Beautiful Bangladesh
About Bangladesh :
Bangladesh came into being as the People's Republic of
Bangladesh when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from the union with (West)
Pakistan in 1971.
The country is situated in the fertile plains of
the Ganges (Padma) River delta and borders the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh
borders various states of India in the west, north and east
and has a short border with Myanmar (Burma) in the southeast.
The country occupies an area of
143,998 km², compared, it is slightly larger than Greece (131,957
km²) or slightly smaller than the US state of Iowa.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated
countries in the world with an estimated 171 million people (in 2021). The
majority of its population are followers of Islam (nearly 90%). The capital and
largest city is Dhaka. Spoken language is Bangla
(or Bengali by 98%).
Background:
The boundaries of modern Bangladesh were
established with the partition of Bengal in August 1947, when British India was
separated along religious, linguistic, and cultural lines. The western part of
the region became West Bengal, now a state in eastern India, and the eastern
part became East Pakistan, as part of the newly formed Dominion of Pakistan.
A pro-democracy movement in East Pakistan that thrived
on Bengali nationalism and self-determination led to the Liberation War and
eventually the emergence of Bangladesh as a sovereign and independent nation in
1971.
Land
Bangladesh is bordered by the Indian states of West Bengal to the west and north, Assam to the north, Meghalaya to the north and northeast, and Tripura and Mizoram to the east.To the southeast, it shares a boundary with Myanmar (Burma). The southern part of Bangladesh opens into the Bay of Bengal.
Relief
Stretching
northward from the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh constitutes roughly the eastern two-thirds
of the deltaic plain of the Padma (Ganges [Ganga]) and Jamuna
(Brahmaputra) rivers. Except for small higher areas of jungle-covered old
alluvium (rising to about 100 feet [30 meters]) in the northwest and
north-center—in the Barind and the Madhupur Tract, respectively—the plain is a
flat surface of recent alluvium, having a gentle slope and an elevation of
generally less than 30 feet (9 meters) above sea level. In the northeast and
southeast—in the Sylhet and Chittagong Hills areas, respectively—the alluvial
plains give place to ridges, running mainly north-south, that form part of the
mountains that separate Bangladesh from Myanmar and India. In its southern
region, Bangladesh is fringed by the Sundarbans, a huge expanse of marshy
deltaic forest.
The
Barind is a somewhat elevated triangular wedge of land that lies between the
floodplains of the upper Padma and Jamuna rivers in northwestern Bangladesh. A
depression called the Bhar Basin extends southeast from the Barind for about
100 miles (160 km) to the confluence of the Padma and Jamuna. This area is
inundated during the summer monsoon season, in some places to a depth exceeding
10 feet (3 meters). The drainage of the western part of the basin is centered
in the vast marshy area called the Chalan wetlands, also known as Chalan Lake.
The floodplains of the Jamuna, which lie north of the Bhar Basin and east of
the Barind, stretch from the border with Assam in the north to the confluence
of the Padma and Jamuna in the south. The area is dominated by the Jamuna,
which frequently overflows its banks in devastating floods. South of the Bhar
Basin is the floodplain of the lower Padma.
In
north-central Bangladesh, east of the Jamuna floodplains is the Madhupur Tract.
It consists of an elevated plateau on which hillocks ranging in height from 30
to 60 feet (9 to 18 meters) give contour to cultivated valleys. The Madhupur
Tract contains sal trees, whose hardwood is comparable in value and utility to
teak. East of the Madhupur Tract, in northeastern Bangladesh, is a region
called the Northeastern Lowland. It encompasses the southern and southwestern
parts of the Sylhet area (including the valley plain of the Surma River) and
the northern part of the Mymensingh area and has a large number of lakes. The
Sylhet Hills in the far northeast of the region consists of a number of
hillocks and hills ranging in elevation from about 100 feet (30 meters) to more
than 1,100 feet (330 meters).
In
east-central Bangladesh, the Brahmaputra River in its old course (the Old
Brahmaputra River) built up the flood basin of the Meghna River, the region
that includes the low and fertile Meghna-Sitalakhya Doab (the land area between
those rivers). This area is enriched by the Titas distributary, and land areas
are formed and changed by the deposition of silt and sand in the riverbeds of
the Meghna River, especially between Bhairab Bazar and Daudkandi. Dhaka is
located in this region.
