Bangladesh |
Boundary
|
With an area of about 144,000 sq km, Bangladesh is situated between latitudes
20~34' and 26~38' north and latitudes 88~01' and 92~41' east. The country is
bordered by India on the east, west and north and by the Bay of Bengal on the
south. There is also a small strip of frontier with Burma on the southeastern edge. The land is a deltaic plain with a network of numerous rivers and canals. |
Culture | Bangladeshi daily life is replete with
traditions and festivals that reflect the
unique culture and tradition of
Bangladeshis. Some of the tradition and
customs are as ancient as prehistoric
days, while others are relatively recent.
The indigenous customs and festivals that has been preserved and nurtured through the ages are principally center around agricultural practices. These include nabonno (the festival of the new harvest) and pawhela boishAkh (the Bengali new Year). Religion has also played a distinct role in shaping the mores and traditions of Bangladeshi life. Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country, and Islam's adherents in Bangladesh celebrate the joyous festival of the two Eids, Eid-ul-Fitr, and Eid-ul-Azha, the month of Ramadan, Shab-e-Qadr, Shab-e-Barat etc. Hindus in Bangladesh celebrate Durga Puja, Kali Puja and Janmastami. The Buddhists celebrate Buddho Purnima and the Christians Christmas. These are just a few of the religious festivals and feasts that Bangladeshis celebrate in their day to day life. National occasions also mark Bangladeshi life, and these include Independence Day, Victory Day, and the historic Language Martyr's Day. Social customs like birth, naming ceremony, marriage, and death too have a distinct Bangladeshi flavor with each ethnic and religious group having their own unique way to mark these traditions. National Holiday List: The holiday list for 1999-2000:- Traditional Holidays and Festivals Traditional holidays such as Bengali New Year's. Information about the
Bangla Calendar. |
Education | The literacy rate in Bangladesh is very low, with significant disparity between female and male literacy rates. However, with the inception of Universal Primary Education program, the literacy rates have been going up. The education system is broken down into 4 levels, primary from grades 1 to 5, secondary from grades 6 to 10, higher secondary from from grades 11 to 12, and tertiary. In the 1990s there were about 50,000 primary schools enrolling over 50 million students. There were about 9000 secondary institutions. The five years of lower secondary (grades six through ten) concluded with a secondary school certificate examination. Students who passed this examination proceeded to two years of higher secondary or intermediate training, which culminated in a higher secondary school examination after grade twelve. Higher secondary school was viewed as preparation for college rather than as the conclusion of high school. Development efforts in the late 1980s included programs to provide low-cost vocational education to the rural populace.
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Liberation War | Declaration of Independence The story behind the declaration of Independence on March 26, 1971. PM Tajuddin Ahmed's statement to the world, April 17, 1971. On April 17, 1971, the then acting PM of Bangladesh made a statement to the world to support the Bangladesh cause for freedom. The Bangali Holocaust The hundreds of thousands who were killed by the marauding Pakistani army during the war. A statistical look. Holocaust Museum Images of genocide. Eyewitness Accounts Various eye witness accounts from the liberation war. US Congressional Records Records from the US congress regarding Bangladesh during the war. The Surrender Document About the final surrender by the Pakistani Army to the combine allied forces of Bangladesh and India. Includes pictures of the surrender ceremony and the actual Instrument of surrender. Remembering a Liberation War Twenty five years ago, India and Pakistan went to war over the issue of Bangladesh. Mukti Bahini guerillas and Indian soldiers swept past Pakistani defences and forced the Pakistani Army to surrender within two weeks. On the western front, Indians and Pakistanis fought a series of even deadlier battles. This 1971 War web exhibition commemorates that war... |
History | Virtual Bangladesh : History : Overview The area which is now Bangladesh has a rich historical and cultural past, the product of the repeated influx of varied peoples, bringing with them the Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Mongol-Mughul, Arab, Persian, Turkic, and European cultures. About 1200 A.D., Muslim invaders under Sufi influence, supplanted Hindu and Buddhist dynasties, and converted most of the population of the eastern areas of Bengal to Islam. Since then, Islam has played a crucial role in the region's history and politics. In the 16th century, Bengal was absorbed into the Mughul Empire. Portuguese traders and missionaries reached Bengal in the latter part of the 15th century. They were followed by representatives of the Dutch, the French, and the British East India Companies. During the 18th and 19th centuries, especially after the defeat of the French in 1757, the British gradually extended their commercial contacts and administrative control beyond Calcutta into the remainder of Bengal and northwesterly up the Ganges River valley. In 1859, the British Crown replaced the East India Company, extending British dominion from Bengal in the east to the Indus River in the west. