All you need to know about Bangladesh - Bangladesh at a glance

Bangladesh is a small country with a great potential for industrial advancement and economic growth. With a large domestic market, Bangladesh offers great opportunities for investment. Here is Bangladesh at a glance. OFFICIAL NAME The People’s Republic of Bangladesh GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION It lies between 20° 34’ and 26° 38’ North Latitude and 88° 01’ and 92° 41’ East Longitude1 BOUNDARY On three sides- East, North and West-India. South-East Myanmar. South-Bay of Bengal AREA 147,570 sq km POPULATION Approximately 141 million ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS Country is divided into six Administrative Divisions. These are Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet. Each Division is divided into districts TOTAL DISTRICTS 64 CAPITAL Dhaka OTHER MAJOR CITIES Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet & Barisal GOVERNMENT Parliamentary form of government. The President is Head of the state, while the government is headed by the Prime Minister BUSINESS HOURS The official working hours in Bangladesh are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday are weekly holidays BEST TOURIST SEASON October - March PLACES OF TOURIST INTEREST Dhaka, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Kaptai, Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban, Kuakata, Bogra, Khulna, the Sundarbans, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Dinajpur and Comilla LANGUAGE Bangla-Official Language, English-Second language and widely spoken LITERACY RATE 67 percent approximate EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Public Universities: 18 Private Universities: 36 Colleges: 3,639 Polytechnic Institutes: 27 Medical Colleges: 25 Dental Colleges: 3 Secondary Schools: 21,665 Primary Schools: 78,363 LABOUR FORCE 60.3 million Male: 37.5 million Female: 22.8 million SECTORAL DISTRIBUTION OF LABOUR FORCE Agriculture: 62.3 percent Industry: 7.6 percent Others: 30.1percent RELIGION 4 major religions: Islam, Hinduism, Christianity & Buddhism Muslim: 88 percent of total population ECONOMY Unit of Currency: Taka (Tk) (US$ 1 - Appx. 68 Taka) Notes in Circulation: Tk. 500, Tk. 100, Tk. 50, Tk. 20, Tk. 10, Tk. 5, Tk. 2. GDP at Current Price: Tk. 303206 million - US$4380 million per Capita GNI: US$520 Industrial Growth (at FY ’96 Constant Price): 7.3 percent Inflation Rate: 6.1 percent Investment Rate: 24.33 percent of GDP National Savings Rate: 29.15 percent of GDP Exports (US$) in 2006-07: US$ 12,177.86 million TIME GMT +6 Hours Seasons: Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Late Autumn, Winter and Spring Climate: Tropical and moderate Rainfall: 1100mm to 3400mm (June- Aug) Principal Rivers: Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Karnaphuli, Surma and Brahmaputra Principal Crops: Paddy, Wheat, Jute, Sugarcane, Tobacco and Pulses PRINCIPAL EXPORTS Ready made garments, Knitwear, Jute and Jute goods, Shrimps, Leather and Leather goods, Tea, Handicrafts, Agricultural products, Ceramic, Pharmeceuticals, Light Engineering Products, etc. PRINCIPAL IMPORTS Petroleum & Lubricants, Chemicals, Cement, Capital Machinery, Machinery parts, Tinned and Bagged Milk powder, Edible oil, Automobiles, electronics etc. PRINCIPAL INDUSTRIES Jute, Textile, Leather, Garments, Chemical, Fertilizer, Shrimp Processing, Sugar, Cement, Paper, Pharma, Engineering etc AIRPORTS Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Jessore, Rajshahi, Saidpur, Barisal and Cox’s Bazar RADIO STATIONS Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Rangpur TELEVISION STATIONS Dhaka and Chittagong SATELLITE EARTH STATIONS Talibabad (Dhaka), Betbunia (Rangamati) Courtesy:  bangladesh.org.sg

The history of Bangladesh

The history of Bangladesh as a nation state began in 1971, when it seceded from Pakistan. Prior to the creation of Pakistan in 1947, modern-day Bangladesh was part of ancient, classical, medieval and colonial India.

The area's early history featured a succession of Indian empires, internal squabbling, and a tussle between Hinduism and Buddhism for dominance. Islam made its first appearance during the 12th century when Sufi missionaries arrived. Later, occasional Muslim rulers reinforced the process of conversion by building mosques, madrassas and Sufi Khanqah.

The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947, when the region became East Pakistan, part of the newly formed Islamic State of Pakistan. However, it was separated from the western wing by 1,600 km (994 mi) of Indian territory. Due to political exclusion, ethnic and linguistic discrimination, as well as economic neglect by the politically-dominant West Pakistan, popular agitation led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman grew against West Pakistan, resulting in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which the Bengali people won with the support of India. After independence, the new state endured famine, natural disasters and widespread poverty, as well as political turmoil and military coups. The restoration of democracy in 1991 has been followed by relative calm and economic progress.

Extract from Wikipedia.org