In
southern Bangladesh, the Central Delta Basins include the extensive lakes in
the central part of the Bengal Delta, to the south of the upper Padma. The
basin’s total area is about 1,200 square miles (3,100 square km). The belt of
land in southwestern Bangladesh bordering the Bay of Bengal constitutes the
Immature Delta. A lowland of some 3,000 square miles (7,800 square km), the
belt contains, in addition to the vast mangrove forest known as the Sundarbans,
the reclaimed and cultivated lands to the north of it. The area nearest the Bay
of Bengal is crisscrossed by a network of streams that flow around roughly
oblong islands. The Active Delta, located north of the Central Delta Basins and
east of the Immature Delta, includes the Dhaleswari-Padma Doab and the
estuarine islands of varying sizes that are found from the Pusur River in the
southwest to the island of Sandwip near Chittagong in the southeast.
Lying
to the south of the Feni River in southeastern Bangladesh is the Chittagong
region, which has many hills, hillocks, valleys, and forests and is quite
different in aspect from other parts of the country. The coastal plain is
partly sandy and partly composed of saline clay; it extends southward from the
Feni River to the town of Cox’s Bazar and varies in width from 1 to 10 miles
(1.6 to 16 km). The region has a number of offshore islands and one coral reef,
St. Martin’s, off the coast of Myanmar. The hilly area known as the Chittagong
Hill Tracts, in the far southeast, consists of low hills of soft rocks, mainly
clay and shale. The north-south ranges are generally below 2,000 feet (600
meters) in elevation.
Politics of Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a parliamentary representative democratic
republic with a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in both the
government and the parliament (Jatiyo Sangsad). Head of state is the President.
Head of government is the Prime Minister. Bangladesh is a republic with a
non-executive president. Executive power is exercised by the government.
Daily life
and social customs
The
typical household in Bangladesh, particularly in the villages, includes several
generations of extended family. Most marriages are arranged by parents or
other relatives, but increasing numbers of educated men and women choose their
own partners. Custom and religion among Muslims require that a dowry be offered
by the husband to the wife, but it is usually claimed only in the event of
separation or at the husband’s death. Divorce is permissible among Muslims, and
Muslim law (Sharīʿah) permits limited polygyny, although it is not widespread.
Hindus may obtain a separation by application to a court of law.
The
main festivals in Bangladesh are religious. The two most important are ʿĪd
al-Fiṭr, which comes at the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, and
ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā, or the festival of sacrifice, which falls on the 10th day of the
last month of the Islamic calendar. On both occasions families and friends
exchange visits.
While
rice, pulses, and fish continue to constitute the staple diet of Bangladeshis,
shortages of rice since World War II have forced the acceptance of wheat and
wheat products as alternatives. Meat, including goat and beef, also is eaten,
especially in the towns. At weddings and other festive occasions, seasoned rice
(pilau) accompanies highly spiced meat dishes and curries. Bangladesh is noted
for a large variety of milk-based sweets.
The
lungi (a length of cloth wrapped around the lower half of the body, comparable
to the Malaysian sarong) with a short vest is the most common form of male
attire in the countryside and in the less-wealthy sections of urban
settlements. Men of the educated classes prefer light cotton trousers called
pajamas (from which the English word originates) and a kind of collarless
knee-length shirt known as a panjabi. On more formal occasions they dress in a
modification of the Western suit. The traditional sherwani and churidar,
calf-length tunic and close-fitting trousers, are still seen at weddings, where
they are worn along with the turban. The sari is common among women, but girls
and younger women, especially students, prefer the shalwar kamiz, a combination
of calf-length shirt and baggy silk or cotton trousers gathered at the ankles.
Climate
Bangladesh receives heavy rainfall; except
for some parts in the west, it generally exceeds 60 inches (1,500 mm) annually.
Large areas of the south, southeast, north, and northeast typically receive
from 80 to 100 inches (2,000 to 2,500 mm), and the northern and northwestern
parts of the Sylhet area usually receive from 150 to 200 inches (3,800 to 5,000
mm). The maximum rainfall occurs during the monsoon period, from June to
September or early October.
Storms of very high intensity often occur early in the summer (in April and May) and late in the monsoon season (September to October, and sometimes November). These disturbances may produce winds with speeds exceeding 100 miles (160 km) per hour, and they may generate waves in the Bay of Bengal that crest as high as 20 feet (6 meters) before crashing with tremendous force onto the coastal areas and the offshore islands, causing heavy losses of life and property. Since the early 18th century, when records were first kept, more than 1,000,000 people have been killed in such storms, some 815,000 of them in just three storms occurring in 1737, 1876, and 1970.
