Sarpang District is one of the 20
dzongkhagA dzongkhag is an administrative and judicial district of Bhutan. The twenty dzongkhags of Bhutan are further divided into 205 gewogs. Some larger dzongkhags have one or more of an intermediate judicial division, known as dungkhags , which themselves comprise two or more gewogs...
s (districts) comprising
BhutanBhutan , 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...
.
Languages
The dominant language in Sarpang is
NepaliNepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
, an
Indo-EuropeanThe Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
language spoken by the heterogeneous
LhotshampaLhotshampa, or Lhotsampa, means "southerners" in Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan. The term refers to the heterogeneous ethnic Nepalese population of Bhutan.-History:...
community. The
East BodishThe East Bodish languages are those Bodish languages not covered by the name Tibetan, such as those spoken by the Monpa. They include:*Dakpa*Dzala*Bumthang *Tawang*Black Mountain Monpa .The most divergent is Dakpa...
Kheng language is also spoken in the northeastern reaches of the district.
Geography
Sarpang is currently divided into twelve
gewogA gewog, or geog refers to a group of villages in Bhutan. Gewogs form a geographic administrative unit below dzongkhag districts , and above thromde municipalities. Bhutan comprises 205 gewogs, which average 230 km² in area...
s:
- Chhuzagang Gewog
Chhuzagang Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
- Chhudzom Gewog
Chhudzom Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
- Dekiling Gewog
Dekiling Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
- Gakiling Gewog
Gakiling Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
- Gelephu Gewog
Gelephu Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan. Gelephu Gewog, together with Serzhong, Taklai, and Bhur Gewogs, belongs to Gelephu Dungkhag....
- Jigmechhoeling Gewog
Jigmechholing Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
- Samtenling Gewog
Samtenling Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
- Senghe Gewog
Senggey Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
- Serzhong Gewog
Sherzhong Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan. Serzhong Gewog, together with Bhur, Taklai, and Gelephu Gewogs, belongs to Gelephu Dungkhag....
- Shompangkha Gewog
Shompangkha Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
- Tareythang Gewog
Tareythang Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
- Umling Gewog
Umling Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
Environment
Much of Sarpang consists of environmentally protected areas. Far western Sarpang (
Senghe GewogSenggey Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
) contains part of the uninhabited
Phibsoo Wildlife SanctuaryThe Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary is the second-smallest national park in Bhutan, covering in western Sarpang District and southeastern Dagana District along the border with West Bengal. It is connected to Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park and Royal Manas National Park via a "biological corridor"...
along the India border. Northern Sarpang (
Jigmechhoeling GewogJigmechholing Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
) is part of
Jigme Singye Wangchuck National ParkJigme Singye Wangchuck National Park covers an area of in central Bhutan. The Park occupies most of Trongsa District, as well as parts of Sarpang, Tsirang, Wangdue Phodrang, and Zhemgang Districts. Jigme Singye abuts Royal Manas National Park to the southeast...
; eastern and southeastern Sarpang (
JigmechhoelingJigmechholing Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
,
TareythangTareythang Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
,
Umling GewogUmling Gewog is a gewog of Sarpang District, Bhutan....
s) lie within
Royal Manas National ParkRoyal Manas National Park is Bhutan's oldest national park, and the Royal government considers it the "conservation showpiece of the Kingdom" and a "genetic depository" for valuable plants. It has an area of and covers eastern Sarpang District, the western half of Zhemgang District, and western...
. Sarpang is bisected by a wide swath of biological corridor connecting all three environmentally protected areas.
History
On April 26th 2007 Lhamoy Zingkha
DungkhagA dungkhag is a sub-district of a dzongkhag of Bhutan. The head of a dungkhag is a Dungpa...
(sub-district) was formally transferred from Sarpang Dzongkhag to
Dagana DzongkhagDagana District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan...
, affecting the town of Lhamozingkha and three gewogs –
LhamoizingkhaLhamoy Zingkha Gewog is a gewog of Dagana District, Bhutan. It also comprises part of Lhamoy Zingkha Dungkhag , along with Deorali and Nichula Gewogs....
,
DeoraliDeorali Gewog is a former gewog of Dagana District, Bhutan. It also comprises part of Lhamoy Zingkha Dungkhag, along with Lhamoy Zingkha and Nichula Gewogs....
and
Nichula GewogNichula Gewog is a gewog of Dagana District, Bhutan. It also comprises part of Lhamoy Zingkha Dungkhag , along with Lhamoy Zingkha and Deorali Gewogs....
s (Zinchula) – that formed the westernmost part of Sarpang and became the southernmost part of Dagana.