Geography and History of Bangladesh

Location of Bangladesh

• It is officially known as the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
• It is located in southern Asia, in the northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent.
• Bordering countries include India to the west, north, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast.
• It is bordered to the south by the Bay of Bengal.
• India states like West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura border it to the west, north, and east.
• It covers 148,460 sq. km
• The population in 2024 is set to be approximately 17,35,62364, according to Worldometer.
• Bangladesh is a large delta area and it collects a lot of water.
• Its low sea level results in significant water inflow from the Himalayas.
• The coordinates are 23.6850° N, 90.3563° E.

History of Bangladesh

• Bangladesh constitutes the larger and more populous part of Bengal geographically, historically, and culturally.
• From 1947 to 1971, the area was a province of Pakistan.
• Initially named East Bengal, its official designation changed to East Pakistan in 1955.
• On March 26, 1971, East Pakistan declared independence as Bangladesh.
• Independence was secured on December 16, 1971, when Pakistani troops surrendered to Bangladeshi and Indian forces.

Administrative Structure

• There are eight principal administrative units called divisions: Barishal, Chattogram, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Sylhet.
• These divisions contain 64 districts (zilas), which are further divided into 495 upazilas (sub-districts) and 652 thanas.
• Twelve cities boast a city corporation with mayoral elections, including Dhaka South, Dhaka North, Chattogram, Khulna, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Barishal, Rangpur, Cumilla, Narayanganj, Mymensingh and Gazipur.
• City mayors serve five-year terms.
• Municipal Corporations (paurasabha) serve as local governing bodies in cities and towns, with 330 corporations across eight divisions.
• Union Councils (or Union Parishads) are the smallest rural administrative units, formed under the Local Government (Union Parishads) Act, 2009.

Climate

• Bangladesh has a subtropical monsoon climate
• It is characterized by seasonal rainfall variations, moderate temperatures, and high humidity.
• Regional climatic differences are minimal.
• Three common seasons are: a hot, humid summer (March to June), a cool, rainy monsoon (June to October), and a cool, dry winter (October to March).
• Max summer temperatures generally range between 32°C and 40°C; but show an increasing trend.
• The warmest month is April and the coldest is January when the average temperature is 10°C for most parts of the country; however, the average lowest temperature shows a declining trend.
• Natural disasters (floods, cyclones, tornadoes, tidal bores) occur almost annually. Major cyclones affect Bangladesh on average 16 times a decade.

Demographics

• It is one of the most densely populated countries.
• Bangladesh has high ethnic homogeneity, with Bengalis comprising 98% of the population.
• The vast majority speak Bangla/Bengali, is the official language, but English is accepted for official tasks.
• A small number of people, mostly non-Bengali Muslims from regions of India speak Urdu.
• A significant number of non-Bengali tribal groups resides in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (southeast) and the Northern regions, including parts of Mymensingh, Sylhet, and Rangpur.
• Minority Ethnic groups include: Chakma, Marma, Mundas, Garos, Oraons, Tripura, Shantals, Manipuri, Mru, and Bihari.
• Almost all non-Bengali Bangladeshis speak Bangla as a second language.
• Muslims account for 88-89% of the population, Hindus 9-10%, with small numbers of Buddhists, Christians, and Animists.
• It has a high population growth rate and is the eighth most populated country in the world, so the government began promoting birth control in the mid-eighties.
• The government has had effective disease prevention through nationwide immunization, but rampant water-borne diseases are a consequence of many being landless or living in hazardous floodplains.
• The total population is 174.7 million, with a fertility rate of 1.9 per woman
• The maternal mortality rate is 123 per lakh
• The population growth rate is 1.22%.
• The child mortality rate is 25 per thousand childbirths and the under-five mortality rate is 28.8 deaths per 1000 live births.
• Life expectancy at birth is 73.1 years.

Economy

• Bangladesh was very poor when it became a country in 1971.
• It now has an average growth rate of 6% in 2023.
• Based on the international poverty line of $1.90 a day, poverty reduced from 44.2 percent in 1991 to 14.8 percent in 2016/17.
• Poverty rate was down to 21.8%, and extreme poverty came down to 11.3% in 2018.
• The population living below the national poverty line dropped to 18.7% in 2022.
• It reached lower middle-income status in 2015.
• The country is on track for graduation in 2024.
• GDP in USD bn (2022) is 460, GNI in USD bn (2022) is 478.45, GDP Per Capita in USD (2024) is 2,784.
• GDP Growth rate is 6.94% (2021), 7.1% (2022), 6.03% (2023), GDP Rank is 51 (nominal).
• GDP Composition: Service- 51.24%, Industry – 37.65%, Agriculture - 11.2%.
• Inflation is 9% (2023), and the Human Development Index (HDI) is 129th (2024).
• The Labour Force(15 years and over) is 63.5 million and the Per Capita GNI is US$ 2824
• The current Index for GDP (USD bn) is 460, GDP per capita (USD) is 2784, Growth Rate of GDP (%) is 6-7, inflation rate (%) is 9, and unemployment Rate (%) is 3.51.

Education

• Education is highly subsidized by the Government.
• The whole country is divided into nine regional education boards which oversee education from the primary to the higher secondary levels, and conduct examinations.
• Education is free up to the higher secondary level for female students and there is a Government-funded program that gives incentives.
• Education is not unified as there are general education, Madrasah, English medium and English version.
• There are 56 Public Universities and 115 Private Universities.

Culture and Entertainment

• Culture is influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam
• Bangla literature matured in the nineteenth century and its greatest icons are poets Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam.
• Zainul Abedin earned international fame for his sketches on famine of 1943 in Bangladesh.
• Classical forms of the dance from the sub-continent predominate in Bangladeshi dance.
• Drama has an old tradition and is very popular. Popular folk dramas which depict episodes of love and tragedy happen often.
• Bullock carts, buffalo carts and Tomtoms (horse carts) are commonly used for transportation and brides are carried to the bridegrooms' places by Palki.