Jigme Singye Wangchuck
4th King of Bhutan
Reign	21/24 July 1972 - 14 December 2006
Coronation	2 June 1974
Born	11 November 1955 (1955-11-11) (age 52)
	Dechenchholing Palace, Thimphu, Bhutan
Predecessor	Jigme Dorji Wangchuck
Successor	Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck
Consort	Ashi Dorji Wangmo, Ashi Tshering Yangdon, Ashi Tshering Pem, Ashi Sangay Choden
Father	Jigme Dorji Wangchuck

Jigme Singye Wangchuck (born November 11, 1955) was the fourth Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo) of Bhutan from 1972-2006. He acceded to the throne at the age of 16, in 1972, after the sudden death of his father, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. When he was formally crowned on June 2, 1974 he was the youngest monarch in the world and the coronation was noted for inviting foreign dignitaries, thus signalling the end of the long isolation of the country. He is also called "Druk Gyalpo," meaning "Dragon King". He was educated in Bhutan and the United Kingdom. Jigme Singye Wangchuck, (or in a pronunciation-based Romanization Jimi Singgê Wangchu) is the King of Bhutan. ... (Redirected from 21 July) July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Dechencholing Palace is located in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. ... View of Tashichoedzong, Thimphu Thimphu from Sangey Gang Thimphu (Tibetan script: ཐིམ་ཕུ་) is the capital of Bhutan, and also the name of the surrounding valley and dzongkhag, the Thimphu District. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck (born February 21, 1980) is the fifth Dragon King of Bhutan and head of the Wangchuck dynasty. ... Queen Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck of Bhutan, in St Peters College, Oxford, UK, attending the graduation ceremony of his son, His Royal Highness Dasho Jigel Ugen Wangchuck (on the left edge of the picture). ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Bhutanese rulers have styled themselves as Desi Druks (see dual system of government under Ngawang Namgyal), maharajas, and kings. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...

Singye continued his father's policies of slow modernization while still trying to preserve Bhutanese culture. In 1988 he instituted the policy of Driglam Namzha (Etiquette and Manners) which required all citizens to wear traditional clothing while in public, and established the requirement of teaching Dzongkha (the national language) in schools. In 1998, he voluntarily reduced the scope of his absolute powers, and began to formally rule with the advice of his government. In late 2003, he ordered Bhutan's first military campaign in well over a century, to oust Assamese separatists who were using Bhutanese territory to launch raids against targets in India (see History of Bhutan). Singye also coined the term Gross National Happiness, a concept which is used to help guide the economic and development plans of Bhutan. Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Dzongkha is the national language of the Kingdom of Bhutan. ... A national language is a language (or language variant, i. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the military sciences, a military campaign encompasses related military operations, usually conducted by a defense or fighting force, directed at gaining a particular desired state of affairs, usually within geographical and temporal limitations. ... , Assam (  ) (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a north eastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city Guwahati. ... “Separatists” redirects here. ... The history of Bhutan: // Archeological finds suggest the mountain valleys of Bhutan have been inhabited for several thousand years. ... Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define a standard of living in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product. ...

Singye is married to four queens (all of whom are sisters) and has five sons and five daughters. Several of his children have been educated abroad.

On December 17, 2005 he announced his intention to abdicate in 2008, leaving the throne to his son [2]. In a royal edict issued on December 14, 2006, the king announced that he would begin handing over power to his eldest son Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck immediately. On April 22, 2007, noting the centenary of the monarchy as an auspicious time to do so, he ordered parliamentary elections to be held the following year^[1]. December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up abdication in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the Crown Prince of Buthan. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Singye was named as one of Time magazine's 100 People Who Shape Our World in 2006. [3]. He appeared in the May 8, 2006 issue of Time. is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... “TIME” redirects here. ...

References

1. ^ Sengupta, Somini. "Line Up and Pick a Dragon: Bhutan Learns to Vote." New York Times. 24 April 2007. (Accessed 24 April 2007)[1]

The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

See also

• Champions of the Earth, 2005 award from United Nations Environment Programme
• Gross national happiness

The United Nations Environment Programme established Champions of the Earth in 2005 as an annual awards programme to recognize outstanding environmental leaders. ... Klaus Töpfer, former UNEP Exec. ... Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define a standard of living in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product. ...

External links

• The Royal Family of Bhutan
• Time Magazine's 100 People Who Shape Our World 2006: King Jigme Singye Wangchuk
• A Tribute to His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuk