotions Dennis Reese saw the vision and helped push the single on national radio. The first station to pick it up and take a chance was The River in Nashville. After playing it for three days they were innundated with enthusiastic calls. With the song climbing atop the charts, Perry embarked on the annual Warped Tour music festival, which her management used to "establish her as a credible performer and make sure she wasn't seen as just a one-hit wonder." The single was a commercial success, peaking at number one for seven weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It has since become a major worldwide hit, topping charts in 30 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. On June 12, 2008, Perry appeared as herself on the daytime soap opera ''The Young and the Restless'', posing for the cover to the June 2008 issue of the fictional magazine ''Restless Style''. Perry also performed backing vocals on the song, "Another Night in the Hills" from Gavin Rossdale's 2008 solo album ''Wanderlust''.

''One of the Boys'' was released on June 17, 2008 to mixed critical reviews. The album has reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200, and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Perry released her second single, "Hot n Cold", which became her second top three single in dozens of countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Germany, Canada, and Denmark. After Perry wrapped up her appearance at the Warped Tour, she went on tours in Europe. She later launched her first headlining tour, the Hello Katy Tour, in January 2009. "I Kissed a Girl" earned Perry a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Perry was nominated in five categories at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Video, but lost to Britney Spears. She won Best New Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, which she co-hosted, and Best International Female Artist at the 2009 BRIT Awards. On February 9, 2009, both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold" were certified three-time platinum by Recording Industry Association of America for individual digital sales of over three million. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Perry in its 2010 version as the "Best Start on the US Digital Chart by a Female Artist," for having her first two singles sell over two million digital copies.

The Matrix's self-titled debut album, which features Perry, was later released via the team's label, Let's Hear It, during Perry's solo tour. When the release date was scheduled, "I Kissed a Girl" had been charting well. Matrix member Lauren Christy spoke to Perry about the decision, but she wanted to hold the release until the fourth single of ''One of the Boys'' had been dispatched. Despite their communication, ''The Matrix'' was released on January 27, 2009, via iTunes Store. thumb|left|upright|Perry performing in June 2009 In December 2008, Perry apologized to British singer Lily Allen for remarks in which she called herself a "skinnier version" of her, saying she meant it as a joke. Allen retaliated and told a British radio station that she "happen[ed] to know for a fact that she [Perry] was an American version" of her because their record company needed "to find something controversial and 'kooky'" like her.

On May 16, 2009, Perry performed at the opening ceremony of the annual Life Ball in Vienna, Austria. In June 2009, lawyers acting for Katy Perry opposed the recent trademark of Australian fashion designer Katie Perry who uses her own name to market loungewear. Some media outlets reported this as a lawsuit, which Katy Perry has denied on her blog. Katie Perry the designer reports on her blog that at a hearing with IP Australia on July 10, 2009, the singer's lawyers withdrew their opposition to the trademark. During the summer of 2009 Perry filmed a cameo appearance for ''Get Him to the Greek''; her scene, in which she kisses her future fiancé Russell Brand was cut, and does not appear in the final film. Discussing the issue with MTV, Perry hypothesized there may have been some fear that seeing the two make out would have taken viewers out of the experience. In 2009, Perry was featured on two singles: a remix of Colorado-based band 3OH!3's song "Starstrukk" in August (the idea for the collaboration came after Perry's tour that featured 3OH!3 as the supporting act). The song was released over iTunes on September 8, 2009; and "If We Ever Meet Again", the fourth single off Timbaland's album ''Shock Value II'' in December. In October 2009, ''MTV Unplugged'' revealed that Perry was one of the artists to perform for them, and that she would be releasing a live album of the performance, including two new tracks, "Brick by Brick" and Fountains of Wayne cover "Hackensack". The album was released on November 17, and includes both a CD and a DVD.

2010–present: ''Teenage Dream'' and Film debut

Perry appeared as a guest judge alongside Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh during the Dublin audition stage of the seventh series of the British television show ''The X Factor'' on June 28, 2010 (later televised on August 28). She was one of the many celebrities chosen to fulfil the role of judge whilst Dannii Minogue was on maternity leave. She later returned to the show on October 17 to perform "Firework". Perry's second mainstream studio album was titled ''Teenage Dream'' and was released in August 2010. The first single from the album was titled "California Gurls". The single peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the fastest rising single from a Capitol Records artist since Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" in 1967. The cover art for ''Teenage Dream'' is a painting by Will Cotton in which depicts Perry lying naked on clouds of cotton candy; resembling the shots of Perry in the video for "California Gurls". The booklet of the physical edition of the album, in keeping with the theme of cotton candy, has a cotton candy scent. The album's second single "Teenage Dream" was released in July 2010. "Firework" is the album's third single.

