BANGLADESH

Bangladesh

Capital: Dhaka

Area: 55,599 mi2

Population: 205,093,861

Language: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English.

Literacy: 6% total, 63% male, 49% female

History:



Remnants of civilization in the greater Bengal region date back four thousand years [5], when the region was settled by Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman, and Austro-Asiatic peoples. The exact origin of the word "Bengali" or "Bengal" is unknown, although it is believed to be derived from Bang, the Dravidian-speaking tribe that settled in the area around 1000 BC.

After the arrival of the Indo-Aryans, the kingdom of Gangaridai formed from at least the seventh century BC, which later united with Bihar under the Magadha and Maurya Empires. Bengal was later part of the Gupta Empire from the third to the sixth centuries CE.After its collapse, a dynamic Bengali named Shashanka founded an impressive yet short-lived kingdom. Shashanka is considered the first independent king in the history of Bangladesh. After a period of anarchy, the Buddhist Pala dynasty ruled the region for four years, followed by a short reign of the Hindu Sena dynasty.Islam was introduced in Bengal in the twelfth century by Sufi missionaries, and subsequent Muslim conquest helped spread Islam throughout the region.Bakhtiar Khilji, a Turkish general, defeated Lakshman Sen of the Sena dynasty and conquered large parts of Bengal . The region was ruled by dynasties of Sultans and feudal lords for the next hundred years. In the 16th century, the Mughal Empire controlled Bengal, and Dhaka became an important provincial center of Mughal administration.

European traders arrived late in the 15th century, and their influence grew until the British East India Company gained control of Bengal following the Battle of Plassey in 1757.The bloody rebellion of 1857, known as the Sepoy Mutiny, resulted in thetransfer of authority to the crown, with a British viceroy running administration.During colonial rule, famine struck the Indian subcontinent many times, including the Great Bengal famine of 1943 that claimed 3 million lives.

 

Between 1905 and 1911, an abortive attempt was made to divide the province of Bengal into two zones, with Dhaka is the capital of Eastern India was divided in 1947 zone.When, Bengal was divided along religious lines, with the western part going to India and eastern Pakistan to join as a province called East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan), with its capital at Dhaka.

In 1950, land reform was carried out in East Bengal with the abolishment of the feudal system.However zamindari, despite the economic and demographic weight of the east, the Pakistani government and military were largely dominated by the upper classes from the west. Bengali Language Movement of 1952 was the first sign of friction between the two wings of Pakistan.Dissatisfaction with the central government economic and cultural rights continued to increase throughout the next decade, during which the Awami League emerged as the political voice of the Bengali-speaking population. It agitated for autonomy in the 1960s and in 1966, its president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was imprisoned, was released in 1969 after an unprecedented popular uprising.



In 1970, a massive cyclone devastated the coast of East Pakistan and the central government responded poorly. The Bengali population anger is compounded when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose Awami League won a majority in Parliament in the 1970 elections, was blocked from taking office. After the talks on stage commitment to Mujib, President Yahya Khan arrested him on the morning of March 26, 1971, and launched Operation Searchlight. a sustained military assault on East Pakistan. Yahya methods are extremely bloody, and the violence of war resulted in many civilian deaths. Chief targets included intellectuals and Hindus, and about ten million refugees fled to neighboring India (LaPorte, p. 103).Estimates of those massacred during the war range from three hundred thousand to 3 million euros.

Most of Awami League leaders fled and established a government in exile in Calcutta, India. The Bangladesh Liberation War lasted for nine months. The guerrilla Mukti Bahini and Bengali usual finally received the support of the Indian armed forces in December 1971. The Indian Army under the command of Lt. General JS Aurora, won a decisive victory in Pakistan on December 16, 1971, taking over 90,000 prisoners of war [20] in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971.

After independence, Bangladesh became a parliamentary democracy, with Mujib as the Prime Minister. In the 1973 parliamentary elections, the Awami League won an absolute majority. A nationwide famine occurred during 1973 and 1974 and early 1975, Mujib initiated a socialist party with his newly formed state BAKSAL. On August 15, 1975, Mujib and his family were murdered in mid-level military officers.

A series of bloody coups and counter-coups in the following three months culminated in the rise to power of General Ziaur Rahman, who reinstated multi-party politics and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Zia's rule ended when he was assassinated in 1981 by members of the armed forces.Bangladesh the next major ruler was General Hossain Mohammad Ershad, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1982 and ruled until 1990, when he was forced to resign under western donor pressure in a major change in international politics after the end of communism, when anti-communist dictators were no longer considered necessary. Since then, Bangladesh has become a parliamentary democracy. Zia's widow, Khaleda Zia, led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to parliamentary victory in general elections in 1991 and became the first female Prime Minister in the history of Bangladesh. However, the Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina, one of Mujib's surviving daughters, clinched power in the next elections in 1996 but lost to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party again in 2001. These two female ex-prime ministers are now in prison in a sub-jail, because of its alleged links with corruption.

On January 11, 2007, after widespread violence, a caretaker government was appointed to administer the next general election.The country has suffered from widespread corruption, lawlessness and political violence. The new government has made it a priority to eradicate corruption at all levels of government. To this end, many notable politicians and officials, along with numerous minor officials and party members have been arrested on corruption charges. The government argues that it is paving the way for free and fair elections to be held before the end of 2008.

Climate:
The climate is tropical, mild winter (October-March), hot, humid summers (March to June) rainy monsoon moist, warm (June to October).

Economy: Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest countries.
Bangladesh's economy depends on agriculture.
Due to frequent cyclones and floods affecting the country's economy to grow is hindered. However, the bumper crops of rice and expansion of industrial exports of clothing, have helped a small growth.
Fishing is also an important sector in the economy of Bangladesh.
Tourism is an economic resource at least in Bangladesh. However, more and more tourists travel to the country. Most visitors are from India, Pakistan, Japan, UK and USA.