Bangladesh

This article is about the country. For other uses, see Bangladesh (disambiguation).

People's Republic of Bangladesh
গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ (Bengali)
Gôṇôprôjātôntrī Bāṅlādēś
Anthem: আমার সোনার বাংলা (Bengali)
Amar Sonar Bangla
"My Golden Bengal"
Marching Song: নতুনের গান (Bengali)
Notuner Gaan[1]
"The Youth Song"
Government Seal
  • Seal of the Government of Bangladesh
Capital
and largest city
Dhaka
23°45′50″N 90°23′20″E / 23.76389°N 90.38889°E / 23.76389; 90.38889
Official language
and national language		Bengali[2][3]
Recognised foreign languageEnglish[4]
Ethnic groups
(2022 census)[5]
99% Bengali
Religion
(2022 census)[6][7][8]
Demonym(s)Bangladeshi
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic under an interim government
• President
Mohammed Shahabuddin
Muhammad Yunus
Syed Refaat Ahmed
LegislatureJatiya Sangsad
Independence from Pakistan
26 March 1971
• Victory
16 December 1971
16 December 1972
Area
• Total
148,460[9] km2 (57,320 sq mi) (92nd)
• Water (%)
6.4
• Land area
130,170 km2[9]
• Water area
18,290 km2[9]
Population
• 2024 estimate
173,562,364 (8th)
• 2022 census
169,828,911[10][11] (8th)
• Density
1,165/km2 (3,017.3/sq mi) (13th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $1.620 trillion[12] (25th)
• Per capita
Increase $9,410[13] (126th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $455.166 billion[14] (34th)
• Per capita
Increase $2,650[15] (137th)
Gini (2022)Negative increase 49.9[16]
high inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.670[17]
medium (129th)
CurrencyTaka (৳) (BDT)
Time zoneUTC+6 (BST)
Drives onleft[18]
Calling code+880
ISO 3166 codeBD
Internet TLD.bd
.বাংলা
Bengali
This article contains Bengali text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols.

Bangladesh,[a] officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh,[b] is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world and seventh most densely populated with a population of 173,562,364 in an area of 148,460 square kilometres (57,320 sq mi). Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the north, west, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast. To the south, it has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal. To the north, it is separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor, and from China by the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim. Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation's political, financial, and cultural centre. Chittagong is the second-largest city and the busiest port. The official language is Bengali, with Bangladeshi English also used in government.

Bangladesh is part of the historic and ethnolinguistic region of Bengal, which was divided during the Partition of British India in 1947 as the eastern enclave of the Dominion of Pakistan.[19] The country came into existence in 1971 after declaring independence from Pakistan at the start of a bloody war.[19] The country has a Bengali Muslim majority. Ancient Bengal was known as Gangaridai and was a stronghold of pre-Islamic kingdoms. The Muslim conquest after 1204 led to the sultanate and Mughal periods, during which an independent Bengal Sultanate and wealthy Mughal Bengal transformed the region into an important centre of regional affairs, trade, and diplomacy. The Battle of Plassey in 1757 marked the beginning of British rule. The creation of Eastern Bengal and Assam in 1905 set a precedent for the emergence of Bangladesh. The All-India Muslim League was founded in Dhaka in 1906.[20] The Lahore Resolution in 1940 was supported by A. K. Fazlul Huq, the first Prime Minister of Bengal. The present-day territorial boundary was established with the announcement of the Radcliffe Line.

In 1947, East Bengal became the most populous province in the Dominion of Pakistan and was renamed East Pakistan, with Dhaka as the legislative capital. The Bengali Language Movement in 1952, the 1958 Pakistani coup d'état, and the 1970 Pakistani general election spurred Bengali nationalism and pro-democracy movements. The refusal of the Pakistani military junta to transfer power to the Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, triggered the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The Mukti Bahini, aided by India, waged a successful armed revolution; the conflict saw the Bangladeshi genocide. After the war, Sheikh Mujib became the leader of the country. Mujib's assassination in 1975 led to the rise of Ziaur Rahman, who himself was assassinated in 1981. The 1980s was dominated by the presidency of H M Ershad. After 1990, the Battle of the Begums between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina defined Bangladesh's politics for next 35 years.[21][22][23] In 2024, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took power after the fall of Sheikh Hasina.

A middle power in the Indo-Pacific,[24] Bangladesh is home to the fifth-most spoken native language, the third-largest Muslim-majority population, and the second-largest economy in South Asia. It maintains the third-largest military in the region and is the largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations.[25] Bangladesh is a unitary parliamentary republic based on the Westminster system. Bengalis make up almost 99% of the population.[26] The country consists of eight divisions, 64 districts, and 495 subdistricts, and includes the world's largest mangrove forest. Bangladesh has one of the largest refugee populations in the world due to the Rohingya genocide in neighboring Myanmar.[27] Bangladesh faces challenges like corruption, political instability, overpopulation, and the effects of climate change. Bangladesh has twice chaired the Climate Vulnerable Forum and hosts the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) headquarters. It is a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Commonwealth of Nations.

  1. ^ "National Symbols → National march". Bangla Academy. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  2. ^ "The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh". Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  3. ^ বাংলা ভাষা প্রচলন আইন, ১৯৮৭ [Bengali Language Implementation Act, 1987]. bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd (in Bengali). Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  4. ^ Historical Evolution of English in Bangladesh (PDF). Mohammad Nurul Islam. 1 March 2019. pp. 9–. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Ethnic population in 2022 census" (PDF).
  6. ^ "Census data confirm decline of Bangladesh's religious minorities". Asia News. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  7. ^ The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( ACT NO. OF 1972 ). (n.d.). In Bangladesh. Retrieved 13 June 2023, from http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-367/section-24549.html Archived 17 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Population of minority religions decrease further in Bangladesh". The Business Standard. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  9. ^ a b c "Bangladesh". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 13 November 2021. (Archived 2021 edition.)
  10. ^ "Population and Housing Census 2022: Post Enumeration Check (PEC) Adjusted Population" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. 18 April 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Report: 68% Bangladeshis live in villages". Dhaka Tribune. 28 November 2023. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Download World Economic Outlook database: April 2023". International Monetary Fund – IMF. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Download World Economic Outlook database: April 2023". International Monetary Fund – IMF. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Download World Economic Outlook database: April 2023". IMF. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Download World Economic Outlook database: April 2023". IMF. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  16. ^ "KEY FINDINGS HIES 2022" (PDF) (Press release). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  17. ^ Nations, United (13 March 2024). "Human Development Report 2023-24". Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024 – via hdr.undp.org.
  18. ^ "List of all left- & right-driving countries around the world". worldstandards.eu. 13 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  19. ^ a b Frank E. Eyetsemitan; James T. Gire (2003). Aging and Adult Development in the Developing World: Applying Western Theories and Concepts. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-89789-925-3. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  20. ^ "Muslim League". Archived from the original on 20 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Bangladesh grows tired of the Battling Begums". 11 February 2018.
  22. ^ "PM Hasina on top in battle of the Bangladesh Begums".
  23. ^ "The battle between Bangladesh's two begums is over". The Economist.
  24. ^ "A rising Bangladesh starts to exert its regional power". The Interpreter. Lowyinstitute.org. 21 February 2019. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country and Personnel Type" (PDF). United Nations. 4 April 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  26. ^ Roy, Pinaki; Deshwara, Mintu (9 August 2022). "Ethnic population in 2022 census: Real picture not reflected". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  27. ^ Mahmud, Faisal. "Four years on, Rohingya stuck in Bangladesh camps yearn for home". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.


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