Soils
There are three main categories of soils in Bangladesh: the
old alluvial soils, the recent alluvial soils, and the hill soils, which have a
base of sandstone and shale. The fertile recent alluvial soils, found mainly in
flooded areas, are usually clays and loams, variously pale brown, sandy,
chalky, and mica-laden. They are deficient in phosphoric acid, nitrogen, and
humus but not in potash and lime. The old alluvial soils in the jungles of the
Barind and Madhupur regions are dark iron-rich brown or reddish clays and
loams. They are sticky during the rainy season and hard during the dry periods.
The hill soils are generally permeable and can support dense forest growth.
Cultural
Life 
The Bengali language, Islamic religion,
and rural character of Bangladesh all
serve to unify the country’s culture to
a considerable degree. Although some
regional variation occurs across the
Bengali community, cultural differences
between ethnic, religious, and social
minorities and between rural and urban
populations are much more salient.
The arts
Literature
The
Bengali language began to assume a distinct form in the 7th century CE, and by
the 11th century a tradition of Bengali literature had been
established. Litterateurs received official patronage under both the Pala
(8th to 12th century) kings and early Muslim rulers; under the Senas (11th and
12th centuries) and Mughals (early 16th to mid-18th century), however, they
were generally unsupported. Nevertheless, Bengali language and literature
thrived in various traditions of music and poetry that were practiced outside
the court, laying the foundation for the so-called “Bengali Renaissance” of the
19th century. The renaissance was centred in Kolkata (Calcutta) and led by Ram
Mohun Roy (1772–1833); its luminary poet, Rabindranath Tagore
(1861–1941),
composed the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh and was awarded the
Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. In its early years the movement espoused
the virtues of Western education and liberalism, and it was largely confined to
the Hindu community.
Visual art
and architecture
The historical prevalence of Islamic arts in Bangladesh is especially evident in the many mosques, mausoleums, forts, and gateways that have survived from the Mughal period. Like Muslim architecture elsewhere in the subcontinent, these structures are characterized by the pointed arch, the dome, and the minaret. The best-preserved example is the 77-dome mosque at Bagerhat in the south. The ruins of Lalbagh Fort, an incomplete 17th-century Mughal palace at Dhaka, also provide some idea of the older Islamic architectural traditions. While such Mughal architecture belongs in style and conception to the same school as medieval buildings in northern India, a unique innovation in Bangladesh has been the translation into brick and mortar of the sloping four-sided thatched roof found in the countryside.
Some
remains of pre-Muslim Buddhist architecture have been unearthed at Paharpur and
Mahasthan in the north and at Maynamati in the south. They are said to date
from the 8th century, and they exhibit the circular stupa pattern
characteristic of ancient Buddhist monasteries in India.
Public
buildings in the British and Pakistani periods sometimes followed the Mughal
style, but preferences subsequently shifted to the International Style, which
was prevalent in the United States and Europe in the mid-20th century. The
softness of Bangladesh’s subsoil precludes the construction of skyscrapers.
Languages
Bengali (Bangla), the national language of
Bangladesh, belongs to the Indo-Aryan group of languages and is related to
Sanskrit. Like Pali, however, and various other forms of Prakrit in ancient
India, Bengali originated beyond the influence of the Brahman society of
the Aryans. The Pala rulers of Bengal (8th to 12th century)—who were Buddhists and
whose religious language was Pali—did not inhibit the emergence of a colloquial
tongue known as Gaudiya Prakrit, the language from which Bengali developed.
Bengali is the mother tongue of almost the
entire population of Bangladesh. However, the indigenous minority groups have
their own languages and dialects, some of which are Tibeto-Burman languages.
English, an Indo-European language, is spoken in urban centers and among
educated groups.
The Bengali language has two distinct styles:
sadhu bhasa, the literary style, which contains many words derived from
Sanskrit, and calit bhasa, the colloquial style, which is the standard medium
of informal discourse, both spoken and written. Until the 1930s sadhu bhasa was
used for all printed matter, but calit bhasa is now the basic form used for
contemporary literature. There also are a number of dialects. Bengali contains
many loanwords from Portuguese, English, Arabic, Persian, and Hindi.
Religion
Most of the people of Bangladesh follow the
religion of Islam, which was made the official religion by a 1988
constitutional amendment. The arrival of Muslims in Bengal at the beginning of
the 13th century and the rapid increase in their strength and influence
permanently changed the character and culture of the area. When the Muslims
first arrived, Hinduism was by far the dominant religion, although there were
pockets of Buddhists and a few adherents of local religions. The Hindus
remained in the majority through the Mughal period (16th to 18th century). Even
as late as the early 1870s, there were more than 18 million Hindus in Bengal,
compared with about 16 million Muslims. From the 1890s onward, however, the
weight began to shift toward the Muslims.
