Bangladesh

Description of Bangladesh

Bangladesh, which is officially called the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, is a South Asian country that is bounded by India, Burma, and near Nepal and Bhutan. The Bay of Bengal is to the south. Bangladesh is the eighth-most populous country in the world, which is surprising to some people. It has more than 160 million people, and it is one of the most densely populated countries too. 

Bangladesh translates to “Bengal nation”. Bangladesh used to be East Pakistan, and it was helped by India in its war for independence with Pakistan. Bangladesh has the third biggest Muslim population on earth after Pakistan and Indonesia. The country is one of the most densely populated on earth, with 1,000 people per sq. km. There is widespread poverty, but that is part of the reason why you can see so much of Bangladesh on a budget. Most of the population lives on less than $1 per day. Anything you can do to help support the local population with your tourist dollars is a good thing. Not only are you helping the local population by being locally handcrafted products, paying tour guides, and eating at local restaurants, but you’re also experiencing a unique culture in a beautiful place. 

Bangladesh is usually associated with famine, cyclones, and flooding. There is a monsoon season there. Bangladesh is located on the Gagnes/Meghna/Brahmaputra Delta, and it is on the road to a better economy, helping to pull its citizens out of poverty. 

Even though Bangladesh only gained independence in 1971, the cultural history of the Bengali people goes back a long time. 

The capital of Dhaka has ten million people living in it, and its other major cities include Rajshahi, Khulna, and Chittagong.

Government 

Bangladesh is officially called the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and it is a parliamentary democracy. There is a president that acts as the chief of state and a prime minister that acts as the head of government. 

The people elect the president, and he serves a five-year term, and he can serve up to two terms. Anyone over the age of 18 can vote. 

There is a unicameral parliament that is referred as the Jatiya Sangsad. It is constituted of 300 members that serve five-year terms. The president is in charge of appointing the prime minister, but the president has to be the representative of the majority coalition inside of parliament.

Population 

Bangladesh is home to almost 160,000,000 people, but the country is just the size of the state of Iowa. It is amazing that a country of that size has the eighth-biggest population in the world. Bangladesh has a terrifically high population density that puts a strain on the people living there. 

However, the population growth has slowed down, and the fertility rate has fallen significantly since 1975. There is a lot of out-migration in Bangladesh too. So, there are two forces pushing against the high population density. 

The ethnic Bengalis make up nearly 100% of the population. It’s quite interesting to visit a country where nearly 100% of the country is native to the land. The low remainder of the population (just 2%) is divided up among little tribal groups on the border of Burma, as well as Bihari immigrants.

Languages 

Bangia is the official language of Bangladesh, but it is sometimes referred to as Bengali. English is a common language in some of the most populated and biggest cities. 

Bangla is a language of Indo-Aryan origin that is descended from Sanskrit. It has a very unique script that is based on Sanskrit. Sanskrit is one of the world’s oldest languages. 

Some Muslims in Bangladesh speak Urdu as their main language. 

Literacy rates are going up as the poverty rate goes down, but just half of the male population is literate and only 31% of the female population is literate.

Economy 

The main industries include tea processing, garments, jute, and cotton. As far as agriculture, the country’s biggest crops include beef, wheat, tea, jute, and rice. The biggest exports are seafood, leather, jute, and garments. 

Bangladesh is still a developing country, and the per capita income is less than $1,300 per year. Still, the economy is growing very quickly, with annual growth rate of five to six percent over the last 20 years. 

Even though services and manufacturing are very important, nearly 66% of workers in Bangladesh are employed in farming, crops, and agriculture. The government owns most of the enterprises and factories, and they are somewhat inefficient. 

One major source of income for Bangladesh has been workers’ payments from Gulf states like the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Geography 

Bangladesh has really rich, fertile soil, which helps explain why so much of the country is dependent on agriculture. The area sits on a deltaic plain that is formed by three big rivers. The Meghna, Brahmaputra, and Ganges Rivers all flow down from the Himalayas, and there are great nutrients carried down to the soil to replenish them.

Bangladesh is nearly completely flat, and notwithstanding some hills along the border with Burma, almost completely at sea level. Because of this the rivers often flood the country, cyclones hit it often, and tidal bores strike it. 

Bangladesh is surrounded by India all around it, except for a short border with Burma in the southeast part of the country.

Bangladesh History 

For many centuries, the region that is currently Bangladesh was once part of the Bengal region of India. The same empires that controlled and ruled central India ruled over Bangladesh. When the British took control of the area and created their Raj in India, Bangladesh was included as a part of that.

Climate 

The country is prone to monsoons, and it has a tropical climate. In the dry season, from the late autumn to the early spring, temperatures are pleasant and mild. The weather is humid, muggy, and hot from the early spring to early summer, and then there are the rains from the monsoons. From June through October, the skies open up and drop a lot of the country’s yearly rainfall. 

