Bangladesh Quick Facts
Population: 150.4 million
Languages: Bengali is the official language. Also English is widely spoken.
Religion: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%.
Currency: Taka (1 USD = 68.70 BDT).
Capital: Dhaka
Size: 144,000 sq km, slightly smaller than Iowa, or slightly larger than Greece.
Location: Southern Asia , bordering the Bay of Bengal.
Neighbors: Burma and India.
Climate: Tropical with mild winter (October to March), hot, humid summer (March to June) and humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October).

Today Bangladesh is celebrating Independence Day in commemoration of its independence from West Pakistan on March 26th, 1971.

Bangladesh, where over 150 million people live within an area smaller than Iowa, is one of the world’s most densely populated countries. Most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas, making it susceptible to flooding. At times it has also suffered from cyclones.

Bangladesh has a lush beautiful nature. The country has plenty of tourist attractions: archaeological sites, historic mosques, monuments, resorts, beaches, picnic sites, forests and wildlife.

Bangladesh has also become a graveyard for ships. Many ships make their last journey to Bangladesh to be broken up into scrap metal on one of its beaches.

Click on the YouTube movie below to see a video about ship breaking in Chittagong, Bangladesh and locations in neighboring India:

Bangladesh became independent from (West) Pakistan on March 26th, 1971. It is one of the world’s most densely populated countries. Despite having a land area about the size of New York state, it has a population equal to that of entire Russia! The official language is Bangla or Bengali and English is also widely spoken. The capital is Dhaka which is one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

Bangladesh is perhaps best known for its cyclones and floods, but it does also have a lush beautiful nature. The country has plenty of tourist attractions: archaeological sites, historic mosques, monuments, resorts, beaches, picnic sites, forests and wildlife.

Bangladesh is celebrating its independence today. Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan on March 26, 1971. It is the most densely populated country in the world (except for a few city states). It is slightly smaller than Iowa but it has half the population, 144 million, of the entire United States.

Lately the political situation has been tense in the country. The U.S. State Department advises U.S. citizens against traveling to the Khagrachari, Rangamati and Bandarban Hill Tracts districts (collectively known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts).