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Dhaka, Bangladesh
  Political instability has hindered Bangladesh's ability to deal with flooding and other problems. Since it declared its independence from Pakistan in 1971, this fledgling democracy has been beset by political assassinations, coups, election violence, and punishing boycotts. Despite these challenges, Bangladeshis are committed to a system of government that is acceptable both at home and in the international community, on which it relies for billions of dollars in aid each year. Bangladesh—the name means "Bengal Nation"—lies astride the Bay of Bengal, where its jagged coastline runs for 357 mi. (575 km.). The Bay of Bengal, an arm of the Indian Ocean, is the only natural feature to dictate the shape of the 55,598 sq.-mi. (143,998 sq.-km.) country's irregular border. Bangladesh, which the British called East Pakistan, is almost entirely surrounded by its giant neighbor, India. It shares a border with Myanmar, formerly Burma, on the southeast. Four-fifths of Bangladesh occupies the large Bengal Delta, which is formed by three of the world's most powerful rivers—the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and the Meghna. The delta is largely a flat floodplain that is crisscrossed by innumerable rivers and streams. When these waterways overflow during flood season, they deposit fertile soil along their banks. Bangladeshis use this soil to cultivate a variety of crops, including rice, the nation's chief agricultural product and food staple. While most of Bangladesh lies less than 50 ft. (15 m.) above sea level, hilly areas exist in the far northeast and southeast corners of the country. The country's highest point, Mount Keokradong, is 4,034 ft. (1,230 m.) high. It rises from the hills of Chittagong, a district to the east of the Bay of Bengal. These hills are covered with tropical forests and teak, a valuable hardwood. Chittagong, Bangladesh's chief seaport, lies at the mouth of the Kamaphuli River, which runs through this district. Bamboo grows throughout most of Bangladesh, as do mango, palm, and tamarind trees. Bengal tigers live in the Sundarbans, a swampy region in southwest Bangladesh. Climate- Bangladesh has a semitropical monsoon climate with two principal seasons—a hot, wet summer and a cooler, drier winter. The average temperature in April, usually the warmest month, is 82° F. (28° C). In January, usually the coldest month, the temperature is 64° F. (18° C). Bangladesh receives an enormous amount of rainfall. The rainy season lasts from mid-March to October. Monsoons—shifts in the direction of the prevailing winds—set in around mid-May. During the monsoon season, winds from the Bay of Bengal bring rain practically every day.The average annual rainfall is 100 in. (250 cm.) in the east, 65 in. (165 cm.) in the west, and as much as 250 in. (635 cm.) in the far northeast. Monsoon rains often cause rivers to overflow and flood the surrounding countryside. In August and September of 1988, Bangladesh experienced the worst monsoon floods in its history. At one point, 75 percent of the country was underwater. More than 2,000 people died, and about 25 million others were left homeless as a result of the flooding. Tropical cyclones often strike Bangladesh at the end of monsoon season. These fierce storms may be accompanied by huge tidal waves, or storm surges, that do their most damage to low-lying nations such as Bangladesh. In 1970, a cyclone and tidal wave that struck Bangladesh, then called East Pakistan, killed some 300,000 people, drowned millions of livestock, and destroyed most of the nation's fishing fleet. A 1985 cyclone killed an estimated 10,000 people. Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely populated nations, with an average of more than 2,000 persons per sq. mi. (806 persons per sq. km.). More than 80 percent of all Bangladeshis live in rural areas, chiefly in small villages, and try to make a living by farming. Their homes are one- or two-room bamboo houses with thatched roofs. There is little or no electricity or running water. The Sundarbans and the Chittagong Hill district are the least densely populated areas of Bangladesh. About 20 percent of all Bangladeshis live in small, cramped wooden houses in Bangladesh's cities and towns. Though primarily a rural country, Bangladesh has more than a dozen cities with populations over 100,000. The largest of these is Dhaka (formerly Dacca), the capital. Continuously inhabited since the 400s, Dhaka now has 3.5 million people living in its metropolitan area. Chittagong, in the southeast, is the nation's second-largest city and chief port. The Peeps- Most Bangladeshis are descendants of people who migrated to the area thousands of years ago from lands now occupied by Myanmar, Tibet, and northern India. Ninety-eight percent of the Bangladeshis are Bengalis—short, dark-skinned people, like their neighbors in the Indian state of West Bengal. The country's several minority groups include the Chakmas, the Marmas, the Mros, and the Tipperas, who live mainly in the Chittagong Hill district. Unlike their mainly Hindu neighbors in West Bengal, most Bangladeshis are Muslims. In 1988, a constitutional amendment made Islam the state religion of Bangladesh, but stated that other religions could be practiced freely. About 16 percent of all Bangladeshis are Hindu, and about 1 percent are Buddhist and Christian. Most people speak Bangla (also called Bengali), the official language. English is widely used in government, commerce, and higher education. There has been a long and bloody conflict in the Chittagong Hill district between local tribes people and the ethnic Bengalis who have been settling there in increasing numbers. The tribes people, most of whom follow Buddhism, feel they must protect their culture and religion from the "flatlanders," as they call the Bengalis. The government is trying to ease tensions in the district by giving the people in the hills more freedom to run their own affairs. However, tribes people insist that all non-tribal people be removed from their district—a demand that will be hard for the land-starved Bengalis to meet. Islam dominates social, political, and religious life in Bangladesh, and it heavily influences the lives of all Bangladeshis. The Muslim custom of purdah, which means "curtain," requires women to keep out of public view. Muslim women cover their heads with veils around strangers, avoid social contact with men they are not related to, and take part in few activities outside their homes. Muslim men do much of the shopping for their families, and generally they have more freedom than their wives do. Hindu women have greater social freedom than Muslim women, although their legal rights are limited. Two-thirds of all Bangladeshi women get married between the ages of 15 and 19, and during their lifetimes they each bear five or six children. While about 39 percent of all men can read and write, only 18 percent of all women can read. On average, Bangladeshi women live for 49 years— two years less than men do. Food- Rice and fish are the most popular foods, and tea the most popular drink. Because of widespread poverty, however, many Bangladeshis do not have enough food to eat, and water is often the only drink available. Food shortages and unsanitary living conditions cause widespread disease. Malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes that thrive in Bangladesh's swampy regions, kills thousands of people each year. Bengali Arts- Despite their many hardships, Bangladeshis find time for art and literature. The country's warm evening air is often filled with the songs of Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali poet from India who became prominent in Bengali literature during the late 1800s. Plays based on religious stories are popular forms of entertainment, too. Clothing- Bengali women traditionally wear the sari, a straight piece of cloth draped around the body as a long dress, with a short blouse underneath. Muslim men usually wear the lungi, a tight, shirtlike garment. Hindu men wear the dhoti, a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and between the legs, and they often go shirtless in Bangladesh's hot climate. | |
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Article Contributors Anonymous user updated 1 year ago Anonymous user updated 1 year ago |
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