Perry appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010. She was nominated for two awards, including the Best Female Video and Best Pop Video for "California Gurls", and presented the award of "Best Male Video" with Nicki Minaj to Eminem. On September 14, she returned to her old high school, Dos Pueblos High School, where she performed a short set for the school's students. Perry performed "Hot n Cold" with Elmo from ''Sesame Street'', which was originally to appear on the forty-first-season premiere of the educational children's program on September 27, 2010. However, four days before the scheduled airing, Sesame Workshop announced, "In light of the feedback we've received on the Katy Perry music video ... we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of ''Sesame Street'', which is aimed at preschoolers. Katy Perry fans will still be able to view the video on YouTube." The main reason was that parents complained about what appeared to be a great amount of cleavage shown by her dress. Perry shot the video for ''Firework'' in Budapest in September 2010. An open casting call drew an unprecedented 38,000 applicants. She proceeded to perform at a concert in Budapest on October 1, her first concert in Central and Eastern Europe. Perry released a perfume named "Purr" in November. It comes in a cat-shaped bottle, and is available through Nordstrom stores. ''Teenage Dream'' led Perry to nominations four awards at the 2011 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Teenage Dream", and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "California Gurls". Following the Grammys, Perry released "E.T." as the fourth single from the album. The single was a remixed version featuring Kanye West. The music video for "E.T." was directed by Floria Sigismondi and features Shaun Ross as the main love interest. In June 2011, Perry released the fifth single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)". A remixed version featuring American rapper Missy Elliot was released in early August. The single has topped U.S. download and radio charts. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on August 17, 2011, making Perry the first female artist ever to have five #1 singles from one album. Katy Perry appeared at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2011. She was nominated for ten awards, received the most nominations of the ceremony and was the only singer in history to have four different music videos shown on various categories, eventually winning three of those, including Video of the Year for "Firework", Best Collaboration and Best Special Effects for "E.T.".

On September 17, 2011, Perry hits the 69th consecutive weeks in the Top 10.

On September 23 she attended the opening day of the 2011 Rock in Rio festival, which was extended to October 2. During the show, produced one of the most striking scenes of the event, when he called to the scene ''Júlio César de Salvo'', a fan who was an anonymous until then. The man, who became known as "''Júlio de Sorocaba''", became an instant celebrity when he was "harassed" by the singer with a kiss, getting the opportunity to give back also one another. The fact made ​​headlines in most Brazilian television news programs, including the Fantástico and the Jornal Nacional, including therefore becoming a trend topic, not just in Twitter, but at Internet in general.

Artistry

Musical style and themes

Perry has a contralto vocal range. Perry's first album is of the gospel music genre. She related that her perspective in music was "a bit enclosed and very strict", and everything she did was church-related. Her second album, ''One of the Boys'', is described as "secular" and "rock," and reflects a departure from her religious musical roots. Her next album ''Teenage Dream'' featured more pop songs in the vein of ''Boys''. Among Perry's musical influences are Alanis Morissette, pop rockers Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Shirley Manson, and Freddie Mercury, the late frontman of the British band Queen. In her tribute to Mercury on what would have been his 65th birthday, Perry stated; "Without you I wouldn't be making music or doing what I do because your lyrics inspired me as a 15 year old girl." She was especially inspired by the Queen song, "Killer Queen" to pursue a career in pop music after her first album. She also described Morissette's album, ''Jagged Little Pill'' as having influenced her music profoundly; even going on to work with Morissette's collaborator on the album, Glen Ballard because of that.

Perry is artistically involved in her projects, especially in the writing process. Since she could play guitar, she would start writing songs at home and present it to her producers. Perry is mostly inspired by specific moments of her life. She said it is easy for her to write songs about heartbreak. Most of the themes in ''One of the Boys'' deal with heartbreak, teen adventure, and "puking into toilets". Perry's mother reportedly told British tabloid ''Daily Mail'' that she dislikes her daughter's music, calling it "shameful and disgusting". Perry said her mother was misquoted and told MTV that it was false information. Her songs "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl" have received negative reactions from both religious and gay sectors. The songs have been respectively labeled as being homophobic and promoting homosexuality, as well as "lez ploitational". MTV mentioned criticism suggesting that Perry is using "bi-curiosity" as a way to sell records. Perry responded to the controversy surrounding "Ur So Gay": "It's not a negative connotation. It's not, 'you're so gay,' like, 'you're so lame,' but the fact of the matter is that this boy should've been gay. I totally understand how it could be misconstrued or whatever ... It wasn't stereotyping anyone in particular, I was talking about ex-boyfriends."

Public image

Perry is known for her unconventional style of dress. It is often humorous, bright in color, and reminiscent of different decades, and she frequently used fruit-shaped accessories, mainly watermelon, as part of her outfits. Since the Teenage Dream era, Perry has included more glamorous and food-related outfits in her wardrobe. Having learned dancing at an early age, she fantasized about having her own style. Perry's transformation into an artist began with fashion, inspired by American film actress Dominique Swain's portrayal in 1997 film adaptation of the novel ''Lolita''. She defines her fashion style as "a bit of a concoction of different things". Johnny Wujek, Perry's stylist, described her style, upon meeting her for the first time, as "very colorful and vintage". Her fashion has caught the attention of designers. In June 2008, a publicity photo that showed Perry posing with a switchblade was criticized. The picture was defended as only an effort to give Perry a "sexy, harder edge". The criticism leveled at her was mocked by Perry who subsequently posed with a spoon instead. She has appeared in FHM Magazine's 100 Sexiest Women poll twice, ranking at No.23 in 2009 and No.37 in 2010.

She was ranked 7th in ''Rolling Stone'''s global Queen of Pop poll in July 2011.

Personal life

Perry has been generally associated with three men: Matt Thiessen, Travie McCoy, and Russell Brand. She dated Relient K frontman Matt Thiessen for a few years. Thiessen has worked on Teenage Dream. Perry dated Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy, whom she met in a recording studio in New York. They broke up in December 2008.

