Bhutan crowns a new King

The Taktshang Monastery in Bhutan, also called called the Tiger's Nest, is one of Bhutan's most important temples. (Craig Simons/Cox Newspapers

Monks play ceremonial instruments during the coronation ceremony of Bhutan's fifth King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in Thimphu, Bhutan on November 6, 2008. (REUTERS/Desmond Boylan)

An elderly Bhutanese woman watches His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 28, greeting his people at the ceremonial grounds of The Tendrey Thang on November 6, 2008 in Thimphu, Bhutan. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Girls in traditional Bhutanese attire sit along with other local people as they line a street awaiting the arrival of Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk, unseen,in Thimpu, Bhutan, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)

A Bhutanese monk looks on at the monastery of Wangdue Phodrang, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) east of Thimpu, Bhutan, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008. Bhutan was then preparing for the coronation ceremony of Bhutan's fifth King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk, scheduled for Nov. 6th. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)

Bhutan's fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck (right) crowns his son Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck as the fifth King of Bhutan, in the Throne room of the Tashichhodzong Palace during the coronation ceremony in Thimphu, Bhutan on November 6, 2008. With medieval tradition and Buddhist spirituality, a 28-year-old with an Oxford education assumed the Raven Crown of Bhutan on Thursday, to guide the world's newest democracy as it emerges into the modern world. (REUTERS/Royal Government of Bhutan/Handout)

Bhutan crowns a new King
The United States was not the only country to name a new leader this week. In Bhutan, an insular nation of about 600,000 people located high in the Himalayas, a new king was crowned. 28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, an Oxford-educated bachelor, was crowned as Bhutan's fifth king - now the world's youngest reigning monarch. Bhutan also has the distinction of being the world's youngest democracy - having held parliamentary elections last March for the first time ever. The young ruler vows to maintain a stance of protection against the worst aspects of globalization, maintaining the "Gross National Happiness", a measurement of national progress that places a high value on spiritual development. Gross National Happiness is a term invented by, and proudly embraced by Bhutanese since 1972.