The Republic of Bangladesh is one of the most beautiful countries in South Asia. It is rich in architectural and historical monuments, picturesque places, sea beaches, famous for exotic cuisine and oriental flavor. Despite the fact that Bangladesh is just beginning to strengthen its position in the tourism market, more and more travelers from all over the world come here every year to enjoy the amazing atmosphere of these places.
general information
The official name of the state is the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The capital is the city of Dhaka, where over 8.5 million people live. The country is located on the border of South and Southeast Asia.
Its total area is 144 thousand square meters. km The population is 171 million inhabitants. The official language is Bengali. Since March 26, 1971 it is an independent state, and since 1974 it is a member of the UN.
Resident Data
Population density per 1 square. km in Bangladesh is almost one thousand people. Moreover, the annual population growth is 1.6%. According to estimates for 2002, the birth rate was equal to 25%, and mortality - to 9%.
Infant mortality in the amount of 6-7 people per 100 newborns. According to various sources, the average life expectancy is 61-65 years. In percentage terms, emigration is 1% of the total population of Bangladesh. Most often, people leave for the UAE and Southeast Asia.
For a hundred women there are almost as many men - one hundred and five. The age structure is represented by the following ratio:
- older people over 65 and children under 14 make up 40%;
- persons aged 25 to 64 years - 37%;
- from 15 to 24 years old - 23%.
In urban conditions, only 20% of the population lives, and most of them (more than 8.5 million people) live in the capital of Bangladesh. What other settlements are there? Other major cities include Chittagong (about 3 million people), Khulna (about 700 thousand people), Sylhet, Rajshahi (about 500 thousand people), Tonga, Bogra, Maimansingh (about 400 thousand people).
The ethnic composition is poorly expressed: 98% are Bengalis, the remaining 2% are non-Bengal Muslims and representatives of large and small tribes.
The national language is spoken by 99% of the inhabitants. The vast majority speak Munda, Assamo-Burmese and Monkhmer. In Bangladesh, Arabic, Hindi, Persian and Urdu are also common. An educated population speaks English; it is widely used in office work, the media, foreign policy and business.
Religious majority - 83% - are Muslims, adherents of Hinduism - about 16%, the remaining are adherents of the animistic cult.
History
In the middle of the 20th century, the independence of British India was marked by its division into two states for religious convictions. One part became the Indian Union, the other - Pakistan. The latter included the northwestern and northeastern region, which since 1955 became known as East Pakistan. More than half of the population lived here. But, despite this fact, he occupied an unequal economic and political position.
The incitement to Bengal nationalism was facilitated by an attempt by the authorities to make Urdu the official language. The population of East Pakistan did not speak it. After years of bloodshed and heated debate, the Bengali language is recognized as the state language along with Urdu.
The discrimination and poor financing of East Pakistan has sparked protests from activists for empowerment and the creation of an independent state. The movement in 1949 is led by the People’s League. In 1966, she was led by a public figure, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
However, in 1970, despite winning the People’s League election, General Yahya Khan refuses to make a universal decision and acts with the help of military force. The main activists of the national democratic parties are being arrested and persecuted. Clashes between rebels and troops lead to the mass exodus of civilians to India. In response to the actions of the authorities, East Pakistan on March 26, 1971 proclaims the independence of the new state - Bangladesh. At the end of the same year, Pakistani troops surrender under the onslaught of the rebels. In November 1972, the constituent assembly adopted the Constitution. The government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was led by Mujibur Rahman.
Geography
Does the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan have access to the Indian Ocean? The state of Bangladesh has access through the Bay of Bengal.
Its coastline has a length of 580 kilometers. In the southern part of the country, it is cut by many estuaries and more even in the southeast. The largest river estuaries are more like estuaries with numerous islands. The coastal strip of Sundarban with the adjacent territory from the north is subject to monsoon cyclones, strong currents and seasonal river spills.
In the west, the country borders on India, in the north and southeast - with Burma. Bangladesh is located on one of the largest deltas in the world on the Bengal Lowland. Almost the entire territory of the country is flat, only in the eastern part the low mountains Lushai and Chittagong extend.
The length of the Ganges River is 500 km. Also in the territory of Bangladesh, Meghna, Brahmaputra, Tista, Rupsa, Surma, Karnapuli flow. The Ganges-Brahmaputra river system is the third largest in the world in terms of water availability after the Congo and the Amazon. The delta territory intersects with multiple channels, shallow channels, saturated with canals and lakes. The water surface of the country spread over 10 thousand square meters. km, which is 2.7%.
