GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Location: With an area of about 144,000 sq km, Bangladesh is situated between latitudes 20~34' and 26~38' north and latitudes 88~01' and 92~41' east. The country is bordered by India on the east, west and north and by the Bay of Bengal on the south. There is also a small strip of frontier with Burma on the southeastern edge. The land is a deltaic plain with a network of numerous rivers and canals. | |||||||||||||
Physical Features: A low-lying, waterlogged area with a relatively narrow range of climatic variation, Bangladesh encompasses the lowlands of the Indo-Gangetic Plain that terminate in the alluvial plain of two great rivers, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. The southern part of the delta is occupied by the Sundarbans, a region of marshes and swamps that extend west into India. There are two hilly regions, varying in height from 200 to 1000 ft., including the Lashi Hills and the Chittagong Hill Tracts (along the Burmese border).
|
Climate: Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon-type climate, with a hot and rainy summer and a pronounced dry season in the cooler months. January is the coolest month of the year, with temperatures averaging near 26 deg C (78 d F), and April the warmest month, with temperatures ranging between 33 deg and 36 deg C (91 deg F and 96 deg F). The climate is one of the wettest in the world; most places receive more than 1,525 mm (60 in) of rain a year, and areas near the hills receive 5,080 mm (200 in). Most rain falls during the monsoon (June-September) and little during the dry season (November-February).
Flora and fauna: About 15% of Bangladesh is still forested; the three principal forest regions are the Madhupur jungle, the tidal forest in the coastal Sundarban (a swamp region in the Ganges delta), and the tropical rain forest of the Chittagong Hills. Bamboo and rattan are abundant. Tigers and other game are found in the Madhupur jungle and Sundarbans, crocodiles in the Sundarbans, and elephants, rhinoceroses, and leopards in the hill areas.
|
The area which is now Bangladesh has a rich historical and cultural past, the product of the repeated influx of varied peoples, bringing with them the Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Mongol-Mogul, Arab, Persian, Turkic, and European cultures. About 1200 A.D., Muslim invaders under Sufi influence, supplanted Hindu and Buddhist dynasties, and converted most of the population of the eastern areas of Bengal to Islam. Since then, Islam has played a crucial role in the region's history and politics. In the 16th century, Bengal was absorbed into the Mogul Empire.
Pakistan's history for the next 26 years was marked by political instability and economic difficulties. Dominion status was rejected in 1956 in favor of an "Islamic Republic within the Commonwealth." Attempts at civilian political rule failed, and the government imposed martial law between 1958 and 1962 and 1969 and 1972. The government was dominated by Military and Oligarchies all rooted in the West. Significant amount of national revenues went towards developing the West at the expense of the East. The people of the Eastern wing began to feel increasingly dominated and exploited by the West. Frictions between West and East Pakistan culminated in a 1971 army crackdown against the East Pakistan dissident movement led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose Awami League (AL) Party had won 167 seats out of 313 National Assembly seats on a platform of greater autonomy for the eastern province.
Mujibur Rahman was arrested and his party banned. Many of his aides and more than 10 million Bengali refugees fled to India, where they established a provisional government. India and Pakistan went to war in late November 1971. The combined Indian-Bengali forces soon overwhelmed Pakistan's army contingent in the East. By the time Pakistan's forces surrendered on December 16, 1971, India had taken numerous prisoners and gained control of a large area of East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh.
PEOPLE:-
ETHNICITY
The ethnic composition of Bangladesh is predominantly Bengali, a people of mixed Aryan, Mongolian, and Dravidian extraction. Estimates for the non-Bengali or Bihari population vary from 500,000 to 2,000,000; most of these immigrants are Muslims from the Indian State of Bihar. Islam is the religion of 89 percent of the population; the rest comprises mostly Hindus, with a fraction of Buddhists, Parsee Sikhs, and Christians.
ART & CRAFT
Bangladesh has a rich tradition of Art. Specimens of ancient terracotta and pottery show remarkable artistry. Modern painting was pioneered by artists like Zainul Ahedin, Qamrul Hasan. Anwarul Haque, Shafiuddin Ahnied, Shafiqul Amin, Rashid Chowdhury and S.M. Sultan. Zainul Ahedin earned worldwide fame by his stunning sketches of the Bengal Famine in 1943.Alongside painting, sculpture, tapestry and engraving have also earned prominence in recent years.
FESTIVALS
The indigenous customs and festivals that has been preserved and nurtured through the ages are principally center around agricultural practices. These include nabonno (the festival of the new harvest) and pawhela boishakh (the Bengali new Year). Religion has also played a distinct role in shaping the mores and traditions of Bangladeshi life.
Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country, and Islam's adherents in Bangladesh celebrate the joyous festival of the two Eids, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Eid-ul-Azha, the month of Ramadan, Shab-e-Qadr, Shab-e-Barat etc. Hindus in Bangladesh celebrate Durga Puja, Kali Puja and Janmastami. The Buddhists celebrate Buddho Purnima and the Christians Christmas. These are just a few of the religious festivals and feasts that Bangladeshis celebrate in their day-to-day life.
National occasions also mark Bangladeshi life, and these include Independence Day, Victory Day, and the historic Language Martyr's Day.
CUISINE
Local dishes include curries of many kinds. Cooked with proper spices and hot curry powders, including Korma, Rezala, Bhoona and Masala Gosht, Chicken, mutton, beef, fish and prawns, Chicken Afghani, Chicken Baghdadi, Chicken Kashmiri, Chicken Tikka, boti kabab, shutli kabab and a variety of fish curries Bangladesh is a gourmet's delight. Rice in the form of pulao, biriyani-with rice and mutton or chicken and khichuri are very common. Those who do not care for rice dishes can try mughlai parata, plain parata or naan, which go very well with curries. Seafood and sweet-water fish are available in most of the towns. Fish-lovers should not miss smoked hilsa, fresh bhetki and chingri (lobster/king prawns) malaikari, Prawn dopyaza.
POLITY
Since the nation's formation in 1971, the government of Bangladesh has undergone many changes. A democratic, parliamentary form of government was established by the 1972 constitution, but constitutional amendments in 1975 set up a presidential form of government. Bangladesh again became a parliamentary democracy in 1991 after voters approved new amendments to the 1972 constitution to abolish the near-absolute powers of the presidency.
ECONOMY
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and ill-governed nation. Although half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Economic reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups. The BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms, but the party's political will to do so has been lacking in key areas.
VISITING BANGLADESH
Would you like to visit Bangladesh? First have a look around and be treated to the sights of Bangladesh. The city of Dhaka may seem crowded but the countryside with its rice plantations offers great beauty and soothes the senses. You can also view some scenes from history, or visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Do not forget to check out the magnificent Ilish (Hilsa shad), the favorite fish of this fish-eating nation.
