inspite of being a small country, bhutan has a rich and diverse culture. as a country, it has quiet a few ethnic groups. broadly they can be divided in three main ethnic groups –

• tshanglas or sharchops – people of east and inhabitants of trashigang, mongar, pemagatshel, and samdrup jongkhar. tshanglas are considered bhutan’s earliest residents and their origins can be traced to the tibeto-burmese race. weaving is a popular occupation among their women and they produce beautiful fabrics mainly of silk and raw silk.
• ngalops – people from western and northern bhutan.  these people migrated later from tibet and bought with them vajrayana buddhism which is even practised today. dzongkha, the national language of bhutan, are mostly spoken by these people.
• lhotsampas –  inhabiting southern part are mostly people of nepalese origin. they speak nepali and practise hinduism.