The soils here are predominantly loamy, loamy, sandy, in some areas silt. Fertility is restored due to river sediment. The earth is loose, easy to process.
The plant world is not very diverse, mainly cultivated plants. Forests are preserved in the mountains and occupy about 16% of the area. Mostly growing bamboo, mangroves, gardzhan tree and sundri, as well as some species of building wood.
Among the animals there are Bengal tigers, hyenas, leopards, monkeys, rodents, snakes and crocodiles. The bird world is widely represented, including the Bengal vulture. The bay is home to many species of waterfowl, shrimp and other marine life. In freshwater, labyrinth and carp fish predominate.
The climate is hot with high rainfall. January is considered the coldest month, the average daily temperature here at this time is +20 ° C, and April is the hottest.
Government structure
Are tourists often interested in whether Bangladesh is a monarchy or a republic? The answer is as follows. According to the Constitution, it is a unitary, independent, sovereign republic in which power belongs to the people.
Bangladesh is a parliamentary state with a clearly regulated separation of powers and representative bodies. The judicial system is subordinate to the Supreme Court, which monitors the activities of subordinate bodies and monitors the constitutional rights of citizens of the country. Legislative power belongs to parliament. It consists of 300 members. Each bill is adopted by a vote of most parliamentarians. The executive branch is in the hands of the prime minister, and the president is more representative.
Suffrage is granted to citizens of Bangladesh from the age of 18. Before the election, districts are divided into 300 parts of approximately the same population. From each of them, one deputy is elected to parliament. If the candidate has no rivals, he automatically passes to the highest body. By a similar principle, presidential elections are held.
The age limit for a member of parliament is 25 years, for the president - 35 years. As a result of direct, secret and equal voting, a parliament is elected for a term of 5 years.
Domestic and foreign policy of the country
An important task is to democratize the political system and strengthen the parliament, uphold secular principles and take control of Islamic radicalism. The domestic policy of the Republic of Bangladesh is mainly aimed at combating economic backwardness and improving the standard of living of citizens.
The foreign policy system of the state is called upon to help solve numerous internal problems, strengthen security and develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other world powers. The People's Republic of Bangladesh is actively involved in UN activities, starting with the dominant bodies, specialized agencies, and up to peacekeeping missions. One of the most important tasks of foreign policy is to strengthen partnerships with neighboring countries, especially with India.
Economy
The monetary unit of the Republic of Bangladesh is the Bangladeshi Taka (code 050, BDT). The name of this national currency comes from the Sanskrit "tank", it denoted the ancient Bengal silver coin.
Bangladesh is one of the most backward countries, but ranks first in terms of population. The state's share in the global economy is no more than 0.5%. In recent years, there has been rapid development.
Great expectations in the Republic of Bangladesh for the construction of nuclear power plants. The country's economy is predominantly agro-industrial. Agriculture accounts for 26% of GDP, industrial sector - 25%, services sector - 49%. More than half of the workforce (63%) is employed in the agricultural sector.
The largest branch of the manufacturing industry is the textile. More than 100 factories produce cotton fabric and yarn. It is partially exported, the rest is consumed for the needs of citizens. Since the end of the last century, the industry for tailoring cotton products and clothes has been developing especially dynamically. Cheap labor makes manufacturing particularly profitable. About 1.5 million people are employed in this area.
A special place in the country's economy is occupied by jute industry. Its basis is the production of raw jute - about 1 million tons per year. The country supplies 70% of the total volume of yarn from this raw material to the world market. Jute products are mainly used for packaging and transportation of goods, as well as the manufacture of carpets. In the past few years, this material has been actively used as raw material for the manufacture of paper.
The food industry is of great importance - it is sugar and tea factories, dairy plants. Bangladesh produces more than 50 thousand tons of tea annually. Most of the plantations are owned by private companies, including many English. Most refineries are state owned. With an average sugar cane crop of 150 tons, 400 tons are consumed domestically, the rest is imported abroad.
The mining and energy industries are practically undeveloped. End-to-end electricity generation covers the consumption of the population. In November 2017, a joint project of Russia and the Republic of Bangladesh on the construction of the Ruppur NPP near the settlement of the same name was launched.
