| adesh, named after Bangla (Bengali), the language of | | | | the country's capital and largest city, other major cities |
| most of its inhabitants other than a few small ethnic or | | | | include Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet. Apart |
| tribal people, a small in area but large in population | | | | from very small countries such as Singapore and |
| South-Asian country. The history of Bangladesh is the | | | | Bahrain, Bangladesh is the most densely populated |
| eternal history of collision between oppressors and | | | | country in the world. |
| oppressed. European traders had arrived in the late | | | | The Bangladeshi population is relatively homogenous |
| 15th century and eventually the British East India | | | | and consists of about 98% ethnic Bengali, who speak |
| Company controlled the region by the late 18th century, | | | | Bengali or Bangla. Urdu-speaking, non-Bengali Muslims |
| from which the British extended their rule over all of | | | | from other regions of India such as Bihar, as well as |
| India. When Indian independence was achieved in 1947, | | | | various tribal groups who live mostly in the Chittagong |
| it was divided in a predominantly Muslim Pakistan and a | | | | Hill Tracts in the southeast, comprise the remainder. |
| predominantly Hindu India. | | | | Most Bangladeshis (about 83%) are Muslims, but |
| Bengal was thus divided into an eastern part called | | | | Hindus constitute a sizable (16%) minority. There are |
| East Pakistan and a western part, the Indian state of | | | | also small number of Buddhists, Christians, and animists. |
| West Bengal. East Pakistan was dominated and | | | | Bengali, a member of the Indo-Aryan languages and |
| frequently neglected by West Pakistan and tensions | | | | written in a script similar to Devanagari, is the official |
| turned into a struggle for independence in 1971. In | | | | national language although English is largely used in |
| March, the attempted repression of this movement | | | | official and business purposes. |
| resulted in the deaths of millions of Bengalis and a | | | | In Bangladesh, the president is the head of state and |
| refugee problem that led to Indian intervention in | | | | holds a largely ceremonial post, with real power held |
| December and, subsequently, independence from | | | | by the prime minister, who is head of government. The |
| Pakistan on 16th December has brought today's | | | | prime minister is appointed by the president and must |
| Bangladesh. | | | | be a member of parliament (MP) whom the president |
| Bangladesh consists mostly of a low-lying river delta | | | | feels commands the confidence of the majority of |
| located on the Indian subcontinent with a largely | | | | other MPs. The cabinet is composed of ministers |
| marshy jungle coastline on the Bay of Bengal known | | | | selected by the prime minister and appointed by the |
| as the Sundarbans, home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. | | | | president. The Bangladeshi parliament is the House of |
| The densely populated delta is formed by the | | | | the Nation or Jatiya Sangsad, whose 300 members |
| confluence of the Ganges (local name Padma), | | | | are elected by popular vote for five-year terms of |
| Brahmaputra (Jamuna), and Meghna rivers and their | | | | office. The highest judiciary body in Bangladesh is the |
| tributaries as they flow down from the Himalayas. | | | | Supreme Court. |
| Bangladesh's alluvial soil is highly fertile but vulnerable to | | | | Tele-density in Bangladesh is not that high and now |
| both flood and drought. In Bangladesh hills rise above | | | | mostly covered by several cell-phone companies. |
| the plain only in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (highest point: | | | | While calling Bangladesh, you need to put + 88 as |
| the Keokradong at 1,230 m) in the far southeast and | | | | country code. Calling Bangladesh from abroad is quiet |
| the Sylhet division in the northeast. | | | | cheap using VOIP because several phone cards are |
| Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, climate of Bangladesh | | | | available on World Wide Web. Bangladesh calling rates |
| is tropical with a mild winter from October to March, a | | | | starts from 8 cents in most pc to phone services on |
| hot, humid summer from March to June, and a humid, | | | | net. Several prepaid calling card and phone card |
| warm rainy monsoon from June to October. Natural | | | | companies are available to call both to and from |
| calamities, such as floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, | | | | Bangladesh. |
| and tidal bores affect Bangladesh very often. Dhaka is | | | | |