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Muslim and Hindu leaders began to press for a greater degree of independence. At the movement's forefront was the largely Hindu Indian National Congress. Growing concern about Hindu domination of the movement led Muslim leaders to form the All-India Muslim League in 1906. In 1913, the League formally adopted the same goal as the Indian National Congress: self-government for India within the British Empire. The Congress and the League were unable, however, to agree on a formula to ensure the protection of Muslim religious, economic, and political rights. Over the next 2 decades, mounting tension between Hindus and Muslims led to a series of bitter intercommunal conflicts. The idea of a separate Muslim state emerged in the 1930s. It gained popularity among Indian Muslims after 1936, when the Muslim League suffered a decisive electoral defeat in the first elections under the 1935 constitution. On March 23, 1940, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, publicly endorsed the "Pakistan Resolution" that called for the creation of an independent state in regions where Muslims were a majority. At the end of World War II, the United Kingdom, under considerable international pressure to reduce the size of its overseas empire, moved with increasing urgency to grant India independence. The Congress Party and the Muslim League could not, however, agree on the terms for drafting a constitution or establishing an interim government. In June 1947, the UK declared it would grant full dominion status to two successor states--India and Pakistan. Pakistan would consist of the contiguous Muslim-majority districts of western British India, plus parts of Bengal. The various princely states could freely join either India or Pakistan. These arrangements resulted in a bifurcated Muslim nation separated by more than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 mi.) of Indian territory. West Pakistan comprised four provinces and the capital, Lahore. East Pakistan was formed of a single province. Each province had a legislature. Pakistan's history for the next 26 years was marked by political instability and economic difficulties. Dominion status was rejected in 1956 in favor of an "Islamic Republic within the Commonwealth." Attempts at civilian political rule failed, and the government imposed martial law between 1958 and 1962 and 1969 and 1972. Frictions between West and East Pakistan culminated in a 1971 army crackdown against the East Pakistan dissident movement led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose Awami League (AL) Party had won 167 seats out of 313 National Assembly seats on a platform of greater autonomy for the eastern province. Mujibur Rahman was arrested and his party banned. Many of his aides and more than 10 million Bengali refugees fled to India, where they established a provisional government. India and Pakistan went to war in late November 1971. The combined Indian-Bengali forces soon overwhelmed Pakistan's small army contingent in the East. By the time Pakistan's forces surrendered on December 16, 1971, India had taken numerous prisoners and gained control of a large area of East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Mujib came to office with immense personal popularity but had difficulty quickly transforming this support into political legitimacy. The 1972 constitution created a strong prime ministership, an independent judiciary, and a unicameral legislature on a modified British model. More importantly, it enunciated as state policy the Awami League's four basic principles--nationalism, secularism, socialism, and democracy. The Awami League won a massive majority in the first parliamentary elections in March 1973. It continued as a mass movement, espousing the cause that brought Bangladesh into being and representing disparate and often incoherent elements under the banner of Bangla nationalism. No other political party in Bangladesh's early years was able to duplicate or challenge its broad-based appeal, membership, or organizational strength. The new government focused on relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of the country's war-ravaged economy and society. Economic conditions remained tenuous, however, and food and health difficulties continued to be endemic. In 1974, Mujib proclaimed a state of emergency and amended the constitution to limit the powers of the legislative and judicial branches, establish an executive presidency, and institute a one-party system. Calling these changes the "Second Revolution," Mujib assumed the presidency. All political parties were dissolved except for a single new party, the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BAKSAL), which all members of parliament were obliged to join. Implementation of promised political reforms was slow, and Mujib increasingly was criticized. In August 1975, he was assassinated by mid-level army officers, and a new government, headed by a former associate, Khandakar Moshtaque, was formed. Successive military coups occurred on November 3 and 7, resulting in the emergence of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ziaur Rahman (Zia), as strongman. He pledged the army's support to the civilian government headed by the president, Chief Justice Sayem. Acting at Zia's behest, Sayem then promulgated martial law, naming himself Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA). Ziaur Rahman. Ziaur Rahman was elected for a 5-year term as president in 1978. His government removed the remaining restrictions on political parties and encouraged opposition parties to participate in the pending parliamentary elections. More than 30 parties vied in the parliamentary elections of February 1979, but Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won 207 of the 300 elected seats. In 1981, Zia was assassinated by dissident elements of the military. Vice President Justice Abdus Sattar was constitutionally sworn in as acting president. He declared a new national emergency and called for elections within 6 months. Sattar was elected president and won. Sattar was ineffective, however, and Army Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. H.M. Ershad assumed power in a bloodless coup in March 1982. Hussain Mohammed Ershad. Like his predecessors, Ershad dissolved parliament, declared martial law, assumed the position of CMLA, suspended the constitution, and banned political activity. Ershad reaffirmed Bangladesh's moderate, non-aligned foreign policy. In December 1983, he assumed the presidency. Over the ensuing months, Ershad sought a formula for elections while dealing with potential threats to public order. n January 1, 1986, full political rights, including the right to hold large public rallies, were restored. At the same time, the Jatiyo (People's) Party (JP), designed as Ershad's political vehicle for the transition