Agriculture is based on rice farming. The use of special seeds and an increase in irrigation allowed more than doubled the rice yield. Thanks to this, the country independently provides itself with food. The second place is occupied by the cultivation of wheat, but its volume is 10 times less than the produced rice. Legumes and vegetables, including potatoes, fruits, and spices, are also common.
Livestock, as part of the agricultural industry, is underdeveloped. The main part of cattle is used as draft power. The main source of meat and milk are goats. Poultry farming is quite well developed. A significant sector of the economy is fisheries, some of which are exported.
Science and culture
In total, the Republic of Bangladesh has 60 research institutions in the field of medicine, economics, agriculture, humanitarian, exact and technical sciences. The most popular institutions: forestry, livestock, jute, tea, nuclear energy. There are also institutes of malaria, cholera, radioactive isotopes, economics, international law and jurisprudence.
Education is divided into several levels: the initial stage (for children 6-11 years old), secondary (up to 16 years) and higher. State flow training is conducted in Bengali and is free. Private is carried out in two languages - English and Bengali. Religious schools are also popular; they are funded by private individuals and religious organizations. Education in higher education institutions is paid. In education, great importance is given to national culture and history. Children without fail study the past of Bangladesh, the capital of which republic is Dhaka and many other questions.
Of great importance in the country is literature. It develops in the spirit of Bengal traditional and Muslim creativity. Modern literature is represented by famous poets and prose writers, critics and publicists. No less popular is painting, it is performed to a greater extent in the spirit of the Mughal miniature and popular European trends in the visual arts. Most architectural monuments belong to the period of the reign of the Mughals. In the capital is the National and Central Public Library.
Among the most popular types of mass entertainment is cinema. Self-produced films, Indian, Hollywood and Pakistani films are shown here.
The culture, for the most part, was formed under the influence of Islam and Buddhism. The population of Bangladesh celebrates many religious holidays, primarily Ramadan, Buddha Day, Eid al Fitr, Durga Puja and others. During the events on the streets you can see folk processions, religious processions and performances, dance competitions, musical performances.
sights
In Bangladesh (photos are presented in the article), many architectural, historical and religious monuments have been preserved to this day. According to tourists visiting the country, the top ten attractions include:
- Mosque Holy House in the capital.
- Fort Lalbach in Dhaka.
- The ruins of the Mainimati.
- Akhsan-Manzil Dhaka Palace.
- Shahi Masjid Mosque in Chittagong city.
- The ruins of the ancient city of Gaud.
- Mosque of Stars.
- Buddhist monastery Vasu Bihara.
- Chavk mosque in the capital.
- Paharpur Monastery near Jaipur.
Many attractions are located in Dhaka (Bangladesh). The capital of which republic can still boast such an abundance of exotic places?
Tourism in the country
Bangladesh is one of the countries with the highest rainfall in the world. In order not to fall into the rainy season, it is better to plan a trip here in the spring. Tourism has been developing relatively recently, so there is only one major tourist resort - Cox's Bazar in the southeast of the country. Its length is a little over 220 km. There are amazing beaches, the most popular of them is Inani Beach, which, moreover, is considered one of the largest in the world.
Locals are distinguished by kindness and hospitality. Due to this, tours to large cities - Dhaka, Sylhet and Khulna are especially in demand. Fans of extreme relaxation will love hiking in the depths of the jungle, where you can visit the ancient, long-abandoned palaces of Maharaja. What amazing nature in Bangladesh, every traveler will tell.
Flights to the country are carried out by the local Bangladesh Biman airline, which has affordable prices compared to other similar world-class enterprises. The main intercity transport is the train. Personal transportation in Bangladesh is considered a luxury, the vast majority of residents move on rickshaws, scooters or rickshaws.
High-class hotels are mainly concentrated in the capital of Bangladesh and the city of Chittagong. There are world-class hotels in Dhaka - Radisson and Best Western. Each room is equipped in accordance with European standards, the service is well developed. However, reservations must be made several months in advance. As more and more tourists visit the country every year, the development of accommodation in guest houses has become quite widespread. Of course, you don’t have to wait for a service like in four or five-star hotels, but in this way you can save a lot of money.
In memory of the trip to the local markets, you can buy handmade products from wood and leather, shells, masks made from coconut, pink pearls, silk fabrics.