Gasa District or Gasa Dzongkhag ( Dzongkha : མགར་ས་རྫོང་ཁག་; Wylie : Mgar-sa rdzong-khag ) is one of the 20 dzongkhags (districts) comprising Bhutan. The capital of Gasa District is Gasa Dzong near Gasa . It is located in the far north of the county and spans the Middle and High regions of the Tibetan Himalayas. The dominant language of the district is Dzongkha , which is the national language. Related languages, Layakha and Lunanakha , are spoken by semi-nomadic communities in the north of the district. The People's Republic of China claims the northern part of Gasa District.
11-495: Gasa has an area of 3,117.74 km (1,203.77 sq mi) as of 2010, formerly 4,409.30 km (1,702.44 sq mi) as of 2002. It had a population of 3,116 as of the 2005 census, making it the largest, least populated, and thus least densely populated of all the dzongkhags; it is also the least developed district of Bhutan. Gasa was formerly a drungkhag (sub-district) of the Punakha dzongkhag (district). It became
22-471: A massive flood on the Mo Chhu (Female River) destroyed a popular hot spring complex, which is under restoration and was to re-open in late 2011. The high altitude makes farming difficult, although government programs seek to establish mustard and summer vegetable planting programs. Residents herd yaks and dzos , and a small number benefit from the nascent tourism industry. A narrow road from Punakha, which
33-538: A result, some gewogs within a given district were directly subordinate to dungkhags while others are directly subordinate to dzongkhags . Dungkhag Administrations guided and supported their constituent Gewog Administrations and implemented the decisions of the Dzongkhag Tshogdu. Dungpas were administrative executives that reported directly to the Dzongkhag administration. The Dungpa was empowered to attend
44-497: A separate dzongkhag in 1992, the start of 7th Five Year Plan . Gasa District is divided into four village blocks (or gewogs ): Gasa is bordered to the north by Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China and by Thimphu , Punakha , and Wangdue Phodrang dzongkhags to the south. Gasa has become a tourist destination because of its pristine forests and the exceptionally scenic location of its Dzong . In 2008
55-744: Is a sub-district of a dzongkhag (district) of Bhutan . The head of a dungkhag is a Dungpa . As of 2007, nine of the twenty dzongkhags had from one to three dungkhags, with sixteen dungkhags in total. Under Bhutan's first government Act of decentralization, the Dzongkhag Yargay Tshogdu Chathrim of 2002 Dungpas were given a non-voting seat on the Dzongkhag Yargay Tshogdu. Under the Local Government Act of 2007, dungkhags provided general administration and coordination for two or more gewogs. As
66-653: Is an environmentally protected area of Bhutan . Most parts of the dzongkhag lie within Jigme Dorji National Park ( Khamaed , Khatoed , Laya , Lunana Gewogs ), although the northeast reaches of Gasa are part of Wangchuck Centennial Park ( Lunana Gewog ). Several of Bhutan's glaciers are located in Gasa, namely in Lunana Gewog , which borders Tibet . Drungkhag Parliament Judiciary A dungkhag ( Dzongkha : དྲུང་ཁག ་ drungkhak )
77-577: Is mostly unpaved, reaches up to the Dzong and is now being extended up to Laya. The majority of the known herds of wild Takin occur in Gasa. Electricity is also being supplied to some of the gewogs and all electrification programs are expected to be completed by 2012. Gasa is most famous for its Layap people and the Snowman Trek , one of the most challenging treks in the Himalayas. All of Gasa
88-606: Is the court of first instance of the Royal Court of Justice in 14 of the 20 Dzongkhags of Bhutan. In the remaining 6 Dzongkhags there exists a further subdivision, Dungkhag , which is the basic level of judicial administration in those jurisdictions. The Chief Justice and Drangpons (Associate Justices) of the Dzongkhag Courts. Unlike the judges of the Supreme Court and High Court , they are not appointed by
99-614: The 20 dzongkhags; by 2005, there were 205. In 2007, Lhamoizingkha Dungkhag was formally transferred from Sarpang Dzongkhag to Dagana Dzongkhag , affecting the town of Lhamoizingkha and three constituent gewogs – Lhamoizingkha, Deorali and Nichula (Zinchula) – that formed the westernmost part of Sarpang and became the southernmost part of Dagana. Such changes are reflected in the list below. As of 2007, there were 16 dungkhags among nine of twenty Bhutanese dzongkhags . Dzongkhag Court Parliament Judiciary The Dzongkhag Court exists in each of Bhutan 's 20 Dzongkhags , and
110-594: The Dzongkhag Tshogdu. The repeal of the Local Government Act of 2007 means that although dungkhags are no longer legal administrative divisions, they remain judicial and law enforcement jurisdictions under the Constitution. The internal territorial divisions of Bhutan, including dungkhags and their constituent gewogs , are subject to alteration by the Government of Bhutan through creation, transfer, and merger. For example, in 2002, there were 199 gewogs in
121-659: The meetings of the Gewog Tshogdes as a non-voting member. In addition to administrative functions, Dungkhag Courts were codified under the Judicial Act of 2007 and Constitution of 2008 as a court of first instance within the judicial system of Bhutan . These courts are subordinate to Dzongkhag Courts . Under the Local Government Act of 2009 , the administrative status of dungkhags is eschewed, and Dungpas are not specified to attend meetings of
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