Introduction to Geography of Bangladesh
Bangladesh, or People's Republic of Bangladesh, an independent country in southern Asia. From 1947 until 1971 it was known as East Pakistan and was one of the two integral but widely separated parts of Pakistan. Bangladesh fronts on the Bay of Bengal, an arm of the Indian Ocean, and is bordered by India and a tip of Burma. Its area is 55,598 square miles (143,998 km2). Maximum dimensions are about 230 miles (370 km) east-west and 320 miles (515 km) north-south. The name Bangladesh means "Bengal nation."
Facts in brief about BangladeshCapital: Dhaka.Official language: Bengali.Official name: People's Republic of Bangladesh.Area: 55,598 mi2 (143,998 km2). Greatest distances—north-south, 464 mi (747 km); east-west, 288 mi (463 km). Coastline—357 mi (575 km).Elevation: Highest—Mount Keokradong, 4,034 ft (1,230 m) above sea level. Lowest—sea level.Population: Current estimate—150,060,000; density, 2,699 per mi2 (1,042 per km2); distribution, 75 percent rural, 25 percent urban. 2001 census—129,247,233.Chief products: Agriculture—jute, rice, sugar cane, tea, tobacco, wheat. Manufacturing—jute products, leather, paper and paper products, textiles. Mining—natural gas.National anthem: "Amar Sonar Bangla" ("My Golden Bengal").Symbols: The Bangladesh flag, officially adopted in 1972, is green with a large red circle in the center. The red stands for the sun and the green for scenic beauty. A water lily, the national flower of Bangladesh, appears in the center of the emblem.National holidays: Shaheed Dibash (Martyrs' Day), February 21; Independence Day, March 26; Victory Day, December 16.Money: Basic unit—taka. One hundred poisha equal one taka.Physical Geography
Bangladesh lies almost entirely within the combined delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers and consists primarily of a low-lying alluvial plain. The land is relatively flat and, in most places, only slightly above sea level. Much of it is marshy and poorly drained, especially near the coast. The only significant uplands occur in the southeast, where the Chittagong Hills—a series of steep ridges—reach an elevation of 4,035 feet (1,230 m).
Bangladesh is a country in South Asia.The Ganges (locally called Padma), Brahmaputra (Jamuna), and Meghna rivers drain most of Bangladesh. Hundreds of smaller streams and distributaries also crisscross the country, forming a maze of interconnecting channels. All the rivers are subject to flooding. With the floods come massive amounts of silt that is deposited throughout the delta region, creating fert ile agricultural land.
Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate, marked by sweltering temperatures and high humidity throughout most of the year. Average temperatures at Dhaka (Dacca), the capital, vary from 67° F. (19° C.) in January, the coolest month, to 84° F. (29° C.) in June, the hottest. Rainfall is extremely heavy, totaling 60 to 100 inches (1,520 to 2,540 mm) a year in most areas; more than 200 inches (5,080 mm) are received in parts of the northeast. Most of the rain comes during the southwest monsoon, which occurs from June through September. Tropical cyclones sometimes strike the coast, causing devastating floods.
Little natural vegetation remains in Bangladesh; most of the land was cleared centuries ago for farming. Of the dense tropical forests that once covered much of the country, only a few tracts remain, mainly in the Chittagong Hills and the Madhupur Jungle Tract between the Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers north of Dhaka. Mangrove swamps, forming a region known as the Sundarbans, extend along the western part of the coast.
Though increasingly rare, elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, leopards, crocodiles, and pythons are among the large animals still found in Bangladesh.
Economy
Bangladesh is an impoverished agricultural country that presently depends heavily on foreign aid for survival. When the nation became independent in 1971, after nearly a year of civil war, the economy was in shambles. Farms, factories, and transportation facilities had been damaged or destroyed, and millions of people were homeless and unemployed. In addition, the nation suffered from a severe shortage of educated and trained personnel. Reconstruction and development have been seriously hindered by the size and rapid growth of the population, widespread illiteracy, frequent floods and cyclones, and lack of capital and natural resources.. Yet, today, it is a developing economy, with a growing manufacturing industry, particularly in the field of clothing and textiles.
The fertile soil of Bangladesh is the most important natural resource that the nation prides itself in. Bangladesh was once covered by large forests, however much of this land was cleared in the early 20th century to make more space for agriculture.
Agriculturewhich is the most important economic activity of the country, supports about 63 per cent of the people and provides much of the nation's exports. Most of the farmland is used to grow rice, the staple food. In fact, Bangladesh is a world leader in the quantity of rice cultivated. Cultivation is intensive, and the climate is warm, thus normally two or three crops are grown each year. Although rainfall is heavy, it is unevenly distributed throughout the year and irrigation is necessary in some areas.. During the rainy period, rice and other crops that need more water are grown. In the dry months, wheat and other dry crops are cultivated.
Farmlands in Bangladesh are not often owned by the farmers who work on the land. The Bangladeshis practice sharecropping, wherein a farmer grows crops on someone else’s land, and pays the owner with a share of the crops produced.