Perry first met British comedian Russell Brand in the summer of 2009 when Perry filmed a cameo appearance for Brand's film ''Get Him to the Greek''. Perry and Brand began dating after meeting again in September 2009 at the MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand, as host, remarked, "Katy Perry didn't win an award and she's staying at the same hotel as me, so she's gonna need a shoulder to cry on. So in a way, I'm the real winner tonight." The couple became engaged in December 2009 while vacationing in India. Perry stated that she plans to take dual British citizenship. "One of the first things I'll do is apply for dual citizenship. I'm not too sure if I have to take a test as I've not had time to look into it. But England is like my second home". Perry and Brand married on October 23, 2010 in a traditional Hindu ceremony near the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, India, where Brand had proposed.

In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' she said, "I am sensitive to Russell taking the Lord's name in vain and to Lady Gaga putting a rosary in her mouth. I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen."

Discography

''Katy Hudson'' (2001)

''One of the Boys'' (2008)

''Teenage Dream'' (2010)

Tours

Warped Tour 2008 (2008)

Hello Katy Tour (2009)

California Dreams Tour (2011)

Filmography

Television

!Year	!Title	!Role	Notes
	''''	Herself	Episode 8914
	Herself
	''American Idol''	Guest judge
	Guest judge
''Sesame Street''	Herself	Online special (deleted from televised episode due to viewer controversy)
''The Simpsons''	Herself	1 episode, "The Fight Before Christmas"
2011	''How I Met Your Mother''	Honey	1 episode, "Oh Honey"
2011	''America's Got Talent''	Guest Judge	July 27 (Season 6, Qtr Finals 3 results)

Films

!Year	!Title	!Role	class="unsortable"	Notes
	''Get Him to the Greek''	Herself	Deleted sceneUncredited
''Out in the Desert''	Herself	Post-production
	2011		Smurfette	Voice

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Official website

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from California Category:American bloggers Category:American Christians Category:American contraltos Category:American dance musicians Category:American female guitarists Category:American female pop singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of German descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:American pop rock singers Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Brit Award winners Category:Capitol Records artists Category:English-language singers Category:Female rock singers Category:Musicians from California Category:People from Santa Barbara, California Category:Singers from California Category:The X Factor judges

af:Katy Perry ar:كايتي بيري frp:Katy Perry az:Keti Perri bn:ক্যাটি পেরি bs:Katy Perry br:Katy Perry bg:Кейти Пери ca:Katy Perry cs:Katy Perry co:Katy Perry da:Katy Perry de:Katy Perry et:Katy Perry es:Katy Perry eo:Katy Perry eu:Katy Perry fa:کیتی پری fo:Katy Perry fr:Katy Perry gl:Katy Perry ko:케이티 페리 hy:Քեյթի Փերրի hi:कैटी पेरी hr:Katy Perry ilo:Kathy Perry id:Katy Perry is:Katy Perry it:Katy Perry he:קייטי פרי jv:Katy Perry kn:ಕೇಟಿ ಪೆರಿ la:Catia Perri lv:Keitija Perija lt:Katy Perry hu:Katy Perry mk:Кети Пери mn:Кэти Перри nl:Katy Perry ja:ケイティ・ペリー no:Katy Perry pl:Katy Perry pt:Katy Perry ro:Katy Perry ru:Перри, Кэти sq:Katy Perry simple:Katy Perry sk:Katy Perry sl:Katy Perry sr:Кејти Пери sh:Katy Perry fi:Katy Perry sv:Katy Perry tl:Katy Perry ta:கேட்டி பெர்ரி te:కాటి పెర్రీ th:เคที่ เพอร์รี tr:Katy Perry uk:Кеті Перрі vi:Katy Perry yi:קעטי פערי zh:姬蒂·佩芮

Coordinates	21°58′30″N96°5′0″N
name	Sylvie van der Vaart
birth name	Sylvie Meis
birth date	April 13, 1978
birth place	Breda, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
height
haircolor	Dark Blonde
eyecolor	Blue-Gray
measurements	34-28-34 (UK); 86-71-86 (EU)
agency	ANC Model Management
spouse	Rafael van der Vaart
website	http://www.sylvievdvaart.nl/ }}

Sylvie Françoise van der Vaart (''née'' Meis; born 13 April 1978), of Indo (Eurasian) descent from her fathers side , is a Dutch television personality and model, and wife of footballer Rafael van der Vaart.

Career

Netherlands

Aged 18, Meis decided that she wanted to be a model and was cast for various shoots by casting agencies. After becoming interested in television, she gained popularity through assignments at FoxKids and music station TMF. She hosts several events at TMF, such as presenting the annual TMF-awards, and conducting interviews with international artists such as Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue. In addition, she features in video clips and the Dutch TV-series ''Costa''. She also introduced the ''Pure by Sylvie'' jewellery line to the Dutch market. Thereafter, she hosted the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year award ceremony.

After being elected the Netherlands' Sexiest Female in 2003, she started a relationship with then-AFC Ajax footballer Rafael van der Vaart. Due in part to the fame from their individual careers, they soon become the Netherlands' most famous "soccer couple". Their fame grew after their marriage on 10 June 2005 and live coverage of the wedding on SBS6, a Dutch television channel, with the broadcast gaining high ratings in the Netherlands; Sylvie took Rafael's last name, van der Vaart.

