General Information
Bangladesh is a unitary, independent and sovereign Republic known as the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The country emerged as an independent state on March 26, 1971. The war of liberation ended on December 16, 1971 in victory of Bangladeshi forces and surrender of the occupying army. This area was under Muslim rule for five and a half centuries and passed into British rule in 1757 AD. In August 1947, the British partition created India and Pakistan as independent states. The eastern wing of Pakistan is now Bangladesh. The national anthem of Bangladesh comprises the first ten lines of ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ of Rabindra Nath Tagore. The national flag of the republic consists of a circle colored red throughout its area, resting on a green rectangular background. National emblem is the flower “Shapla” (Nymphaea nouchali). The citizens of Bangladesh are known as Bangladeshis.
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| Geographical Location | Between 20°34′ and 26°38′ north latitude 88°01′ and 92°41′ east longitude. | ||
| Boundary | North: India, West: India, South: Bay of Bengal, East: India and Myanmar | ||
| Area | 56977 SQ. Miles or 147570 SQ. KM | ||
| Territorial water boundary | 12 Nautical Miles | ||
| Official Name | Peoples Republic of Bangladesh | ||
| Type of Government | Parliamentary. | ||
| Capital City | Dhaka | ||
| Major Administrative Units | Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Comilla, Barisal, Sylhet | ||
| Standard Time | GMT+6.00 Hours. | ||
| Language | State language Bangla. Second language English | ||
| Demography | Population: 141.34 million, Annual Growth rate: 1.48%, Density: 928 per sq. km, Religion: Muslim 88.3%, Hindu 10.5%, Buddhist 0.6%, Christian 0.3%. Secularism is ensured constitutionally. | ||
| Climate | Sub-tropical. Three main seasons: Winter (November-February), Summer (March- June), Monsoon (July – October). Climatic variations: Winter temperature average maximum 29°C, Winter temperature average minimum 11°C, Summer temperature average maximum 34°C, Summer temperature average minimum 21°C, Monsoon average rainfall 1194 mm to 3454 mm. | ||
| Topography | Over 85% of the country is flat, alluvial and plain. Principal rivers: Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Brahmaputra, Teesta, Surma and Karnaphuli (Total 230 rivers including tributaries). | ||
| Currency | Taka. (100 Paisa = 1 Taka) | ||
| Economy | Agriculture Based. | ||
| Principal Industries | Jute & cotton textiles, garment making, tea processing, paper, newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizers, light engineering, sugar. | ||
| Principal Minerals | Natural gas, lignite coal, limestone, ceramic clay and glass sand. Principal Exports Ready made garments, raw jute, jute manufacturers, tea, fish, hides and skins, newsprint. | ||
| Infrastructure | |||
| Road Transportation | Road transportation facility with quality transport and reasonable fare. Bridges on almost all of the major rivers. The bridge over Jamuna (4.8 km) is the 6th longest bridge in South Asia. | ||
| Waterway | |||
| Sea | Chittagong and Mongla | ||
| Inland River | Dhaka, Chandpur, Barisal, Khulna, Baghabari, Sirajganj, Sharishabari, Narayanganj, Bhairab Bazar, Ashuganj. | ||
| Airway | |||
| International | Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet | ||
| Domestic | Dhaka, Chittagong, Jessore, Ishwardi, Sylhet, Comilla, Cox’s Bazar, Thakurgaon, Syedpur, Rajshahi and Barisal. | ||
Source: Wikipedia.