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Bangladesh Profile
Country Name:
Conventional Long Form:
People's Republic of Bangladesh
Conventional Short Form:
Bangladesh
Local Long Form:
Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh
Local Short Form:
Bangladesh
Former:
East Bengal, East Pakistan
Capital:
Name:
Dhaka
Geographic Coordinates:
23
43 N, 90 25 E
Time Difference:
UTC+6
[11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time]
Background and History:
Remnants of civilization in the greater Bengal
region date back four thousand years, when the
region was settled by Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman,
and Austro-Asiatic peoples. The exact origin of
the word "Bangla" or "Bengal" is unknown, though
it is believed to be derived from Bang, the
Dravidian-speaking tribe that settled in the
area around the year 1000 BCE.
After the arrival of Indo-Aryans, the kingdom of
Gangaridai was formed from at least the seventh
century BCE, which later united with Bihar under
the Magadha and Maurya Empires. Bengal was later
part of the Gupta Empire from the third to the
sixth centuries CE. Following its collapse, a
dynamic Bengali named Shashanka founded an
impressive yet short-lived kingdom. After a
period of anarchy, the Buddhist Pala dynasty
ruled the region for four hundred years,
followed by a shorter reign of the Hindu Sena
dynasty. Islam was introduced to Bengal in the
twelfth century by Sufi missionaries, and
subsequent Muslim conquests helped spread Islam
throughout the region. Bakhtiar Khilji, a
Turkish general, defeated Lakshman Sen of the
Sena dynasty and conquered large parts of
Bengal. The region was ruled by dynasties of
Sultans and feudal lords for the next few
hundred years. By the sixteenth century, the
Mughal Empire controlled Bengal, and Dhaka
became an important provincial center of Mughal
administration.
European traders arrived late in the fifteenth
century, and their influence grew until the
British East India Company gained control of
Bengal following the Battle of Plassey in 1757.
The bloody rebellion of 1857, known as the Sepoy
Mutiny, resulted in transfer of authority to the
crown, with a British viceroy running the
administration. During colonial rule, famine
racked the Indian subcontinent many times,
including the Great Bengal famine of 1943 that
claimed 3 million lives.
Between 1905 and 1911, an abortive attempt was
made to divide the province of Bengal into two
zones, with Dhaka being the capital of the
eastern zone. When India was partitioned in
1947, Bengal was partitioned along religious
lines, with the western part going to India and
the eastern part joining Pakistan as a province
called East Bengal (later renamed East
Pakistan), with its capital at Dhaka.
In 1950, land reform was accomplished in East
Bengal with the abolishment of the feudal
zamindari system However, despite the economic
and demographic weight of the east, Pakistan's
government and military were largely dominated
by the upper classes from the west. The Language
Movement of 1952 was the first sign of friction
between the two wings of Pakistan.
Dissatisfaction with the central government over
economic and cultural issues continued to rise
through the next decade, during which the Awami
League emerged as the political voice of the
Bengali-speaking population. It agitated for
autonomy in the 1960s, and in 1966, its
president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was jailed; he
was released in 1969 after an unprecedented
popular uprising.
In 1970, a massive cyclone devastated the coast
of East Pakistan, and the central government
responded poorly. The Bengali population's anger
was compounded when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose
Awami League won a majority in Parliament in the
1970 elections, was blocked from taking office.
After staging compromise talks with Mujib,
President Yahya Khan arrested him on the night
of March 25, 1971, and launched Operation
Searchlight, a sustained military assault on
East Pakistan. Yahya's methods were extremely
bloody, and the violence of the war resulted in
many civilian deaths. Chief targets included
intellectuals and Hindus, and about ten million
refugees fled to neighbouring India. Estimates
of those massacred range from three hundred
thousand to 3 million.
Most of the Awami League leaders fled and set up
a government-in-exile in Calcutta, India. The
Bangladesh Liberation War lasted for nine
months. The guerrilla Mukti Bahini and Bengali
regulars eventually received support from the
Indian Armed Forces in December 1971. Under the
command of Lt. General J.S. Arora, the Indian
Army achieved a decisive victory over Pakistan
on 16 December,1971, taking over 90,000
prisoners of war in the Indo-Pakistani War of
1971.