Germany

Meis and her husband moved to Germany when he left Ajax to play for Bundesliga football club Hamburger SV. After her husband's 2008 transfer to Real Madrid, the van der Vaarts moved to Spain. Since 2008, she has been a judge on ''Das Supertalent'', the German version of Simon Cowell's ''Got Talent'' series. She is currently taking part in the third season of the German equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing, called ''Let's Dance''. On 17 April 2010, van der Vaart replaced the usual ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'' judge Nina Eichinger for the final of the 7th season, after the latter was stuck in Los Angeles following flight restrictions as a result of the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull. In March 2011 van der Vaart is going to host the show ''Let's Dance'' together with ''Daniel Hartwich''.

Along with famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters and Rudi Carell, van der Vaart is one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in Germany.

Personal life

Sylvie has been in a relationship with footballer Rafael van der Vaart since 2003. On 10 June 2005, Sylvie married Rafael and on 28 May 2006, their son Damián Rafael was born. Some of the media have described the couple as the "new Beckhams" but both of them denied the claims saying that they prefer to just live a normal life.

On 16 June 2009, she announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and had undergone surgery in May 2009. She has finished post-op chemotherapy and is cancer free. In the summer of 2009, Real Madrid wanted to sell Rafael van der Vaart, but the player decided to stay in Madrid because Sylvie was undergoing cancer treatments there. A year later, upon his move to England, Rafael stated ''"She had a very serious illness and it is true that she had to be treated at the Clinica Quiron. Last season, they wanted me to leave but I couldn't leave for that reason. Now she is well and the only thing that happened was that Madrid wanted to sell and I wanted to get back to enjoying playing football, and Tottenham are a great team that are going to give me the football opportunities that I need."''

References

External links

Official website

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Dutch Roman Catholics Category:Dutch television actors Category:Dutch female models Category:Footballers' wives and girlfriends Category:People from Breda Category:Idol series judges Category:Breast cancer survivors Category:Indo people

cs:Sylvie van der Vaart de:Sylvie van der Vaart es:Sylvie van der Vaart fy:Sylvie van der Vaart it:Sylvie van der Vaart mk:Силви ван дер Варт nl:Sylvie van der Vaart ro:Sylvie van der Vaart ru:Ван дер Варт, Сильвия vi:Sylvie van der Vaart

Coordinates	21°58′30″N96°5′0″N
playername	Rafael van der Vaart
fullname	Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart
dateofbirth	February 11, 1983
cityofbirth	Heemskerk
countryofbirth	Netherlands
height
position	Attacking midfielder
currentclub	Tottenham Hotspur
clubnumber	11
youthyears1	1993–2000
youthclubs1	Ajax
years1	2000–2005
years2	2005–2008
years3	2008–2010
years4	2010–
clubs1	Ajax
clubs2	Hamburger SV
clubs3	Real Madrid
clubs4	Tottenham Hotspur
caps1	117
goals1	52
caps2	74
goals2	29
caps3	58
goals3	11
caps4	30
goals4	13
nationalyears1	2001–
nationalteam1	Netherlands
nationalcaps1	90
nationalgoals1	17
pcupdate	5 February 2011
ntupdate	18 January 2011 }}

Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart () (born 11 February 1983) is a Dutch footballer who plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Dutch national team. His preferred position is as an attacking midfielder; he can, however, also operate in other positions, such as second striker. Van der Vaart began his career at AFC Ajax' famous youth academy and worked his way into the first team, debuting as a 17-year-old. He was named Dutch Football Talent of the Year and became the first recipient of the Golden Boy Award while at the club. He moved to German Bundesliga side Hamburger SV, then to Real Madrid, then on to Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the 2010–11 Premier League summer transfer window.

Van der Vaart is well known for his technical ability, the capacity to use both feet as well as his sometimes aggressive attitude on the Football pitch. Following his performances in the Premier League in the 2010-11 season with Tottenham Hotspur, van der Vaart was nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, along with team-mate and eventual winner, Gareth Bale.

Early life

Van der Vaart was born in Heemskerk to a Dutch father and a Spanish mother from Chiclana de la Frontera, Cádiz. Before joining AFC Ajax, he played for a local club called De Kennemers based in Beverwijk. He grew up on a caravan park living a "gypsy life" and often pretended to be Romário while playing football. He watched the English Premier League as a youth. It was at the caravan park that he learned how to play football and, at the age of 10, he joined the AFC Ajax Academy. Van der Vaart has said of his upbringing, "That was the way my family lived. My father was born there and it is a lifestyle. Maybe it is not a normal lifestyle but I always liked it. I always played football on the street. It was an easy life, then I was 10 years old and went to Ajax and played there for almost 12 years."

Club career

Ajax

Van der Vaart came through the ranks at Ajax with national teammates John Heitinga and Wesley Sneijder. Initially, he signed for Ajax on a trial basis as a ten-year-old, but was eventually enrolled permanently after impressing the coaches. At the age of 17, Van der Vaart made his debut for the Ajax senior side in a 1–1 draw with FC Den Bosch on 19 April 2000 in the 1999–00 season. In the 2000–01 season, Ajax manager Co Adriaanse increased Van der Vaart's playing time by moving him to the attacking midfielder position. He was voted as European Talent of the Year by Italian football website CalcioManager.