As described above, Bangladesh typically suffers from cyclone strikes and flooding – about 16 cyclones hit every ten years. In 1998, there was the worst flooding ever in Bangladesh when there was a big melt-off of glaciers, covering nearly 70% of Bangladesh with floodwater.

Interesting Facts About Bangladesh 

1. Bangladesh’s national animal is the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Royal Bengal Tiger is a beautiful animal, and it is distinct from the more generic tigers you might be familiar with. This big creature has a roar that can be heard up to three miles away. This beautiful animal is unfortunately an endangered species. There are efforts being made to preserve it right now. Efforts have been made in the past as well.
2. The most popular national sport is cricket. If you’ve seen the movie, Million Dollar Arm, then you know how popular cricket it is in India. Cricket is also popular in Bangladesh, which is near India. In 1999, its national cricket team was a part of the World Cup, and it got Test status in 2000, which is the greatest test of a team’s endurance and ability.
3. More than half of the population of Bangladesh is composed of farmers. The country is populated with agriculturists because that is the main source of income for many people. Most of Bangladesh is impoverished, sadly.
4. Even though there is a predominance of farmers in the country, most of its export earnings actually come from garments.
5. There are over 2,000 periodicals and daily newspapers published in the country. However, the average readership of the country is just at 15%. There is not a high literacy rate in the country, unfortunately.
6. Bangladesh is unique in that it has six separate seasons, and not just four. The people of the country refer to its seasons as summer, rainy, autumn, cool, winter, and spring. They have unique Bengali words for those seasons.
7. The Bay of Bengal is the biggest bay in the entire world.
8. In the country of Bangladesh, and in some parts of India and other countries as well, the left hand is thought to be unclean. You should always use your right hand when you are shaking someone’s hand, exchanging business cards, or passing food at the table.
9. The people of the country don’t smile all that often. They don’t do this to be rude, but because they think smiling is considered a sign of immaturity. There are strange cultural customs everywhere, and they can take some getting used to.

Tourism In Bangladesh 

Bangladesh Offers The Best Value Tourism On A Budget 

Lonely Planet listed Bangladesh as a “best value choice”. 

Bangladesh has a number of tourist attractions, such as resorts, beaches, monuments, picnic spots, wildlife, and tribal people. Bangladesh offers a bevy of options to tourists like river cruising, yachting, water skiing, as well as bringing people close to nature. 

There are a number of archaeological sites in the northern region of the country, like Puthia (a temple city), Mahasthangarh in Bogra (the biggest and oldest archaeological site), and Kantaji Temple (the most ornamental Hindu temple in Bangladesh). 

In the southeastern part of the country, referred to as the Chittagong division, there are hilly areas, and sandy beaches too. Cox’s Bazar is the most famous beach, and it’s one of the longest sandy beaches on the globe. 

In the southwestern part, especially the Khulna Division, you can find the Sundabans, the biggest mangrove forest on earth with the spotted deer and Royal Bengal Tiger amongst is plethora of animal species. Bagerhat, a famous and architecturally significant mosque, is a major tourist attraction. In the northeastern part of the country, Sylhet division, there is a beautiful overlay of tea plants on the little hillocks. The forests are big attractions too. Migratory birds visit the area in the wintertime, and the area is appealing to birdwatchers at this time of year. 

The Civil Aviation Ministry and the Ministry of Tourism are the organizations behind the national guidelines and policies for tourism promotion and development. 

There are numerous beaches, hill stations, islands, a plethora of wildlife to see, waterfalls, archaeological sites, architectural sites, religious temples, mosques, and churches, special events and festivals, national monuments, and a variety of rivers, zoos, museums, and World Heritage Sites. There is a reason why Bangladesh is one of the best value tourist destinations. There is a whole lot to see and do, and you’re not going to put a major dent in your wallet doing it all. If you want to see some of the world’s most pristine nature, Bangladesh is a good place to start. 

Bangladesh is a country influenced by Indian culture. Consider taking a tour of some of the major cities of India when you’re in the region. It can be kind of hard to get into Bangladesh as a tourist, but if you’re already there, you should make the most of your journey and head on over to some of the Indian cities too.

You might want to consider hiring a translator if you’re going to be in Bangladesh. Some parts of the country have very few English-speaking people. Since the poverty level is so high in Bangladesh, you can hire a translator for pretty cheap and pay him to travel with you wherever you go. Keep in mind that you will have to pay for accommodations for your translator. It wouldn’t be fair to ask them to pay for their own accommodations out of your payment to them. You can easily find a translator in any of the major cities of Bangladesh. It could be a good idea to hire a translator if you want to really get a feel for the local people and culture, and understand in-depth about their struggles and viewpoints. A translator will help you learn a great deal about local townspeople if they are willing to talk to him and answer your questions. You could consider it educational culturally.

Some facts about Bangladesh

Gallery of Bangladesh

Bangladesh video guide

More information about Bangladesh

Top cities of Bangladesh