BANGLADESH
Official Name:The People's Republic of Bangladesh
Geographical Location:Latitude between 20o34' and 26o38' North
Longitude between 88o01' and 92o41' East
Area:147,570 sq. km.
Boundaries:North - India (West Bengal and Meghalaya), West - India (West Bengal) East - India (Tripura and Assam) and Myanmar, South-Bay of Bengal.
Capital City:Dhaka
Other Major Cities:Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Barisal
Standard Time:GMT 6 Hours
Climate Variation:Winter 11oC - 20oC (October - February)
Summer 21oC - 38oC (March - September)
Rainfall:1100 mm to 3400mm (June - August)
Humidity:Highest 99% (July)
Lowest 36% (December & January)
Population:145 million
Literacy Rate:60%
Language:Bangla (national language). Spoken by 95%, other dialects 5%, English is widely understood and spoken.
Principal Crops:Rice, Jute, Tea, Wheat, Sugarcane, Pulses, Mustard, Potato, Vegetables.
Principal Rivers:Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Surma, Brahmaputra, Karnaphuli, Teesta, Sitalakhya, Rupsha, Madhumati, Gorai, Mahananda etc.
Principal Industries:Garments, Tea, Ceramics, Cement, Leather, Jute, Textiles, Electric and Electronics, Medicine, Fishing.
Principal Exports:Garments, Knitwear, Frozen Shrimps, Tea, Leather and Leather products, Jute and Jute products, Ceramics etc.
Principal Imports:Wheat, Fertilizer, Petroleum goods, Cotton, Edible Oil etc.
Electricity:220 Volts AC in all cities and towns
Currency:Taka, having 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 in notes and 5,2,1 in coins. Exchange Rate : US$ 1 = Taka 68.00
Religion:Muslims - 86.6%, Hindus - 12.1%, Buddhists - 0.6%, Christians 0.4% and others 0.3%.
Government:Parliamentary form of Government President is the head of the state while the government elected by the people is headed by the Prime Minster.
Business Hours:Government Office Hours: 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, Friday & Saturday closed. Some Private business houses work on Saturday.
Best Tourist Season:October to March.Bangladesh is a country in South Asia, located on the fertile Bengal delta. It is bordered by the Republic of India to its north, west and east, by the Union of Myanmar (Burma) to its south-east and by the Bay of Bengal to its south. It is separated from the Democratic Republic of Nepal and the Kingdom of Bhutan by the narrow Indian Siliguri Corridor. Together with the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal, it makes up the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" in the official Bengali language.
The borders of modern Bangladesh took shape during the Partition of Bengal and British India in 1947, when the region became the eastern wing of the newly formed state of Pakistan. Due to political exclusion, ethnic and linguistic discrimination, and economic neglect by the politically dominant western wing, a combination of popular agitation, nationalism and civil disobedience led to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 which resulted in the separation and Independence of the region from Pakistan and the formation of an independent Bangladesh. After independence, the new state proclaimed a secular multiparty democracy. The country endured decades of poverty, famine, political turmoil and numerous military coups. The restoration of democracy in 1991 was followed by a period of relative calm and economic progress although the country's main political parties remain bitterly polarized.
Bangladesh is a parliamentary republic with an elected parliament called the Jatiyo Sangshad. With a population of more than 160 million people in a territory of 56,977 sq mi, Bangladesh is the world's eighth most populous country, as well as one of the world's most densely populated countries. The Bengalis form the country's predominant ethnic group, whereas the indigenous peoples in northern and southeastern districts form a significant and diverse ethnic minority. The Bengal delta region has a rich and diverse cultural heritage. The four largest religions in the country are Islam (89%), Hinduism (9%), Buddhism (1%) and Christianity (0.5%).
Bangladesh is identified as a Next Eleven economy. According to the United Nations in 2010, the country is making major strides in human development, including significant progress in the areas of gender equity, universal primary education, women empowerment, reducing population growth, food production, health and renewable energy. The poverty rate has declined considerably since independence, and per-capita income has doubled from 1975 levels. Major cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong have been the driving forces behind much of the recent growth. However, the country continues to face a number of major political and social challenges, including endemic bureaucratic and political corruption, widespread poverty, political instability, overpopulation and vulnerability to global climate change.
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