The next season, Van der Vaart suffered a serious knee injury and was out for several months. Shortly after returning to action, he re-injured the same knee on 2 April 2002, requiring an operation that involved the removal of his entire meniscus. He missed the rest of the season and finished with fourteen goals.

In 2002–03, Ajax won the Amsterdam Tournament, though injury limited Van der Vaart to 21 league appearances, in which he scored 18 goals. An injury forced him to miss the run-in to Ajax’s successful Eredivisie campaign and their Dutch Cup triumph against FC Utrecht in the 2001–02 season, but it did not stop him being named the Netherlands' Talent of the Year. And the following season, after his return to fitness, he scored a vital goal in the UEFA Champions League away to Olympique Lyonnais, which propelled Ajax into the knockout stages. Back on the domestic front, meanwhile, Van der Vaart scored an impressive 18 goals in 21 league games in the Eredivisie.

In 2003–04, he was once again an influential figure, as Ajax claimed another league title. By that stage, Van der Vaart had firmly established himself as one of the stars of the Ajax team, as well as one of the most popular players in the Netherlands.

Van der Vaart was named team captain by coach Ronald Koeman for the 2004–05 season. During an international match against Sweden on 18 August 2004, he was injured by then-Ajax teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović, which led to the sale of Ibrahimović to Juventus two weeks later, following controversial accusations that the Swede had intentionally tried to hurt Van der Vaart. As a result, Van der Vaart took Ibrahimović's spot as striker. His on-pitch performance suffered due to being played out of position and he was stripped of the team captaincy by Koeman as a result, while the media criticized him for being overweight and spending too much time in the Dutch nightlife with his then-fiancée, ''The Music Factory'' VJ Sylvie Meis.

In September, a league match against ADO Den Haag was temporarily halted by the officials due to incessant chants by opposing fans directed at Meis. The incident, coupled with his ongoing injury problems that resulted in an average of only 23 league appearances in five seasons with Ajax, led him to announce that he was leaving the club at the end of the year.

Hamburger SV

At this point, Van der Vaart's performances were attracting interest from some of Europe’s top clubs. He had previously been strongly linked to AC Milan, but in the summer of 2005, he signed for Bundesliga outfit Hamburger SV in Germany. Van der Vaart's €5.5 million transfer to Hamburg, on 1 June 2005, raised many eyebrows. Many other top-flight clubs had shown interest in the midfielder but he chose Hamburg. Ajax legend Johan Cruyff himself commented in his ''De Telegraaf'' column, "I don't know what to say about it or what Rafael van der Vaart is doing in Hamburg." He played a massive part in Hamburg’s impressive away form that season, scoring in each of their first four games on the road; in fact, in the course of his first one and a half seasons with the German club, they did not lose a single match away from home while he was on the pitch. Van der Vaart finished his first season as the team's top scorer as Hamburg finished third in the league and won the 2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup. He assumed the team captaincy for the 2006–07 season. The 2006-07 season proved to be a difficult one for his club, and despite Van der Vaart's three goals in the Champions League group stages, they made an early exit from the competition, while languishing for several months in the bottom half of the Bundesliga table. The arrival of Van der Vaart s countryman Huub Stevens as head coach, however, saw Hamburg march up the standings and they finished the season in a respectable seventh place, qualifying for, and also winning, the Intertoto Cup.

After garnering interest from Real Madrid from Spain, Van der Vaart responded by saying, "I am set to spend another season in Hamburg," of which he told ''Welt am Sonntag''. He further added, "Now we have the team to achieve something." In the 2007–08 season, Van der Vaart scored 12 league goals as Hamburg finished fourth in the league, while reaching the round of sixteen in the UEFA Cup. During the UEFA Cup away win at FC Zürich, he tore ankle ligaments and was out of action for several weeks. Despite interest from other clubs such as Chelsea and Valencia CF, he stated that he would stay at Hamburg until the end of the season, but opted out of signing a contract extension.

Real Madrid

Towards the end of the 2007–08 season, Van der Vaart was linked to a move to several clubs including Atlético Madrid and Juventus. Atlético made a €15 million bid for the Dutchman, which Hamburg rejected, and in the end, it was their cross-town rivals who got Van der Vaart's signature instead.

On 4 August 2008, Real Madrid and Hamburg reached a €13 million agreement for Van der Vaart's transfer, Real Madrid's only summer signing. He signed a five-year contract for an undisclosed amount. Van der Vaart debuted in a 2–1 preseason win, four days later, against Independiente Santa Fé, where he scored the tying goal and provided an assist.

He changed his squad number from 19 to his favored number 23 after teammate Wesley Sneijder took number 10 following Robinho's 31 August departure to Manchester City. He marked his league debut for Real Madrid with a strike against CD Numancia in a 4–3 victory. On 24 September, he scored his first career hat-trick in a 7–1 thrashing of Sporting de Gijón. In October 2008, Van der Vaart was one of the many La Liga players to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or, but the award eventually went to Manchester United forward and future teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. For the latter part of the 2008–09 season, Van der Vaart was mostly utilized as an impact substitute by coach Juande Ramos, which led to speculations of a fall-out between coach and player. Despite transfer rumors linking him with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool, he denied having any links with the English clubs.

