Brief History

Humans have inhabited what is now Bangladesh for over 20,000 years. Not much is known about these ancient civilizations besides what was recorded by the Greeks and Romans. Bangladesh was ruled by ancient Buddhist and Hindu states until it became a part of the Bengal Sultanate for much of the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. By the 17th century, Bengal was controlled by The Mughal Empire. In the late 1700s, Bengal was the first region of the Indian subcontinent to be conquered by the British East India Company. After the British left in 1947, British India was partitioned and the region of Bengal was given to Pakistan. After a long struggle for Independence, which resulted in large scale death of the Bengali people, Bengal became an Independent nation known as Bangladesh.

National Flag

The national flag of Bangladesh is dark green with a red circle that is slightly to the left of the center. The green represents the lush vegetation of Bangladesh land. The red circle represents both the sun rising over Bengal and the blood of those who died for the Independence of Bangladesh.

Geography

Bangladesh is located in southern Asia. It is bordered by India to the west, north, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast. The Bay of Bengal is located to the South of Bangladesh. The majority of Bangladesh is a broad deltaic plain which is subject to frequent flooding. There is also a small hilly area with flowing rivers.

World Land Mass Ranking: 92nd
Highest Mountain: Saka Haphong, 1,052 meters above sea level
Longest River: Brahmaputra, 1,914 miles

Main Languages

Bengali (official)

Bangladesh Population: 161.4 million (as of 2018)
Capital City: Dhaka
Capital City Population: 21 million (as of 2020)

Climate

Bangladesh has a  tropical monsoon climate.  It is known for heavy rainfall, high temperatures, and humidity. Bangladesh is unusual in the fact that it has six seasons: Grisma (summer), Barsa (rainy), Sarat (autumn), Hemanta (late autumn), Shhit (winter), and Basanta (spring).

Key People

• Hiralal Sen
• Sheikh Hasina
• Subir Chowdhury
• Mahiya Mahi

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  Cuisine

  Bangladesh is known for its delicious foods and desserts. Its cuisine is similar to that of India’s, but has its own unique elements. The most common meat in Bangladesh is fish, and freshwater fish is preferred above fish from the sea. Other common meats are beef, chicken, and goat. The most common foods for the average Bangladeshi are rice, fish, curry, and lentils.  Bangladesh cuisine is known for being spicy, and many different flavorful spices are incorporated into dishes. Desserts are also popular in Bangladesh, and many have a milk/dairy base.

  The picture is a picture of a fish curry from Bangladesh.

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  Sports

  Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh, and it is played throughout the country. The growing popularity of other sports has decreased the popularity of Kabaddi, however. Cricket is the most popular in Bangladesh, and it is one of the top seven cricketing nations in the world. Other sports that are popular in Bangladesh are football (soccer), hockey, swimming, and badminton.

  The picture is a picture of the national men’s cricket team in Bangladesh.

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  Culture

  The culture of Bangladesh is rich and diverse and has evolved over centuries. Architecture, dance,  literature, painting, and clothing are all important parts of the Bangladesh culture. Music is also an important part of the culture, and is divided into three groups: classical, modern, and folk. The press in Bangladesh is diverse and privately owned. There are over 200 private newspapers published in the country. The people of Bangladesh have many festivals and celebrations, they also celebrate national holidays like Independence Day and Language Movement Day. Religion is an integral part of Bangladeshi culture, the major religion is Islam.

  The picture is a picture of Bangladeshi artists performing in a dance show.

  Bangladesh is a beautiful country with wonderful people.

   

  Download questions about the Bangladesh here: Bangladesh (answers are on this page)

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