Facts about Bangladesh

Bangladesh's alluvial soil is highly fertile but vulnerable to both flood and drought.

Bangladesh's political history then became one of coup following coup.

The word is thought to have come from Gangahrd (land with the Ganges at its heart), referring to an area in present-day Bangladesh.

Apart from very small countries or city-states such as Singapore, Bangladesh is the most crowded country in the world.

Analysts say a higher, sustained growth path is required to alleviate poverty, given the Philippines' high annual population growth rate and unequal distribution of income.

Rahman later became the president of Bangladesh, but he and most of his family were massacred by a group of disgruntled army officers in 1975.

Islam was given a state funeral as Bangladesh's poet laureate; though a Muslim, he loved Hindu literature and his poetry embraced all people.

Most Bangladeshis (about 83 percent) are Muslims, but Hindus constitute a sizable (16 percent) minority.

Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains an underdeveloped, overpopulated, and ill-governed nation.

The first university in what is present-day Bangladesh was founded as a result of a political concession.

Before Sheikh Rahman's arrest by the Pakistani government, he made a formal and official declaration of independence of the People's Republic of Bangladesh in March 1971.

Early Bangladeshi literature, which dates back over a thousand years, was in the form of song and poetry followed by translations of popular Hindu scriptures.

Jute, a natural fiber used to make cloth, rope, and bags, is Bangladesh's major cash crop in foreign-exchange earnings.

Bangladesh's rank among the most densely populated countries in the world is largely attributable to the fertile Ganges Delta and the monsoon rains that are the nation's lifeline.

Using one available criterion for determining the stability of a democracy (at least two peaceful changes of power), Bangladesh qualifies as a democratic state.

Bangladesh is host to approximately 250,000 Muslim refugees from neighboring Myanmar, where they face persecution.

Education in Bangladesh is highly subsidized by the national government, which operates many schools and colleges at several levels as well as many of the country's 22 public universities.

Bangladesh is situated in the geographic region named the Ganges Delta (also known as the Ganges-Brahmaputra River Delta).

Another popular, almost iconic, literary figure in Bangladesh is the Christian writer, Michael Madhusudan Datta (1824-1873), a poet, novelist, and playwright, who believed in the ability of literature to bridge religious differences.

Bangladesh's first private, non-religiously affiliated university is Dhaka's North-South University, founded in 1993 and increasingly popular with the upper-middle classes.

Most of Bangladesh's iconic figures sought unity rather than division, preferring to regard humanity as one, not fragmented.

Following the Hindu attack on the Babri Masjid (Mosque) in Ayodhia (India) in 1992, a backlash occurred against Hindus in Bangladesh.

Kabadi is the national game of Bangladesh, but is played mainly in rural areas and involves tagging opponents and holding one's breath rather than a ball.

The garments sector has developed a comprehensive network of businesses in Bangladesh, including yarn, labels, accessories, fabrics, and ready-made garments, and employs almost 40 percent of the country's female population.

Bangladeshis of Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and animist faith struggled together in the liberation war.

Bangladesh is ethnically homogenous, with Bengalis comprising 98 percent of the population.

The movement for a free Bangladesh (motivated by feelings of exploitation by West Pakistan) brought Bengalis together in a truly remarkable cross-faith endeavor around what in large measure is a common culture.

Just as this refugee problem is little known outside Bangladesh, so is the country's participation in the U.N.'s peacekeeping activities.

The country has a rich cultural heritage that unites Bangladeshis across religious and ethnic divides in pride over their language, poetry, and drama.

When Bangladesh gained independence, the original constitution was secular since culture, not religion, was the state's raison d'etre, while Pakistan's had been religion.

The People's Republic of Bangladesh lies in a corner of South Asia and in the eastern part of the ancient region of Bengal.

India withdrew its troops from Bangladesh within three months of the war's end.

Advanced civilization in what is now Bangladesh, once the eastern part of a greater region called Bengal, is believed to date back to the first millennium B.C.E.

The large influx of shoppers belies the notion that Bangladesh's economy is stagnant and also reveals the growth of the country's middle class.

Floods and cyclones have helped make Bangladeshis a tolerant and resilient people, who also have a large diaspora in Europe and North America, for whom what is called the "myth of return" never quite dies.

The creation of Bangladesh, in contrast to that of Pakistan from which it seceded, coalesced around language and culture rather than religion.

Natural calamities, such as floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and tidal bores affect Bangladesh almost every year, combined with the effects of deforestation, soil degradation, and erosion.

Having provided 51,000 "soldiers" in 26 countries, Bangladesh is one of the U.N.'s top peacekeepers for the world, with at least 70 having died in the line of duty.

The most popular food in Bangladesh is illish, or hilsa fish, caught throughout the Ganges Delta.

Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, founded by her late husband, Ziaur Rahman, is the current prime minister of Bangladesh and served formerly in the same position (1994-1996).

Between 2002 and 2005, a number of terrorist atrocities were committed in Bangladesh by a group calling for the establishment of a genuine Islamic state.

Having densely vegetated lands, Bangladesh is often called the "Green Delta."

Bangladesh could serve as a model, especially for its neighbors, for how people can live closely together and remain congenial.

Among the many successful Bangladeshi NGOs, one of the most well-known is Grameen Bank , which pioneered micro-credit.