In the summer of 2009, it was speculated that Van der Vaart would leave Real Madrid after being told he was not going to be part of the team's plans by coach Manuel Pellegrini. His number 23 jersey was even given to Esteban Granero in preseason, leaving him without a squad number. Towards the end of summer transfer window, however, he eventually came to an agreement with Real Madrid to stay with the club after the squad size had been reduced to 25 players as Dutch compatriots Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were forced to leave the club. Van der Vaart was handed his original number 23 jersey while Esteban Granero was given number 24. After a wait of four games, Van der Vaart was finally included in Pellegrini's squad list to face Villarreal CF on 23 September. An injury to Kaká gave Van der Vaart a chance to establish himself as a key player for ''Los Blancos'' again. On 20 December, he scored two goals on a 6–0 win against Real Zaragoza. Van der Vaart stated his desire to stay at Real Madrid, at least until the end of his contract.

Tottenham Hotspur

On 31 August 2010, two hours before the transfer window closed, Tottenham Hotspur made an offer of £8 million for Van der Vaart. According to Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, an £18 million transfer to Bayern Munich had collapsed the day before and Van der Vaart had suddenly become much cheaper, although such a price reduction was later denied by Real Madrid. Due to problems with computer servers used in the transaction between Tottenham and Real Madrid, preventing the necessary paperwork from being completed, Spurs requested special dispensation from the Premier League to allow the transfer to proceed. The Premier League confirmed on 1 September that the transfer had been permitted after they gave Tottenham special dispensation due to 'technical problems'. He signed a four-year contract at White Hart Lane. It was announced that Van der Vaart would wear the number 11 shirt for Spurs. Van der Vaart later denied speculation that he had been a failure at Real Madrid, claiming that he always gave his best over the last few years for both club and country, and that he wanted to show his quality for his new club.

Van der Vaart made his Premier League debut for Spurs in a 1–1 draw against West Bromwich Albion on 11 September 2010, and his Champions League bow for the club three days later against Werder Bremen, providing an assist for Peter Crouch in a 2–2 draw. Van der Vaart scored his first Premier League goal from the penalty spot in a 3–1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 18 September 2010. After starting his Spurs career by scoring three goals in four Premier League matches, and with a goal and an assist in two Champions League matches, Van der Vaart was named Goal.com World Player of the Week on 4 October 2010. He was later named Premier League Player of the Month for October. A hamstring injury kept Van der Vaart out of action for much of December, but he returned to the Tottenham side on Boxing Day, scoring twice in a 2–1 win away to Aston Villa. On April 20, van der Vaart revived Tottenham's Champions League ambitions by scoring twice to hold North London rivals Arsenal to a 3–3 draw at White Hart Lane. After losing to Manchester City and being knocked out of the Champions League race, Spurs traveled to Anfield. Van der Vaart scored from 25 yards out in a 2–0 win that put Tottenham in position to secure qualification for the Europa League.

International career

Rafael van der Vaart gained the notice of the youth team coaches and was called up for the youth squads. He played in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship with present senior teammates Maarten Stekelenburg and John Heitinga and former Real Madrid teammates Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Arjen Robben.

The 18-year-old Van der Vaart then made his senior international debut against Andorra on 6 October 2001. He was a member of the squads that participated in Euro 2004, Euro 2008, the 2006 World Cup and the 2010 World Cup. Despite figuring prominently in a number of qualifying stage matches, Van der Vaart has had a lack of luck when it came to the final tournament.

Euro 2004

A sub-par performance by the Dutch during their opening game of Euro 2004 persuaded former manager Dick Advocaat to change the side's formation into one which he felt the talented Van der Vaart did not fit in to. With Advocaat's new system seemingly working, Van der Vaart would be reduced to play a bit-part role at Euro 2004, as the ''Oranje'' reached the semi-finals.

2006 World Cup

Despite that setback, Van der Vaart produced some superlative performances in the Bundesliga the following season, and it seemed that Van der Vaart's turn to shine on the big stage was to finally come — at the 2006 World Cup. However, niggling injury problems resurfaced, and Van der Vaart was not risked by Dutch coach Marco van Basten for the opening World Cup encounter against Serbia and Montenegro. With victory in that opening game, the national team coach would once again decide to continue fielding a Van der Vaart-less lineup. And once again, van der Vaart was reduced to a bit-part role in the squad although since then he has become a more regular fixture in the starting XI.

Euro 2008

Van der Vaart was called up for Euro 2008 despite missing several qualification matches due to an ankle injury. As van Basten had decided to change their formation to 4–2–3–1, Van der Vaart was deployed in the midfield along with Wesley Sneijder and either Dirk Kuyt or Robin van Persie, behind lone striker Ruud van Nistelrooy to great effect. In the opening game of the competition, the Dutch team won 3–0 against the world champions Italy with Van der Vaart playing a role in the build-ups. Van Basten decided to field him again in the starting line-up in the next match against France; the ''Oranje'' later went on to win 4–1.

2010 World Cup

Despite enduring a torrid time at club level, Van der Vaart remained a first-choice player for van Basten's successor Bert van Marwijk in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. On 10 September 2008, he ended a 10-month goal drought with a vital strike against Macedonia in a 2–1 win. He ended the campaign with 2 goals and several important assists.

