Ngalop people

The Ngalop are concentrated in the western and central valleys of Bhutan, whose total population in 2010 was about 708,500 (This is the total population of Bhutan, not the population of Ngalops. The population of Ngalops could be less than 250000) . The 1981 census claimed Sharchops represented 30% of the population and Ngalops about 17%. The World Factbook estimates the "Bhote" Ngalop and Sharchop populations together to total about 50 percent, or 354,200. ==Language==

Ngalops speak Dzongkha. As Ngalops are politically and culturally dominant in Bhutan, Dzongkha is the language of government and education throughout the kingdom. Other groups that identify as culturally Ngalop speak the Kheng and Bumthang languages. To a large extent, even the Sharchops of eastern Bhutan, who speak Tshangla, have adopted Ngalop culture and may identify as Ngalop. ==Religion==

Ngalops largely follow Tibetan Buddhism, particularly the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Vajrayana that is the state religion of Bhutan. A significant number also follow the Nyingma school, which was dominant in early Bhutanese history. Bon Bon practitioners are a minority, although the practices of the Ngalops, like that of most Bhutanese, are characterized by incorporated elements of the older ethnic religion that is also referred to by the term Bon. ==Lifestyle==

The primary agricultural crops are Bhutanese red rice, potatoes, barley, and other temperate climate crops. Ngalop people build houses out of timber, stone, clay, and brick. The Ngalop are also known for building large fortress-monasteries known as dzongs that now serve as government offices. The Druk Gyalpo and most of the government are Ngalop, and all citizens of the country are required to follow the national dress code, the driglam namzha, which is Ngalop in origin. The Ngalops follow matrilineal lines in the inheritance of land and livestock. ==See also==