from martial law, was established. Ershad resigned as chief of army staff, retired from military service, and was elected president in October 1986. (Both the BNP and the AL refused to put up an opposing candidate.) In July 1987, the opposition parties united for the first time in opposition to government policies. Ershad declared a state of emergency in November, dissolved parliament in December, and scheduled new parliamentary elections for March 1988. All major opposition parties refused to participate. Ershad's party won 251 of the 300 seats; three other political parties which did participate, as well as a number of independent candidates, shared the remaining seats. This parliament passed a large number of legislative bills, including a controversial amendment making Islam the state religion. By mid-1990, opposition to Ershad's rule had escalated. November and December 1990 were marked by general strikes, increased campus protests, public rallies, and a general disintegration of law and order. Ershad resigned in December 1990. On February 27, 1991, an interim government oversaw what may be one of the most free and fair elections in the nation's history. The center-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party won a plurality of seats and formed a coalition government with the Islamic fundamentalist party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). The new Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, was the widow of the assassinated former president Ziaur Rahman. Before the death of her husband in 1981, her participation in politics was minimal. She joined the BNP in 1982 and became chairman of the party in 1984. In September 1991, the electorate approved changes to the constitution, formally creating a parliamentary system and returning governing power to the office of the prime minister, as in Bangladesh's original constitution. In October 1991, members of parliament elected a new head of state, President Abdur Rahman Biswas. Opposition legislators resigned en masse in December 1994, trying to force Khaleda to step down and allow early elections under a neutral caretaker administration. She refused and the opposition staged a series of strikes and shutdowns which economists say have slowed reforms and the pace of economic recovery. President Abdur Rahman Biswas dissolved parliament last November and called new elections for February 1996. He asked Khaleda Zia to stay in office until a successor was chosen. The opposition parties vowed to not to take part in the elections while Khaleda remained in office and boycotted the Feb. elections They said the elections had been rigged to ensure the BNP a landslide victory. They staged a series of crippling strikes and transport blockades, trying to force Khaleda to annul the election and transfer power to a neutral caretaker government. The new parliament bowed to opposition demands and passed a law March 26 allowing the president to form a caretaker government, Former chief justice Habibur Rahman was asked to head a caretaker government and parliament was dissolved. New elections were completed June 23, 1996 with the Awami League garnering the highest number of seats. The leader of the Awami League, Sheikh Hasina Wazed, was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed was elected unopposed to replace Biswas as the next president of Bangladesh. |
Environment |
Population |
Official Name
The People's Republic Of Bangladesh
Location
Latitude between 20 degree 34' and 26 degree 39' north. Longitude between
88 degree 00' and 92 degree 41' east.
Area
144,000 sq. km.
Boundary
Bounded by India from the north, east and west and by the Bay of Bengal
and Burma from the south.
Climate
Main seasons : Winter (Nov - Feb), Summer (Mar - Jun), Monsoon (Jul -
Oct). Temp : Max 34 degree Celsius, Min 8 degree Celsius.
Rainfall
Lowest 47" and highest 136"
Capital
Dhaka (Present area 414 sq. km. Master plan 777 sq.km.)
Population
Total estimated population 130 million.
State Language
Bangla. English is also widely spoken and understood
National Days
National Martyrs Day - February 21 Independence Day - March 26 Victory
Day - December 16
Principal Rivers
Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Brahmaputra, Madhumati, Surma and Kushiara
Principal Crops
Jute, rice, tobacco, tea, sugarcane, vegetables, potato, pulses, etc.
Important Fruits
Mango, banana, pineapple, jack-fruit, water-melon, green coconut, guava,
licis, etc.
Major Industries
Jute, sugar, paper, textiles, fertilizers, cigeratte, cement, steel, natural gas,
oil-refinery, newsprint, power generation, rayon, matches, fishing and food
processing, leather, soap, carpet, timber, ship-building, telephone, etc.
Sea Ports
Chittagong and Mongla
Airports
Zia international airport, Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet, domestic airports at
Chittagong, Jessore, Sylhet, Cox's Bazar, Rajshahi and Saidpur
Electricity
220 Volts A.C. in all cities and towns
Tourist Seasons
October to March
Main Tourist Attractions
Colorful tribal life, longest sea beach, centuries' old archeological sites,
home of the Royal Bengal Tiger, largest tea gardens, interesting riverine
life, etc.
Wearing Apparel
Tropical in summer, and light-woolen in winter
Currency
The unit of currency is the Taka. Notes are in denominations of
1,2,5,10,20,50,100 and 500 Taka. Coins are 1,5,10,25,50 and 100 Paisa
(100 Paisa = 1 Taka)
Total area: 144,000 square kilometers; land area: 133,910 square kilometers
Land boundaries: 4,246 km total; Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Coastline: 580 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 18 nm
Continental shelf: up to outer limits of continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: A portion of the boundary with India is in dispute; water sharing
problems with upstream riparian India over the Ganges
Climate: tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March
to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Natural resources:
natural gas
uranium
arable land
timber
Land use:
arable land 67%
permanent crops 2%
meadows and pastures 4%
forest and woodland 16%
other 11%
includes irrigated 14%
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