Bangladesh is one of the world's leading producers of jute; it is the chief cash and export crop and an important source of foreign exchange. Tea is also grown and exported, but does not have a large market because of its relatively low quality. Cash crops produced mainly for domestic use include sugarcane, tobacco, and wheat.
Large numbers of livestock, mostly cattle, goats, water buffalo, and sheep, are raised in Bangladesh. Though generally of poor quality, they are extremely valuable. Some serve as draft and pack animals; others provide milk, butter, meat, wool, and hides and skins.
FishingFish abound in the rivers, in inland waterways, and in the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal and are a locally important food. Commercial fishing, of which, shrimp farming has become an important part, is also important.
ManufacturingJute milling is the largest industry in terms of employment. It was established in the mid 20th century, after the partition of British India into the separate countries of India and Pakistan had cut East Pakistan off from the jute mills in Calcutta. Other significant industries include garment making, which provides the country's chief export, food processing, and the making of chemicals, fertilizer, paper, and cement.. Handcrafted items are a specialty of Bangladesh, being one of its most traditional industries. Cloth is woven by most of these craft workers from cotton, jute or silk. There are others who specialize in a variety of things, such as making embroidered items, leather goods, pottery, or bowls and other items carved from wood, as well as brass, copper, gold or silver articles.
Most of the mills and factories are concentrated in the cities of Dhaka and Chittagong. Many basic consumer goods are made in homes and small shops.
MiningNatural gas and coal are the primary mineral resources produced in Bangladesh. Natural gas and petroleum are found in the northeast of the nation, and in the coastal waters. Limestone is also produced.
International TradeThe main export of Bangladesh is its clothing, and this accounts for more than half of the country’s income from export. The other products exported by Bangladesh are fish, jute, leather, and tea. The chief imports of Bangladesh include building materials, chemicals, food and food products, machinery, petroleum, textiles, and transportation equipment.
CommunicationBangladesh publishes both Bengali and English-language newspapers. There are several government owned radio stations and television stations. As very few families in the rural areas own radios or televisions, people gather in public places for broadcasts. Traditional wired telephones are generally found in the cities. Wireless telephones have also become quite popular, especially in rural areas.
CurrencyBangladesh's basic currency unit is the taka.
TransportationRivers and other inland waterways, totaling about 5,200 miles (8,400 km), form the backbone of the nation's transportation system. Passenger and cargo ships traverse river routes between the largest cities and towns. Railways and roads, though of limited mileage, are also important. Chittagong is the principal seaport. Some of the other river ports include Barisal, Chandpur, Dhaka, Khulna, and Narayanganj. There are many airports in Bangladesh, including an international airport at Dhaka. Bangladesh Biman is the national airline.
The People
About 98 per cent of the population is Bengali; the remainder consists of Biharis, an Urdu-speaking people, and ethnic groups of various origins. More than four-fifths of the people follow Islam, the official religion. Hindus make up the largest religious minority.
According to the 2001 census, Bangladesh had a population of 129,247,233. The population density was 2,325 persons per square mile (898 per km2), one of the highest in the world. Most of the people live in rural areas, mainly in small towns and villages.
Language and EducationBengali, an Indo-European tongue, is the official language. English, however, is widely spoken among educated persons. About 35 per cent of the people are literate. Schooling is unavailable to a large part of the population. The country has several universities; the largest is in Dhaka.
CultureBangladesh has one of the lowest living standards in the world. Most Bengalis live in primitive villages, in bamboo homes. With the growth of industry since World War II, however, there has been a great influx of people into the cities, where much of the population lives in streets and shanties. Sanitary conditions in the cities and rural areas are extremely poor, and cholera, typhoid fever, and other epidemics are common. The mainstay of the Bengali diet is rice, usually eaten with curry sauce. High living standards are found only among the privileged few.
The Bengalis have a strong literary and artistic tradition. The greatest Bengali poet is the 1913 Nobel Prize winner Sir Rabindranath Tagore. The sitar player Ravi Shankar, a native of Bangladesh, is the foremost interpreter of ragas, Indian classical music. Bengalis have been prominent in modern painting.
Government
Under the constitution of 1972 and its amendments, a president serves as the titular head of state. The president is elected for a five-year term by the parliament, a one-house legislature whose 345-members are elected for five-year terms. Of these, 300 are popularly elected, and the remaining 45 are reserved for women, who are chosen by the 300 elected members. Executive power is vested in the prime minister (the head of government) and cabinet, most of whose members are usually from the largest party in the parliament.
There are six administrative divisions in Bangladesh, namely Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet. These are further divided into a number of local government units called zilas (districts), thanas or upazilas, and unions. The unions are formed of a group of villages. There are city corporations, and elected mayors and councils to look after the largest urban areas.
Bangladesh has a number of political parties, the most important parties being the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Jatiya Party, and the Awami League. The Awami League was the leading political party that headed the fight for independence in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has an army of about 120,000 members, a smaller air force and navy, and even a militia.