After its independence, Bangladesh became a
parliamentary democracy, with Mujib as the Prime
Minister. In the 1973 parliamentary elections,
the Awami League gained an absolute majority. A
nationwide famine occurred during 1973 and 1974,
and in early 1975, Mujib initiated a one-party
socialist rule with his newly formed BAKSAL. On
August 15, 1975, Mujib and his family were
assassinated by the military officers.
A
series of bloody coups and counter-coups in the
following three months culminated in the ascent
to power of General Ziaur Rahman, who reinstated
multi-party politics and founded the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP). Zia's rule ended when
he was assassinated in 1981 by elements of the
military. Bangladesh's next major ruler was
General Hossain Mohammad Ershad, who gained
power in a bloodless coup in 1982 and ruled
until 1990, when he was forced to resign under
western donor pressure in a major shift in
international policy after the end of communism
when anti-communist dictators were no longer
felt necessary. Since then, Bangladesh has
reverted to a parliamentary democracy. Zia's
widow, Khaleda Zia, led the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party to parliamentary victory at
the general election in 1991 and became the
first female Prime Minister in Bangladesh's
history. However, the Awami League, headed by
Sheikh Hasina, one of Mujib's surviving
daughters, clinched power at the next election
in 1996 but lost to the Bangladesh Nationalist
Party again in 2001. Bangladesh enjoys the
distinction of having two female politicians
leading national politics.
In
January 2007, following widespread violence, a
caretaker government was appointed to administer
the next general election. The country had
suffered from extensive corruption, disorder and
political violence. The new caretaker government
has made it a priority to root out corruption
from all levels of government. To this end, many
notable politicians and officials, along with
large numbers of lesser officials and party
members, have been arrested on corruption
charges. The caretaker government claims to be
paving the way for free and fair elections to be
held before the end of 2008.
Independence:
16
December 1971
[From West Pakistan]
Note - 26 March 1971 is the date of Independence
from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as
Victory Day and Commemorates the Official
creation of the State of Bangladesh
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal,
between Burma and India
Geographic Coordinates:
24
00 N, 90 00 E
Area:
Total:
144,000 sq km
Land:
133,910 sq km
Water:
10,090 sq km
Population:
150,448,339
[July 2007 est.]
Age Structure:
0-14 years:
33.1%
[male 25,639,640/female 24,174,937]
15-64 years:
63.4%
[male 48,659,087/female 46,712,687]
65 years and over:
3.5%
[male 2,818,638/female 2,443,350]
[2007 est.]
Religions:
Muslim:
83%
Hindu:
16%
Other:
1%
Languages:
Bengali (official, also known as Bangla),
English
Currency (Code):
Taka (BDT)
GDP (PPP):
$330.8 billion
[2006 est.]
GDP (Official Exchange Rate):
$69.02 billion
[2006 est.]
GDP - Real Growth Rate:
6.1%
[2006 est.]
GDP - Per Capita (PPP):
$2,200
[2006 est.]
Exports:
$11.17 billion
[2006 est.]
Exports Commodities:
Garments, Jute and Jute Goods, Leather, Frozen
Fish and Seafood
Geography and
Climate:
Bangladesh is located in the low-lying Ganges
Delta or Ganges-Brahmaputra River Delta. This
delta is formed by the confluence of the Ganges
(local name Padma), Brahmaputra (local name
Jamuna), and Meghna rivers and their respective
tributaries. The alluvial soil deposited by
these rivers has created the highly fertile
plains of Bangladesh.
Most parts of Bangladesh are less than 10 metres
above sea level, and it is believed that about
10% of the land would be flooded if the sea
level were to rise by 1 metre.The highest point
in Bangladesh is in Mowdok range at 1,052 m
(3,451 ft) in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to the
southeast of the country.A major part of the
coastline comprises a marshy jungle known as the
Sundarbans, one of the largest mangrove forests
in the world and home to diverse flora and
fauna, including the Royal Bengal Tiger. This
region is declared endangered.
Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, Bangladeshi
climate is tropical with a mild winter from
October to March, a hot, humid summer from March
to June. A warm and humid monsoon season lasts
from June to October and supplies most of the
country's rainfall. Natural calamities, such as
floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and tidal
bores occur almost every year, combined with the
effects of deforestation, soil degradation and
erosion. Cox's Bazar, south of the city of
Chittagong, has a beach that stretches
uninterrupted over 120 kilometres (75 mi); it is
one of the world's longest unbroken natural sea
beaches.
Culture of
Bangladesh:
A
new state for an old nation, Bangladesh has a
culture that encompasses elements both old and
new. The Bangla language boasts a rich literary
heritage, which Bangladesh shares with West
Bengal. The first literary text in Bangla is the
eighth century Charyapada. Bangla literature in
the medieval age was often either religious
(e.g. Chandidas), or adaptations from other
languages (e.g. Alaol). Bangla literature
matured in the nineteenth century. Its greatest
icons are the poets Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi
Nazrul Islam. Bangladesh also has a long
tradition in folk literature, evidenced by
Maimansingha Gitika, Thakurmar Jhuli or stories
related to Gopal Bhar.
The musical tradition of Bangladesh is
lyrics-based (Baniprodhan), with minimal
instrumental accompaniment. The Baul tradition
is a unique heritage of Bangla folk music, and
there are numerous other musical traditions in
Bangladesh, which vary from one region to the
other. Gombhira, Bhatiali, Bhawaiya are a few of
the better-known musical forms. Folk music of
Bengal is often accompanied by the ektara, an
instrument with only one string. Other
instruments include the dotara, dhol, flute, and
tabla. Bangladesh also has an active heritage in
North Indian classical music. Similarly,
Bangladeshi dance forms draw from folk
traditions, especially those of the tribal
groups, as well as the broader Indian dance
tradition.
Bangladesh produces about 80 films a
year.Mainstream Hindi films are also quite
popular, as are films from Kolkata, which has
its own thriving Bengali-language movie
industry. Around 200 dailies are published in
Bangladesh, along with more than 1800
periodicals. However, regular readership is low,
nearly about 15% of the population. Bangladeshis
listen to a variety of local and national radio
programmes from Bangladesh Betar, as well as
Bangla services from the BBC and Voice of
America. There is a state-controlled television
channel, but in the last few years, privately
owned channels have grown considerably.
The culinary tradition of Bangladesh has close
relations to Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine
as well as having many unique traits. Rice and
fish are traditional favourites; leading to a
common saying that "fish and rice make a
Bengali" (machhe bhate bangali). Meat
Consumption has increased with higher production
in recent years. Bangladeshis make distinctive
sweetmeats from milk products; some common ones
are Rôshogolla, Chômchôm and Kalojam. The sari (shari)
is by far the most widely worn dress by
Bangladeshi women. However, the salwar kameez (shaloar
kamiz) is also quite popular, and in urban areas
some women wear Western attire. Among men,
European dressing has greater acceptance. Men
also use the kurta-paejama combination, often on
religious occasions. The lungi, a kind of long
skirt, is widely worn by Bangladesh men.
The two Eids, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha are
the largest festivals in the Islamic calendar.
The day before each Eid in called Chãd Rat (the
night of the Moon), and is often marked by
firecrackers. Other Muslim holidays are also
observed. Major Hindu festivals are Durga Puja
and Saraswati Puja. Buddha Purnima, which marks
the birth of Gautama Buddha, is one of the most
important Buddhist festivals while Christmas,
called Bôrodin (Great day) in Bangla is
celebrated by the minority Christian population.
The most important secular festival is
Nôbobôrsho or Bengali New Year, the beginning of
the Bengali calendar. Other festivities include
Nobanno, Poush parbon (festival of Poush) and
observance of national days like Shohid Dibosh.
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in
Bangladesh. In 2000, the Bangladesh cricket team
was granted test cricket status and joined the
elite league of national teams permitted by the
International Cricket Council to play test
matches. Other popular sports include football
(soccer), field hockey, tennis, badminton,
handball, kabadi, volleyball, chess, and carom.
Kabadi, a 7-a-side team-sport played without a
ball or any other equipment, is the national
sport of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Sports
Control Board regulates 29 different sporting
federations.
[Source:
CIA Fact File & Wikipedia] |