On 12 August 2009, Van der Vaart captained the Dutch in the absence of Giovanni van Bronckhorst in a friendly against England. He scored the second goal off a Gareth Barry mistake to put the Netherlands two goals up in the first half but Jermain Defoe netted a brace to seal a 2–2 draw.

Van der Vaart was in the starting line-up for the 3 group matches in the 2010 World Cup, against Denmark., Japan and Cameroon, but eventually lost his spot in the starting line-up to his recently recovered fellow midfielder Arjen Robben after being substituted in the match against Cameroon. He was brought off the pitch after giving away a penalty to Cameroon by blocking the ball with his arm from a free kick. However he made another appearance in the semi-final against Uruguay, after coming on for the injured Demy de Zeeuw. He helped Oranje win the match with 3-2, thus sending them to the final. He also played in the final against Spain, substituting Nigel de Jong just before injury time. Netherlands lost the game 1-0 to a goal from Andrés Iniesta. He was handed the captain's armband during the match, after Giovanni van Bronckhorst was substituted off.

International goals

{{Ig match | n = 1 | d1=6 September 2003 | st=De Kuip| ci=Rotterdam | co=Netherlands | o=AUT | sc=1–0 | fr=3–1 | comp=2004 UEQ }} {{Ig match | n = 2 | d1=10 September 2003 | st=Toyota Arena| ci=Prague | co=Czech Republic | o=CZE | sc=2–1 | fr=3–1 | comp=2004 UEQ}} {{Ig match | n = 3 | d1=11 October 2003 | st=Philips Stadion| ci=Eindhoven | co=Netherlands | o=MDA | sc=4–0 | fr=5–0 | comp=2004 UEQ}} {{Ig match | n = 4 | d1=1 June 2004 | st=Stade Olympique de la Pontaise| ci=Lausanne | co=Switzerland | o=FRO | sc=1–0 | fr=3–0 | comp=Friendly}} {{Ig match | n = 5 | d1=7 September 2005 | st=Philips Stadion| ci=Eindhoven | co=Netherlands | o=AND | sc=1–0 | fr=4–0 | comp=2006 WCQ}} {{Ig match | n = 6 | d1=8 October 2005 | st=Toyota Arena| ci=Prague | co=Czech Republic | o=CZE | sc=0–1 | fr=0–2 | comp=2006 WCQ}} {{Ig match | n = 7 | d1=15 November 2006 | st=Amsterdam ArenA| ci=Amsterdam | co=Netherlands | o=ENG | sc=1–1 | fr=1–1 | comp=Friendly}} {{Ig match | n = 8 | d1=7 February 2007 | st=Amsterdam ArenA| ci=Amsterdam | co=Netherlands | o=RUS | sc=4–1 | fr=4–1 | comp=Friendly}} {{Ig match | n = 9 | d1=2 June 2007 | st=Seoul World Cup Stadium| ci=Seoul | co=South Korea | o=KOR | sc=0–1 | fr=0–2 | comp=Friendly}} {{Ig match | n = 10 | d1=2 June 2007 | st=Seoul World Cup Stadium| ci=Seoul | co=South Korea | o=KOR | sc=0–2 | fr=0–2 | comp=Friendly}} {{Ig match | n = 11 | d1=6 June 2007 | st=Rajamangala Stadium| ci=Bangkok | co=Thailand | o=THA | sc=0–1 | fr=1–3 | comp=Friendly}} {{Ig match | n = 12 | d1=21 November 2007 | st=Dinamo Stadium (Minsk)| ci=Minsk | co=Belarus | o=BLR | sc=2–1 | fr=2–1 | comp=2008 UEQ}} {{Ig match | n = 13 | d1=10 September 2008 | st=Skopje City Stadium| ci=Skopje | co=Macedonia (country)Macedonia | o=MKD | sc=0–2 | fr=1–2 | comp=2010 WCQ}} {{Ig match | n = 14 | d1=1 April 2009 | st=Amsterdam ArenA| ci=Amsterdam | co=Netherlands | o=MKD | sc=4–0 | fr=4–0 | comp=2010 WCQ}} {{Ig match | n = 15 | d1=12 August 2009 | st=Amsterdam ArenA| ci=Amsterdam | co=Netherlands | o=ENG | sc=2–0 | fr=2–2 | comp=Friendly}} {{Ig match | n = 16 | d1=1 June 2010 | st=Feijenoord Stadion| ci=Rotterdam | co=Netherlands | o=GHA | sc=2–0 | fr=4–1 | comp=Friendly}} {{Ig match | n = 17 | d1=25 March 2011 | st=Stadium Puskás Ferenc | ci=Budapest | co=Hungary | o=HUN | sc=0–1 | fr=0–4 | comp=2012 UEQ}}

Outside football

On 10 June 2005, Van der Vaart married Sylvie van der Vaart (née Meis) and on 28 May 2006, their son Damián Rafael was born. Some of the media have described the couple as the "new Beckhams" but both of them denied the claims saying that they prefer to just live a normal life.

