Countries
Facts about Bangladesh
One of the poorest countries in Asia
Bangladesh is located in South Asia, the Bay of Bengal. It is a relatively young country, for its history dates back only fifty years. Over the years, this small country, whose area is less than the size of Wisconsin, has experienced wars, military coups, cyclones, famines, and extreme poverty.
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The People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country with an area of 148,460 km2 (57,320 sq mi). It is located in South Asia on the largest bay in the world, the Bay of Bengal. It borders India to the west, north, and east and Myanmar (formerly Burma) to the southeast.
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Although the country is less than the size of Wisconsin (which has 5,8 million residents), it is home to more than 160 million people. More than 1,100 people per 1 km2 make Bangladesh one of the world's most densely populated countries.
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The capital of the country is Dhaka. It is a city of 17 million people and the main center of the country's garment, textile, food and metal industries, as well as a market for trade in jute, rice, oilseeds, sugar and tea. It is the origin of muslin, a delicate fabric made of silk, cotton, or wool produced by numerous weavers.
Dhaka houses a university - Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, other scientific centers, and an agricultural research institute. In 1974, the Dhaka Zoo, the largest of its kind in the country, was opened.
In 2013, the biggest construction disaster in modern times in terms of loss of life occurred near Dhaka. It claimed 1127 lives.
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In Dhaka, one of the primary means of transportation is a rickshaw. About 400 thousand of them ply on the city streets every day, which is a world record.
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In the city center, there is a Hindu temple Dhakeshwari, from which the city probably got its name. The temple probably dates back to the 11th century and is dedicated to the ten-armed goddess Dhakeshwari.
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The area that is now Bangladesh was part of India under British rule. It was part of a historical land called Bengal. In 1947, Bengal was divided into West Bengal, which became part of India, and East Bengal, a province of Pakistan. Till 1971, there was a struggle in East Bengal to free it from Pakistani occupation.
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Bangladesh gained its independence from Pakistan on March 26, 1971. Bangladesh is a people's republic and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The head of state is the president, whose term of office is five years. Executive power is exercised by the 350-member National Assembly, with 300 MPs elected directly and 50 seats reserved for women, who are elected indirectly.
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Bangladesh has been ranked as one of the world's most corrupt countries by the World Economic Forum.
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Bangladesh is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. The basis of its economy is agriculture, especially rice cultivation.
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Bangladesh is a lowland country occupying the area of the common delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers. It lies in a humid tropical climate zone characterized by monsoon winds. It has two seasons: rainy and dry.
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The country is characterized by a very dense river network, numerous streams and canals. The most important rivers are the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Surma. The entire area of Bangladesh falls within the catchment area of the Indian Ocean. Where the Ganges and Brahmaputra meet and flow into the Bay of Bengal, there is a vast estuary called Ganges Delta. It is the largest river delta in the world.
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Throughout Bangladesh, rivers play a major role. They are the main source of water for agriculture and the main arteries of transport. The length of navigable waterways throughout the year is 5,100 km (3,107 mi). The rivers also provide more than 800 tons of fish.
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The original areas of Bangladesh were covered with monsoon forests, which are now severely degraded and have been replaced by agricultural land. As a result of human overexploitation, forests now cover only 14% of the country.
In the Chittagong Hills (an area about 350 km (217 mi) long along Bangladesh's border with India and Myanmar), moist equatorial forests grow, covering an area of about 4,500 km2 (1,737 sq mi). The teak tree, which is used in construction, is found there. Other species found there are: Telsur, Mahogany, Simul and Bamboo scrub.
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The southwestern part of the Gangetic Delta is covered by mangrove forests, which occupy an area of over 5,000 km2 (1,931 sq mi). The mangrove forests in Bangladesh are the largest concentration in the world. They provide softwood for paper manufacturing.
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Among the largest mammals in Bangladesh, Indian elephants are rare, as are gaurs (large, dark oxen, also known as Indian bison). Among predators, leopard and Bengal tiger are found, but their number is small. There are also macaques and langurs, cobras, pythons and gharials.
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Typhoons and floods are common in Bangladesh, especially in autumn and winter. These are always major natural disasters that claim hundreds of thousands of lives.
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Of the population of Bangladesh, 98% are Bengalis and the rest are mainly Biharis. The official language is Bengali. The oldest text in Bengali is the Charyapada, which dates back to the 8th century.
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Islam is the predominant religion. It is followed by up to 89.1% of the population. Christianity accounts for only 0.53% (417 thousand Catholics and 339 thousand Protestants).
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The national animal of Bangladesh is the Bengal tiger, the flower is the water lily, and the fruit is the jackfruit, the fruit of the deciduous tree.
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57% of Bangladesh's population is illiterate. An infamous statistic is the number of children who do not attend school. For many children, education is a dream come true. It is the only way out of poverty. Many children do not go to school because they have to work to support the household budget. Many do not have the opportunity to go to school because of monsoon rains that hit the country, flooding 1/4 of the land.
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The solution to this problem is floating schools. Schools on boats have been created for thousands of Bengali children who had no chance to study. The boat school goes from village to village picking up children who go to school on it. One hundred twelve boats travel all over Bangladesh to provide access to education. The project is sponsored by an NGO led by architect Mohammed Rezwan who has designed libraries and playgrounds on the water as well as the schools.
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Mobile hospitals also operate on the same principle. On the boats, a doctor provides medical care and free medicines.
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The tallest building in Bangladesh is City Center Dhaka (171 m). It is the first building in Bangladesh with a multi-story car park. It has 37 floors, 10 of which are dedicated to parking. The building houses a convention and recreation center and a wide landscaped atrium.
