[hang nadim] People's Republic of Bangladesh গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ

Bangladesh
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Coordinates: 23°N 90°E / 23°N 90°E / 23; 90
This article is about the People's Republic of Bangladesh. For other uses, see Bangladesh (disambiguation).
People's Republic of Bangladesh
গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ
Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh

Flag Coat of arms

Anthem: Amar Shonar Bangla
My Golden Bengal

Capital
(and largest city) Dhaka
23°42′N 90°21′E / 23.7°N 90.35°E / 23.7; 90.35
Official language(s) Bengali
Demonym Bangladeshi
Government Parliamentary republic[1]
- President Zillur Rahman
- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed
- Speaker Ad.Abdul Hamid
Independence from Pakistan
- Declared March 26, 1971
- Victory Day December 16, 1971
Area
- Total 147,570 km2 (94th)
55,599 sq mi
- Water (%) 7.0
Population
- 2009 estimate 162,221,000[2] (7th)
- Density 1,099.3/km2 (5th)
2,917.6/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2009 estimate
- Total $226.205 billion[3] (48th)
- Per capita $1,398[3] (153rd)
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
- Total $84.196 billion[3] (58th)
- Per capita $690[4] (147th)
Gini (2000) 33.4 (medium)
HDI (2007) ▲ 0.543[5] (medium) (146th)
Currency Taka (BDT)
Time zone BST (UTC+6)
- Summer (DST) BDST (UTC+7)
Drives on the left
Internet TLD .bd
Calling code 880
1 Adjusted population, p.4,
Bangladesh (help·info) (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ, pronounced [ˈbaŋlad̪eʃ]; Bangladesh), officially the The People's Republic of Bangladesh (Bengali: গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh) is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma (Myanmar) to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. Together with the Indian state of West Bengal, it makes up the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" in the official Bengali language.

The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947, when the region became the eastern wing of the newly formed Pakistan. However, it was separated from the western wing by 1,600 km (994 mi) of Indian territory. Political and linguistic discrimination as well as economic neglect led to popular agitations against West Pakistan, which led to the war for independence in 1971 and the establishment of Bangladesh. After independence the new state endured famines, natural disasters and widespread poverty, as well as political turmoil and military coups. The restoration of democracy in 1991 has been followed by relative calm and economic progress.

Bangladesh is the seventh most populous country and is among the most densely populated countries in the world with a high poverty rate. However, per-capita (inflation-adjusted) GDP has more than doubled since 1975, and the poverty rate has fallen by 20% since the early 1990s. The country is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies. Dhaka, the capital, and other urban centers have been the driving force behind this growth.[6]

Geographically, the country straddles the fertile Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta and is subject to annual monsoon floods and cyclones. Bangladesh has the longest unbroken sea beach in the world in the Cox's Bazaar. The government is a parliamentary democracy. Bangladesh is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the OIC, SAARC, BIMSTEC, and the D-8. As the World Bank notes in its July 2005 Country Brief, the country has made significant progress in human development in the areas of literacy, gender parity in schooling and reduction of population growth.[7] However, Bangladesh continues to face a number of major challenges, including widespread political and bureaucratic corruption, economic competition relative to the world, serious overpopulation, widespread poverty, and an increasing danger of hydrologic shocks brought on by ecological vulnerability to climate change.

Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 20th century
2 Government and politics
3 Foreign policy and military
4 Divisions, districts, and upazilas
5 Geography and climate
6 Flora and fauna
7 Economy
8 Demographics
8.1 Religion
9 Culture
10 Sports
11 See also
12 References
13 External links