In the summer of 2009, Real Madrid wanted to sell Van der Vaart, but the player decided to stay in Madrid because his wife was undergoing cancer treatment there. A year later, upon his move to England, Van der Vaart stated, "She had a very serious illness and it is true that she had to be treated at the Clinica Quiron. Last season, they wanted me to leave but I couldn't leave for that reason. Now she is well and the only thing that happened was that Madrid wanted to sell and I wanted to get back to enjoying playing football, and Tottenham are a great team that are going to give me the football opportunities that I need."

Career statistics

Club

0 7 14 18 7 6 9 8 12 5 6 13 0

Club	Season	League	Cup	League Cup	Continental	Other	Total
!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
rowspan="7"	Ajax		1	|	0	0	–		0	0	–		1	0
2000–01 Eredivisie	2000–01	27	|	0	0	–		4	2	–		31	9
2001–02 Eredivisie	2001–02	20	|	0	0	–		5	1	–		25	14
2002–03 Eredivisie	2002–03	21	|	2	0	–		6	2	1	2	30	22
2003–04 Eredivisie	2003–04	26	|	1	0	–		7	1	–		34	8
2004–05 Eredivisie	2004–05	22	|	2	0	–		7	1	1	0	32	8
!Total	–!!29!!7!!2!!2!!153!!61
rowspan="4"	Hamburg		19	|	2	0	–		8	5	7	2	36	16
2006–07 Fußball-Bundesliga	2006–07	26	|	0	0	2	0	5	3	–		33	11
2007–08 Fußball-Bundesliga	2007–08	29	|	4	4	–		9	3	2	2	44	21
!Total	!74!!29!!6!!4!!2!!0!!22!!11!!9!!4!!113!!48
rowspan="3"	Real Madrid		32	|	1	0	–		7	0	2	0	42	5
2009–10 La Liga	2009–10	26	|	2	1	–		3	0	–		31	7
!Total	–
rowspan="2"	Tottenham Hotspur		28	|	1	0	0	0	7	2	–		36	15
2011–12 Premier League	2011–12	2	|	0	0	0	0	1	1
Career total	!278!!105!!15!!5!!2!!0!!67!!20!!14!!7!!376!!137

''Statistics accurate as of match played 15 May 2011''

International

|- |2001||1||0 |- |2002||2||0 |- |2003||10||3 |- |2004||13||1 |- |2005||9||2 |- |2006||5||1 |- |2007||10||5 |- |2008||14||1 |- |2009||10||2 |- |2010||14||1 |- |2011||2||1 |- !Total||90||17 |} ''Statistics accurate as of match played 9 April 2011''

Honours

Club

;AFC Ajax

Eredivisie (2): 2001–02, 2003–04

KNVB Cup (1): 2001-02

Johan Cruijff-schaal (1): 2002

;Hamburger SV

UEFA Intertoto Cup (2): 2005, 2007

;Real Madrid CF

Supercopa de España (1): 2008

International

;Netherlands

FIFA World Cup Runners-Up: 2010

Individual

Ajax Talent of the Year: 1999, 2000, 2001

Amsterdam Talent of the Year: 2000

Amsterdam Sportsman of the year: 2001

Amsterdam Tournament Most Valuable Player: 2001

Johan Cruijff Award: 2001

European Talent of the Year: 2002

Golden Boy Award: 2003

Premier League Player of the Month (1): October 2010

References

www.vandevaart.com

External links

Official website

Premier League profile

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:People from Heemskerk Category:Dutch footballers Category:AFC Ajax players Category:Hamburger SV players Category:Real Madrid C.F. players Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Category:Eredivisie players Category:Fußball-Bundesliga players Category:La Liga footballers Category:Premier League players Category:Netherlands international footballers Category:UEFA Euro 2004 players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:UEFA Euro 2008 players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:Dutch expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Germany Category:Dutch expatriates in Germany Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain Category:Dutch expatriates in Spain Category:Dutch people of Spanish descent

ar:رافائيل فان در فارت bg:Рафаел ван дер Ваарт ca:Rafael van der Vaart cs:Rafael van der Vaart da:Rafael van der Vaart de:Rafael van der Vaart et:Rafael van der Vaart es:Rafael van der Vaart eo:Rafael van der Vaart fa:رافائل فان در فارت fr:Rafael van der Vaart fy:Rafael van der Vaart ko:라파얼 판 데르 파르트 hr:Rafael van der Vaart id:Rafael van der Vaart it:Rafael van der Vaart he:רפאל ואן דר וארט ka:რაფაელ ვან დერ ვაარტი kk:Рафаэль ван дер Ваарт la:Raphael van der Vaart lv:Rafaels van der Vārts lt:Rafael van der Vaart hu:Rafael van der Vaart mr:राफेल व्हान डेर वार्ट mn:Рафаэль ван дер Варт nl:Rafael van der Vaart ja:ラファエル・ファン・デル・ファールト no:Rafael van der Vaart nn:Rafael van der Vaart pl:Rafael van der Vaart pt:Rafael van der Vaart ro:Rafael van der Vaart ru:Ван дер Варт, Рафаэл simple:Rafael van der Vaart sk:Rafael Van der Vaart sl:Rafael van der Vaart fi:Rafael van der Vaart sv:Rafael van der Vaart th:ราฟาเอล ฟาน เดอ ฟาร์ท tr:Rafael van der Vaart uk:Рафаель ван дер Варт vi:Rafael van der Vaart zh:拉菲爾·雲達華治