There were several reasons for the increase
in the proportion of the Muslim population. Perhaps the most significant was
the activity of ascetics and Sufis (practitioners of Sufism, a mystical form of
Islam), who won converts among lower-caste Hindus. Also significant was an
influx of Muslims from northern India and from other countries.
Most Muslims are Sunni, but there are a small
number of Shīʿites, primarily descendants of immigrants from Iran. Hindus form
a significant minority, while Roman Catholics and Buddhists constitute just a
tiny fraction of the population. Of the tribes in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,
the Chakma, Marma, and Mro are mostly Buddhists. Portions of the Kuki, Khomoi,
and Mro communities practice local religions. While most of the Mizo are
Christians, the Tripura are Hindus.
Plant and Animal Life
Bangladesh
in general possesses a luxuriant vegetation, with villages appearing to be
buried in groves of mango, jackfruit, bamboo, betel nut, coconut, and date
palm. However, only a small portion of the country’s land surface is covered
with forests.
Bangladesh
has four different areas of vegetation. The eastern zone, consisting of parts
of the Sylhet and Chittagong areas, has many low hills covered with jungles of
bamboo and rattan (a species of climbing palm). The most common plant is a
large type of bamboo that forms the basis of the country’s paper industry. The
central zone, covering parts of the country to the north of Dhaka, contains
many lakes and supports swampy vegetation; the soil of part of this zone
produces the Madhupur jungles.
The
area lying to the northwest of the Jamuna and to the southwest of the Padma
forms a flat plain, the vegetation of which consists mostly of cultivated
plants and orchards. Babul (Acacia arabica) is the most conspicuous tree. The
southern zone along the Bay of Bengal contains the vast wetlands of the
Sundarbans, with their distinctive mangrove vegetation. Several of the mangrove
species are commercially valuable, including the sundari (Heritiera fomes or H.
minor), for which the Sundarbans are named, and the goran (Ceriops
roxburghiana). Also valuable are the gewa or gengwa (Excoecaria agallocha)
trees, which yield a softwood used for making newsprint. Among the astounding
variety of flowers are water lilies (locally called shapla, the country’s
national flower), marigolds, tuberoses, and Chinese hibiscus. The bokul
(Mimusops elengi) is a common shrub that produces small red berries.
Bangladesh
has an abundance of wildlife, including more than 100 species of mammals,
although the population of some species has diminished significantly since the
early 20th century. Elephants, living in herds of fewer than a dozen to nearly
100, are found in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and in the northeastern Sylhet
region. Domesticated water buffaloes (Bubalis bubalis) are used for plowing and
pulling carts. Of the different kinds of deer, the small muntjac (genus
Muntiacus; also called barking deer) and the large sambar deer (Cervus
unicolor), with its maned neck, are well known. The samba lives in the eastern
jungles of the country. The medium-sized spotted deer (C. axis) was once common
in many parts of the country but by the early 21st century had become limited
to the Sundarbans region. The barasingha (C. duvauceli) also once inhabited the
Sundarbans but became extinct in Bangladesh in the 20th century. Similarly, the
hog deer (Axis procinus) has disappeared from the country.
Of
the carnivores, the royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is the best
known. The common leopard (P. pardus) is native to the region, as is its
smaller relative, the rare clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), with its
dark gray oblong-spotted fur. The ferocious leopard cat (Felis bengalensis) is
about the size of the domestic cat but with longer legs.
Bears
in Bangladesh include the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), Asiatic black bear
(Ursus thibetanus; also called Himalayan black bear), and sun bear (U.
malayanus). The sloth bear is the most common. Jackals (Canis aureis), whose
eerie howling at night is a familiar sound in Bangladesh, are abundant, as are
various species of mongooses. The Bengal, or rhesus, monkey (Macaca mulatta) is
the most common primate in the country.
Bangladesh
is inhabited by hundreds of species of birds. Common house crows are found everywhere,
and their cries are detested by many people of Bangladesh, who regard crows as
bad omen. Bulbuls, magpie-robins, and a wide variety of warblers are also
found; some are migrants that appear only in winter. Several kinds of
flycatchers occur, and there are mynah birds of several kinds. Other species of
birds include various game birds, parakeets, cuckoos, hawks, owls, kingfishers,
hornbills, hoopoes, woodpeckers, and vultures. Among the eagles, the crested
serpent eagle and the ring-tailed fishing eagle are the most common. There also
are an array of water birds, including herons, storks, ducks, and wild geese.
