OVERVIEW OF BANGLADESH

Bangladesh became independent and sovereign after a clarion call for liberation struggle was made following the brutal crackdown of the Pakistani Armed Forces at midnight of 25th March, 1971 on the innocent people of what was then East Pakistan. The struggle for liberation continued for about 9 months till the Pakistani occupation forces surrendered on 16th of December, 1971. Since then, 26th March is celebrated as the National and Independence day and 16th December as the Victory day.

Bangladesh is a multiparty pluralist society where pluralism has been adopted as an integral part of political life of the people of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has a rich cultural heritage and glorious past. It's flat alluvial plains comprise some of the world's most fertile agricultural lands. The land mass comprising mainly the delta of the three mighty rivers, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna, Bangladesh presents an enchanting vista of vast green fields bounded by low hills.

Bangladesh has six marked seasons in a year of which Winter (November-February), pre-monsoon (June-September) and post-monsoon (October-November) are pre-dominant. The temperatures across the country ranges between 24 and 390C during Summer months and between 18 and 230C in Winter months. The annual rainfall varies from 120 cm in the western part to 250 cm in the South-eastern part. The highest average rainfall of 508 cm recorded in some north-eastern

districts. The seasons have their special colors and sounds. Lightning across the horizon and the distant thunder herald the rains washing away the summer heat while autumn comes with clear blue skies and misty mornings. The dew on grass blades ushers in the Winter while Spring adorned by a blossoming flora rounds off the local Bangla calendar.

Population & P of about 740 people per square kilometer as per census. About 85 per cent of the Bangladeshis live in villages or semi-urban areas.

The country's population, estimated at 120 million, calculates to an average density Muslims constitute people about 86.5 per cent of the population. Hindus 12.2 per cent, Buddhists 0.6 per cent, Christians 0.4 per cent and the rest belong to the other faiths. There are about 1.2 million tribal people who live mostly in the hilly areas in the Southeast. Prolonged foreign domination and exploitation had rendered the people of the region poor.

Overview

With an area of about 144,000 sq km, Bangladesh is situated between latitudes 20~34' and 26~38' north and latitudes 88~01' and 92~41' east. The country is bordered by India on the east, west and north and by the Bay of Bengal on the south. There is also a small strip of frontier with Burma on the southeastern edge. The land is a deltaic plain with a network of numerous rivers and canals.

Cities of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is primarily a rural country with most people living outside of the urban areas. However, this demographic is fast changing and Bangladesh is seeing the rise of huge metropolises. Dhaka, the capital, is one of the largest cities in the world, with a population close to 10 million. Come and tour some of the larger cities of Bangladesh.

Nationality:	Bangladeshi
Average Life Expectancy:	Male: 58
	Female: 59
Adult Literacy:	Male: 52%
	Female: 29%
Population:	136,400,000
Deaths of Children Under 5:	8 out of 100
Population with inadequate access to clean water:	3%
Population with inadequate access to sanitation:	47%
Population with inadequate access to health care:	35%
Religions: Islam 87% Hindu 12% Buddhist 1% Christianity 0%
Ethnic groups: Bengali 98% Biharis 1% Tribals 1%
Languages: Bangla (official) English

Dhaka	The capital of Bangladesh.
Chittagong	Port city in the south east.
Khulna	Port city in the south west.
Other cities	Sylhet, Rajshahi, Mymensingh etc.