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About Bangladesh
Geography and Population
Bangladesh lies between 20"34' and 26"38' North Latitude and 88"01' and 92"41' East Longitude with a total landmass of 1,47,570 square kilometers (56,977 Sq. miles). Bangladesh is surrounded by India on the West, North and Northeast, Myanmar on the Southeast and the Bay of Bengal on the South. Bangladesh has a strategic location and acts as bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a population of 147 million people. In other words, it is roughly the size of New York State with half the entire population of the United States crammed into this area.
Topography
Most of Bangladesh is at low elevations and is divided into five physical regions: (I) the Ganges Delta to the Southwest, (II) the Paradelta to the Northwest, (III) the East Central plains and the Sylhet Hills in the Northeast, and (IV) the Chittagong region in the Southeast. Bangladesh is the largest deltaic region in the world. The Ganges Delta is geologically the most recent compared with other deltas. Mangrove forests thrive in the lower delta, which is flooded by fresh tidal waters. The soil base is new alluvium. The Sundarbans to the Southwest is the largest mangrove forest in the world. The Paradelta, like the delta proper, is a plain but its elevations are higher at 100 to 300 feet above sea level. Its soils are varied - silt and sandy clays and old alluvium. It lies between the Ganges and the (Brahmaputra) Jamuna Rivers. The East Central plains, with the Meghna River almost at its centre, consists of plains and active floodplains in which the main rivers, including the Brahmaputra, have altered their channels in the past. At the centre of this plain lies Madhupur Forest, a former site for tiger hunting. To the Northeast is the Meghna depression, part of which is only 10 feet above sea level; during the rainy season it turns into a huge lake, covering most of its 7,250 square kilometer (2,800 square mile) basin. Bangladesh is a riverine country and is criss-crossed by innumerable rivers, rivulets and their tributaries.
Climate
Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate with heavy summer rain and high summer temperatures. Winters are dry and cool. South and Southwest winds dominate from mid-April to mid-October and bring enormous amounts of moisture from the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. 95% of the total rainfall, which averages about 80 inches (2,040 millimeters) occurs during that period. The temperatures range from an average of about 68 F (18C) in January to about 86 F (30C) in April.
Seasons
Bengali tradition divides the year into six seasons; Grishmo(summer), Barsha(rainy), Sarat(early autumn), Hemanta(late autumn), Sheet(winter) and Boshonto (spring). For practical purposes, however, four seasons are clearly distinguishable; Summer, Rainy, late Autumn (when harvesting takes place) and Winter. Rains begin in April accompanied by Norwester or 'Kalbaishakhi'. It is then that farmers start tilling their land for early crop. With the onset of monsoon in the first week of June heavy downpour starts, and average temperature falls to low 80F. These heavy rains last for about two to three months causing floods and inundation of fields and riverbanks. The Winter is moderate while the Spring is mellow and pleasant.
Bio-diversity
Bangladesh enjoys a great bio-diversity in its flora and fauna. The flower "Shapla" (nympoea-nouchali) is the national emblem, Magpie Robin (Doel) is the national bird, while the Royal Bengal Tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh which abounds in the Sunderbans, recognized as a world heritage.
People
Building upon firm ethnological roots and an entrepreneurial spirit as well as innovative skill, the people of Bangladesh are creating a special niche for themselves on the global plank. Given the fascinating land with a variegated history and a rich cultural tapestry, the people are endowed with a native intellect, capacity for hard work and resilience. Bangladeshis are simple, friendly and hospitable in nature. With a 147 million population, Bangladesh ranks as the world's 8th most populous country. It is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Birth rate in 2006 came down to 1.5% while the percentage of literacy rate is now over 60, the highest in South Asia after Sri Lanka. Life expectancy at birth is now over 62.4 according to 2005 Census. The staple food of the people is rice, which is generally eaten with fish curry and lentil. Most women in Bangladesh wear a "Sari", and men "Lungi". Bengalees descended from several racial and sub-racial groups entering South Asia over the past five thousand years. By and large, they are now a single homogenous race with one common language - Bangla.
The overwhelming majority of Bangladeshis are ethnic Bengalis, comprising 98% of the population. The remainder are mostly Biharis and indigenous tribal groups. There is also a small but growing population of Rohingya refugees from Burma around Cox's Bazaar, which Bangladesh seeks to repatriate to Burma. The indigenous tribal peoples are concentrated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the southeast. There are 13 tribal groups located in this region, the largest being the Chakma. The Hill Tracts region has been a source of unrest and separatism since and before the inception of Bangladesh. Outside the Hill Tracts, the largest tribal groups are the Santhals and Garos (Achiks), while smaller groups include the Kaibartta, Meitei, Mundas, Oraons, and Zomi.
Nearly all Bangladeshis speak Bangla as their mother tongue and it is the official language. It is an Indo-Aryan language of Sanskrit origin with its own script. English is used as a second language among the middle and upper classes. English is also widely used in higher education and the legal system. Historically, laws were written in English and translated into Bengali until 1987 when the procedure was reversed. The Bihari population speaks Urdu, which was also the language associated with the government prior to separation from Pakistan.