Music,
dance, and theatre
The
Bengali language began to assume a distinct form in the 7th century CE, and by
the 11th century a tradition of Bengali literature had been
established. Litterateurs received official patronage under both the Pala
(8th to 12th century) kings and early Muslim rulers; under the Senas (11th and
12th centuries) and Mughals (early 16th to mid-18th century), however, they
were generally unsupported. Nevertheless, Bengali language and literature
thrived in various traditions of music and poetry that were practiced outside
the court, laying the foundation for the so-called “Bengali Renaissance” of the
19th century. The renaissance was centred in Kolkata (Calcutta) and led by Ram
Mohun Roy (1772–1833); its luminary poet, Rabindranath Tagore
Apart
from such classical dances as kathakali and bharata natyam—forms that are
popular throughout the subcontinent—unique indigenous dances have developed in
Bangladesh. Among the most widespread of these are the dhali, baul, manipuri,
and snake dances. Each form expresses a particular aspect of communal life and
is danced on specific occasions. Improvisation has been a core component of
both classical and nonclassical music and dance. With the increasing
commercialization of the arts, however, improvisation has been on the wane.
Although some of the performing arts are learned informally, others are taught
formally at music and dance academies. Two of the oldest and most prominent of
such academies are the Bulbul Academy for Fine Arts and the Nazrul Academy,
both in Dhaka.
All
towns and most villages have cinema houses. Plays are occasionally staged by
amateur groups and drama societies in educational institutions and are
broadcast regularly on radio and television. Musical concerts, though not as
popular as the cinema, are well attended. Especially popular in the countryside
is jatra, a form of opera that draws on local legends.
Sports and Recreation
Bangladesh has a great love of sports and is their main form of entertainment. The traditional sport on the Bangladeshi culture is called kabaddi which is a contact sport that originated from India. It is a great pastime and was even used by the British Army both for fun and to recruit soldiers from the Asian communities. Recently though, Bangladesh has come to love playing cricket which has gained national notoriety. The popularity of cricket started when their Bangladesh national cricket team took the ICCP Trophy in 1997 which then made them qualify for the 1999 Cricket World Cup which was mostly held in England. In 2011, Bangladesh co-hosted the Cricket World Cup along with Sri Lanka and India.
Other popular games in Bangladesh include football, hockey and even chess. As a matter of fact, Bangladesh has produced many of the world’s best chess players like Niaz Murshed, the first grandmaster out South Asia (1987).
Although Bangladesh has participated in all seven Summer Olympic Games since 1984, sadly they have never won any medals. It is one of the most populous countries that are yet to receive a single Olympic victory.
Kabaddi
Cricket
Cricket is arguably the most popular
sport in the country. The popularity
began to rise significantly when the
national team went on to win the
ICC Trophy in 1997 and for the first
time qualified for the Cricket World
Cup in 1999. In 2000, Bangladesh became a full member of International Cricket Council which allowed it to play Test cricket.
Football
Throughout history, football has been the most popular sport in Bangladesh. Although it is under neglect from both the government and authorities including the country’s football federation, known as Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).
Media and
publishing
Programs are broadcast on radio and
television in English and in Bengali; news on the radio is also broadcast in
Urdu, Hindi, Burmese, and Arabic. Both radio and television are controlled
by the government. By contrast, most newspapers are privately owned, and the
constitution provides for freedom of the press. The Bengali newspapers have
relatively small circulations, a fact that reflects the low level of literacy
in the country. Nonreaders, however, are still exposed to the ideas and
influence of the press, as newspapers are often read aloud in groups. Although
their circulation is smaller than that of the Bengali papers, English dailies
exercise a disproportionate influence, because their patrons belong to the
educated classes. Major Bengali dailies include the Daily Prothom Alo, Dainik
Ittefaq, and Dainik Jugantor; major English dailies include The Daily Star, New
Age, and The New Nation.
Bangladesh is rich in natural wealth as well as the people of Bangladesh are peace lovers. The unique culture and foods of Bangladesh are also attractive. On the other hand, the cost is very low comparing other countries. The environment and the hospitality of the people of Bangladesh attract the most tourists. Similarly, traveling in Bangladesh is safe and now the agencies are very professional. You can go and take a close look at every attractive place. If you are eager to know more about Bangladesh, you can get in touch with Travel Mate. At the same time, if you want to explore Bangladesh, you can also do it with Travel Mate. You can go to the World Heritage Site as well.
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