Republic of Bangladesh: description, population, culture, currency

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

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, is famous for its exotic cuisine and oriental flavor. Despite the fact that Bangladesh is just beginning to strengthen its position in the tourist 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 resident population is 171 million inhabitants. The official language is Bengali. Since March 26, 1971 it has been an independent state, and since 1974 it has been part ofUN members.

Inhabitant data

Population density per square meter km in Bangladesh is almost one thousand people. At the same time, the annual population growth of the country is 1.6%. According to an estimate for 2002, the birth rate was equated to 25%, and the death rate to 9%.

Child mortality in the amount of 6-7 people falls on 100 newborns. The average life expectancy according to various sources is 61-65 years. As a percentage, emigration is 1% of the total population of Bangladesh. Most often, people leave for the UAE and Southeast Asia.

One hundred women account for almost the same number of men - one hundred and five. The age structure is represented by the following ratio:

• the elderly over 65 and children under 14 account for 40%;
• persons aged 25 to 64 - 37%;
• 15 to 24 years old - 23%.

Only 20% of residents live in urban areas, and most of them (more than 8.5 million people) live in the capital of Bangladesh. What other settlements are there? Other large cities include Chittagong (about 3 million people), Khulna (about 700 thousand people), Sylhet, Rajshahi (about 500 thousand people), Tongi, Bogra, Maimansingh (about 400 thousand people).

Ethnic composition is weakly expressed: 98% are Bengalis, the remaining 2% are non-Bengali Muslims and representatives of large and small tribes.

The national language is spoken by 99% of the population. The vast minority speaks Munda, Assamo-Burmese and Monkhmer. Arabic, Hindi, Persian and Urdu are also spoken in Bangladesh. educatedthe population speaks English, it is widely used in office work, the media, foreign policy and business.

The religious majority - 83% - are Muslims, adherents of Hinduism - about 16%, the rest 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 based on religious beliefs. One part became the Indian Union, the other - Pakistan. The latter included the northwestern and northeastern regions, 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.

Incitement of Bengali nationalism was facilitated by the authorities' attempt to make Urdu the state language. It was not spoken by the people of East Pakistan. After years of bloodshed and bitter disputes, Bengali is recognized as the official language along with Urdu.

Discrimination and poor funding for East Pakistan sparked protests by activists for empowerment and an independent state. The movement in 1949 is headed by the "People's League". In 1966, the public figure Sheikh Mujibur Rahman began to lead it.

However, in 1970, despite winning the elections of the "People's League", General Yahya Khan refuses to accept a universal decision and acts with military force. The main activists of the national democratic parties are being arrested and persecuted. Rebel clashes withtroops lead to an exodus of civilians to India. In response to the actions of the authorities, East Pakistan on March 26, 1971 proclaims the independence of a new state - Bangladesh. At the end of the same year, under the onslaught of the rebels, Pakistani troops capitulate. In November 1972, the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution. The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was headed by Mujibur Rahman.

Geography

Do the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan have access to the Indian Ocean? The State of Bangladesh has an outlet through the Bay of Bengal.

Its coastline is 580 kilometers long. In the southern part of the country, it is indented by many mouths and more even in the southeast. The largest river mouths are more like estuaries with numerous islands. The coastal strip of the Sundarbans with the adjacent territory from the north is subject to monsoonal cyclones, strong currents and seasonal river floods.

In the west, the country borders with 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 are the low mountains of Lushai and Chittagong.

The length of the Ganges River in the country is 500 km. Also on the territory of Bangladesh flow Meghna, Brahmaputra, Tista, Rupsa, Surma, Karnaphuli. The Ganges-Brahmaputra river system is the third largest in the world in terms of water content after the Congo and the Amazon. The delta area intersects with multiple channels, shallow channels, is saturated with channels and lakes. Waterthe surface of the country stretched over 10 thousand square meters. km, which is 2.7%.

The soils here are predominantly loamy-loose, sandy loam, in some areas silt. Fertility is restored due to river sediments. The earth is loose, easy to work.

The flora is not very diverse, mainly cultivated plants. Forests have been preserved in mountainous areas and occupy approximately 16% of the area. Bamboo, mangroves, garjan and sundri trees grow mainly, as well as some types of construction timber.

Among the animals are the Bengal tiger, hyenas, leopard, 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. Freshwater is dominated by labyrinth and carp fish.

The climate is hot with high rainfall. January is considered the coldest month, the average daily temperature here at this time is +20 °С, and April is the hottest.

Government

Tourists often wonder if 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 division of power and representative bodies. The judicial system is subordinate to the Supreme Court, which controls the activities of lower bodies and monitors the observance of the constitutional rights of the country's citizens. PowerThe legislative level belongs to Parliament. It has 300 members. Each bill is adopted by a vote of a majority of parliamentarians. The executive power is in the hands of the prime minister, the president is more representative.

Suffrage is granted to citizens of Bangladesh from the age of 18. Before the elections, sections are demarcated into 300 parts of approximately the same population. From each of them, one deputy is elected to parliament. If a candidate has no rivals, he automatically passes to the highest body. Presidential elections are held according to a similar principle.

Age limit for a member of parliament - 25 years, for the president - 35 years. As a result of direct, secret and equal voting, the composition of Parliament is elected for a period of 5 years.

Domestic and foreign policy of the country

An important task is to democratize the political system and strengthen the parliament, defend secularist principles and control Islamic radicalism. The internal policy of the Republic of Bangladesh is mainly aimed at combating economic backwardness and improving the living standards of citizens.

