Bhutia-Sikkimese People
The Bhutia or Sikkimese Bhutia (approximately 70,000-100,000) inhabit Sikkim, Bhutan, and surrounding Himalayan regions at 1,500-4,500 meters. They endure steep mountain terrain, extreme altitude, harsh winters, and isolation. Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, yak herding, high-altitude agriculture, and distinctive mountain architecture characterize their adaptation to one of the world's most vertical and challenging inhabited landscapes.