BANGLADESH
COUNTRY PROFILE
Bangladesh as a vacation land has many facets. Her tourist attractions include
archaeological sites, historic mosques and monuments, resorts, beaches, picnic
spots, forest and wildlife. Bangladesh offers opportunities for angling,
water-skiing, river cruising, hiking, rowing, surfing, yachting and sea bathing
as well as bringing one in close touch with Mother Nature. She is also rich in
wildlife and game birds.
LOCATION AND
PHYSICAL FEATURES
Bangladesh is situated in the north-eastern part of south Asia. It lies
between 20' 34' and 2e 36' north latitude and 88' I' and 92' 41' east
longitude. The heary and great Himalayas stand as the northen ramparts, while
the southern frontier is guarded by the Bay of Bengal. On the west lies the
expansive gangetic plains (West Bengal) of India and on the eastern frontier
lies the almost impassable forest of Myanmar (Arakan Province) and India
(Tripura and Assam hills). These picturesque geographical boundaries delineate
out a low lying plain of about 144,000 sq.km. (55,598 sq. miles) criss -crossed
by innumerable brooks, rivers, rivulets and streams. Mighty rivers the Padma,
Jamuna, Meghna, Karnaphuli and others flow through Bangladesh. The unscalable
blue is stretched high above, and the green and silvery landscape below runs
far and beyond. This is Bangladesh, a fertile land where nature is bounteous.
Bangladesh is a deltaic region. Much of the country's land area has been built
up from alluvial deposits brought down by the major rivers. The land is mostly
flat except for a range of hills in the south-east. Wooded marshylands and
jungles mainly characterize it with forest regions in Sylhet, Rangamati,
Khagrachari and Bandarban Hill Tracts, Sundarbans, Mymensingh and Tangail.
HISTORY
The history of Bangladesh has been one of extremes, of turmoil and peace,
prosperity and destitution. It has thrived under the glow of cultural
spiendour and suffered under the ravages of war. The earliest mention of
Bangladesh is found in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata (the story of Great
Battle-9th century B.C). Evidence also suggests that there was a strong
Mongoloid presence as well. Soon after, in the 5th and 6th centuries B.C. came
the Aryans from Central Asia and the Dravidians from Western India. Then came
the Guptas, Palas, Senas, who were Buddhist and Hindus.
>From the 13th century A.D. the flood of Muslim invaders and the tide of Islam
>swamped the Buddhist and Hindus untold 8th century. Sometimes there were
>independent rulers like the Hussain Shahi and Ilyas Shahi dynasties while at
>other times they ruled on behalf of the imperial seat of Delhi. From 15th
>century the Europeans, namely; Portuguese, Dutch, French and British
>traders exerted an economic influence over the region. British political rule
>over the region began in 1757 A.D. when the last Muslim ruler of Ben.. gal was
>defeated at Palassey. In 1947 the country was partitioned into India and
>Pakistan. Present Bangladesh becomes the Eastern Wing of the then Pakistan.
>But the movement for autonomy for East
Pakistan started within a couple of years because of language and cultural
difference and economic disparity between the two wings. The seeds of
independence were sown through the Language Movement of 1952 to recognize
Bangla as a state language. Ultimately the then East Pakistan emerged as a
sovereign and independent state of Bangladesh in 1971 after nine month - long
war of Liberation (starting on 26 March 1971) in which 3 million people courted
martyrdom.
