This article is about the People's Republic of Bangladesh.

For other uses, see

Bangladesh (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 23.8°N 90.3°E

People's Republic of Bangladesh

গণপজজতনতত বজবলজদদশ (Bengali)
Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh
Flag of Bangladesh
Flag
Emblem of Bangladesh
Emblem
Anthem: "Amar Sonar Bangla" (Bengali)
"My Golden Bengal"

MENU0:00
March: "Notuner Gaan"
"The Song of Youth"[1]
Government Seal of Bangladesh

Seal of the Government of Bangladesh

Location of Bangladesh
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Capital
and largest city
Dhaka
23°45′50″N 90°23′20″E
Official language
and national language Bengali[2]
Ethnic groups (2011[3])
98% Bengalis
2% minorities[show]
Religion (2011[4])
89.5% Islam (Official)
9.5% Hinduism
0.6% Buddhism
0.4% Christianity
Demonym(s) Bangladeshi
Membership UN, WTO, SAARC, BIMSTEC, IMCTC, OIC, Commonwealth of Nations
Government Unitary parliamentary
constitutional republic
• President
Abdul Hamid
• Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina
• House Speaker
Shirin Chaudhury
• Chief Justice
Syed Mahmud Hossain
Legislature Jatiya Sangsad
Formation and independence
• Declared
26 March 1971
• V-Day
16 December 1971
Area
• Total
147,570[5] km2 (56,980 sq mi) (92nd)
• Water (%)
6.4
Population
• 2016 estimate
Increase162,951,560[6] (8th)
• 2011 census
149,772,364[7] (8th)
• Density
1,106/km2 (2,864.5/sq mi) (10th)
GDP (PPP) 2019 estimate
• Total
Increase$831.750 billion[8]
(29th)
• Per capita
Increase$4,992[8]
(136th)
GDP (nominal) 2019 estimate
• Total
Increase$314.656 billion[8]
(39th)
• Per capita
Increase$1,888[8]
(143th)
Gini (2016) 32.4[9]
medium
HDI (2017) Increase 0.608[10]
medium · 136th
Currency Bangladeshi taka (৳) (BDT)
Time zone UTC+6 (BST)
Date format
dd-mm-yyyy
BS দদ-মম-বববব (CE−594)
Driving side left
Calling code +880
ISO 3166 code BD
Internet TLD .bd
.বজবলজ
Website
bangladesh.gov.bd
Bangladesh (/ˌbæŋɡləˈdɛʃ, ˌbɑːŋ-/; Bengali: বজবলজদদশ Bangladesh [ˈbaŋladeʃ] (About
this soundlisten), lit. "The country of Bengal"), officially the People's Republic
of Bangladesh (গণপজজতনতত বজবলজদদশ Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh), is a country in South
Asia. While the country is the 92nd-largest in land area, spanning 147,570 square
kilometres (56,980 sq mi), it is the world's 8th-most populous with nearly 163
million people,[6] making it one of the most densely populated countries in the
world. Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the west, north, and east, and
with Myanmar to the east, with the Bay of Bengal to the south. Dhaka, the capital
and largest city, is the nation's economic, political and cultural hub. Chittagong,
the largest sea port, is the second largest city. The dominant geographic feature
is the Ganges delta, which empties into the Bay of Bengal the combined waters of
several river systems, including the Brahmaputra and the Ganges, with numerous
criss-crossing rivers and inland waterways. Highlands with evergreen forests cover
the northeastern and southeastern regions. The seacoast features the longest
natural sea beach and most of the world's largest mangrove forest. The country's
biodiversity includes a vast array of plants and wildlife, including the endangered
Bengal tiger, the national animal.

Bangladesh forms the largest and eastern part of the Bengal region.[11] According
to the ancient Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Vanga Kingdom, one of
the namesakes of the Bengal region, was a strong naval ally of the legendary
Ayodhya. In the ancient and classical period of the Indian subcontinent, the
territory was home to many principalities, including the Pundra, Gangaridai, Gauda,
Samatata and Harikela. It was also a Mauryan province under the reign of Ashoka.
The principalities were notable for their overseas trade, contacts with the Roman
world, export of fine muslin and silk to the Middle East, and spreading of
philosophy and art to Southeast Asia. The Pala Empire, the Chandra dynasty, and the
Sena dynasty were the last pre-Islamic Bengali middle kingdoms. Islam was
introduced during the Pala Empire, through trade with the Abbasid Caliphate,[12]
but following the early conquest of Bakhtiyar Khalji and the subsequent
establishment of the Delhi Sultanate and preaching of Shah Jalal in East Bengal,
the faith fully spread across the region. In 1576, the area was absorbed into the
Mughal Empire, although part was overrun by the Suri Empire. Following the decline
of the Mughals in the early 1700s, Bengal became a semi-independent state under the
Nawabs of Bengal, ultimately led by Siraj ud-Daulah.