The state's foreign policy system is designed to help solve numerous internal problems, strengthen security and develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other world powers. The People's Republic of Bangladesh actively participates in the activities of the UN, starting from the governing bodies, specialized agencies up to peacekeeping missions. One of the most important tasks of the externalpolicy is to strengthen partnerships with neighboring countries, especially 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 an ancient Bengal silver coin.

Bangladesh is one of the most backward countries, but in terms of population it ranks first. The share of the state in the global economy is no more than 0.5%. There has been rapid development in recent years.

Big hopes are placed in the Republic of Bangladesh on the construction of nuclear power plants. The country's economy is predominantly agro-industrial. The share of agriculture accounts for 26% of GDP, the industrial sector - 25%, the service sector - 49%. More than half of the workforce (63%) is employed in the agricultural sector.

The largest branch of the manufacturing industry is textile. More than 100 factories produce cotton fabric and yarn. Part of it is exported, the rest is consumed for the needs of citizens. Since the end of the last century, the industry of sewing products and clothes made of cotton has been developing especially dynamically. Cheap labor makes production particularly profitable. About 1.5 million people are employed in this area.

The jute industry occupies a special place in the country's economy. Its basis is the production of raw jute - about 1 million tons per year. The supply of yarn from this raw material by the country accounts for 70% of the total volume in the worldmarket. Jute products are mainly used for packing and shipping, as well as for making carpets. In the past few years, this material has been actively used as a raw material for making paper.

The food and flavor industry is of great importance - these are sugar and tea factories, butter factories. More than 50,000 tons of tea are produced annually in Bangladesh. Most of the plantations are owned by private companies, many of which are English. Most refinery factories are owned by the state. With an average sugarcane crop of 150 tons, 400 tons are consumed domestically, the rest is imported from abroad.

The mining and energy industry is practically not developed. Electricity production back to back covers the consumption of the population. In November 2017, a joint project between Russia and the Republic of Bangladesh was launched to build the Rooppur NPP near the settlement of the same name.

Agriculture is based on rice growing. The use of special seeds and increased watering more than doubled rice yields. 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 that of rice. In addition, legumes and vegetables are common, including potatoes, fruits and spices.

Livestock, as part of the agricultural sector, is poorly developed. The main part of the cattle is used as a draft force. The main source of meat andmilk are goats. Poultry farming is quite well developed. A significant branch of the economy is occupied by fishing, part of whose products are exported.

Science and culture

In total, the Republic of Bangladesh has 60 research institutions in the fields of medicine, economics, agriculture, humanities, exact and technical sciences. The most popular institutions are: forestry, animal husbandry, jute, tea, atomic energy. There are also institutes for malaria, cholera, radioactive isotopes, economics, international law and jurisprudence.

Education is divided into several levels: primary (for children aged 6-11), secondary (under 16) and higher. State Stream education is conducted in Bengali and is free of charge. Private is carried out in two languages - English and Bengali. Religious schools are also popular, funded by private individuals and religious organizations. Education in higher educational 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 issues.

Literature is of great importance in the country. It develops in the spirit of Bengali traditional and Muslim creativity. Modern literature is represented by famous poets and prose writers, critics and publicists. Painting is no less popular, it is performed to a greater extent in the spirit of the Mughal miniature and popular European trends in fine arts.art. Most of the architectural monuments belong to the reign of the Great Mughals. The National and Central Public Library is located in the capital.

Cinema is one of the most popular types of mass entertainment. Films of own production, Indian, Hollywood and Pakistani films are shown here.

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.

Attractions

In Bangladesh (photos are presented in the article), many architectural, historical and religious monuments of antiquity have survived to this day. According to tourists visiting the country, the top ten attractions include:

• Mosque Holy House in the capital.
• Lalbah Fort in Dhaka.
• Mainimachi Ruins.
• Ahsan Manzil Palace Dhaka.

• Shahi Masjid in Chittagong city.
• The ruins of the ancient city of Gaud.
• Mosque of the Stars.
• Buddhist monastery Vasu-Bihara.
• Chawk 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 abundanceexotic places?

Tourism in the country

Bangladesh is among 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 is developing relatively recently, so there is only one major tourist resort here - Cox's Bazar in the southeast of the country. Its length is a little over 220 km. There are amazing beaches here, the most popular of them is Inani Beach, which, moreover, is considered one of the largest in the world.

Locals are known for their kindness and hospitality. Due to this, tours to large cities - Dhaka, Sylhet and Khulnu are especially in demand. Fans of extreme recreation will like hiking in the depths of the jungle, where you can visit the ancient, long-abandoned palaces of the Maharaja. What amazing nature in Bangladesh, every traveler will tell.

Flights to the country are carried out by the local airline Bangladesh Biman, which is distinguished by democratic prices in comparison with 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 travel by auto rickshaws, scooters or cycle rickshaws.

High class hotels are mainly concentrated in the capital of Bangladesh and the city of Chittagong. Dhaka also has world-class hotels - Radisson and Best Western. Each room is equipped in accordance with European standards, excellent service. However, book a roomrequired several months in advance. Since more and more tourists visit the country every year, accommodation in guest houses has developed quite widely. Of course, you don’t have to wait for service like in four- or five-star hotels, but in this way you can save a lot.

In memory of the trip, you can buy handicrafts made of wood and leather, shells, masks made from coconut, pink pearls, silk fabrics in local markets.