Facts about Bangladesh – Bangladesh is the world’s eighth most populous country, is a low-lying country formed by the alluvial plain of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system. The official name of Bangladesh is the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. The word Bangladesh means “Country of Bengal” in the local language. It shares land borders with India and Myanmar (Burma). Nepal, Bhutan, and China are located near Bangladesh but do not share a border with it. Bangladesh is home to the world’s largest river delta and the world’s largest mangrove.

Country Profile of Bangladesh

National Identities of Bangladesh

National Flag of Bangladesh

The flag of Bangladesh consists of a red disc on top of a green field. The red disc represents the sun rising over Bengal, and also the blood of those who died for the independence of Bangladesh. The green field stands for the lushness of the land of Bangladesh.

People in Bangladesh

Bangladeshis include people of different ethnic groups and religions. Bengalis, who speak the official Bengali language, make up 98% of the population. English is also spoken. The politically dominant Bengali Muslims make the nation the world’s third largest Muslim-majority country.

Among Bangladeshi Muslims, 96% are Sunni, over 3% are Shi’a, and a fraction of 1% are Ahmadiyyas. Hindus are the largest minority religion in Bangladesh, at 10.5% of the population.

Economy of Bangladesh

• Industry: Cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing
• Agriculture: Rice, jute, tea, wheat; beef
• Exports: Garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
• Bangladesh has significantly reduced poverty since it gained independence, with the poverty rate coming down from 57% in 1990 to 25.6% in 2014.

Membership

Bangladesh is a founding member of SAARC, BIMSTEC, the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Forum for Regional Cooperation and the Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal Initiative. It is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Developing 8 Countries, the OIC, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Group of 77 and the World Trade Organization.

East Pakistan to Bangladesh

Supported by India, East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971 after a war of independence against Pakistan. Bangladesh has the third largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan. Lasting for nine months, the entire war ended with the surrender of Pakistan’s military to the Bangladesh-India Allied Forces on 16 December 1971.

Seasons in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is sometimes called “the playground of seasons” because it has six – not four – separate seasons, which it calls Grismo (summer), Barsha (rainy), Sharat (autumn), hemanto (cool), sheet (winter), and bashonto (spring). Bangladesh suffers regularly from substantial flooding caused by monsoon rains and melting snows from the Himalayas. Bangladesh has a tropical climate with hot and humid summers (March to June).

Bangladesh has one of the largest coastal mangrove forests in the world; it forms part of the Sundarbans National Park, a World Heritage site.

Sports in Bangladesh

Cricket is the most popular sport in the country. In 1999, its national cricket team was part of the World Cup, and in 2000, it received Test status, an honour in the sport for it is the ultimate test of a team’s ability and endurance.

Biodiversity of Bangladesh

Bangladesh ratified the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity on 3 May 1994. The country is dominated by lush vegetation, with villages often buried in groves of mango, jackfruit, bamboo, betel nut, coconut and date palm. The country has 50 wildlife sanctuaries.

The government has designated several regions as Ecologically Critical Areas, including wetlands, forests, and rivers. The Sundarbans Tiger Project and the Bangladesh Bear Project are among the key initiatives to strengthen conservation.

Some other facts about Bangladesh

• Cyclones are a natural hazard in Bangladesh.
• The national game of Bangladesh is Kabaddi.
• More than half of Bangladesh’s population is composed of farmers.
• The highest peak in Bangladesh is Saka Haiphong in the southeastern Mowdok Range at just 1,052 m.
• The Government’s motto is ‘friendship towards all, malice towards none’.
• Bangladesh has a population density of almost 3000 people per square mile.
• Dhaka has a population of 17 million, which is also the most densely populated city in the world.  
• Bangladesh is one of the four largest ship breaking nations in the world (the other three including India, Pakistan, and China).
• Bangladesh has a whopping figure of 2000 periodicals and daily newspapers published, despite the low literacy rate and the constant average readership at 15%.
• Bangladesh’s oldest known city site is the city of Mahasthangarh.
•  Khaleda Zia was the first woman in the country’s history and second in the Muslim World (after Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan in 1988–1990) to be the Prime Minister of a democratic government.
• Bangladesh is home to the largest unbroken sea beach – Cox’s Bazaar.
• India was the first country to acknowledge Bangladesh as an independent newborn country.
• Bangladesh has a large natural gas deposit and is one of the biggest World’s exports of clothing.
• Surma river is the longest river in Bangladesh.
• Dhaka is also known as the “City of Mosques”.
• The national day of Bangladesh is celebrated on March 26. This day marks the declaration of independence and the commencement of the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
• During the war, members of the Pakistani military and supporting Islamist militias killed up to 3,000,000 people and raped between 200,000 and 400,000 Bangladeshi women.
• Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors of United Nations peacekeeping forces.