Bangladesh Fact File

In case if you wanted to know more about Bangladesh…

• Bangla (also known as Bengali), the national language of Bangladesh, is the fifth most frequently-spoken language in the world. Bangladesh became a country in 1971 when it declared its independence from Pakistan. Bangladesh used to be East Pakistan, or East Bengal. West Bengal is a state in India.
• The word Bangladesh was coined around 1971 when the country was formed: it means land (desh) of the Bangla (Bengali people).
• Bangladesh is bordered by two countries: India and Burma (Myanmar).
• Bangladesh has its own 12-month calendar with six seasons.
• Bangladesh is known for its production of the jute plant, whose fiber is made into carpets, rope and other products. Jute is known as the golden fibre in Bangladesh.
• Every region of Bangladesh has its own dessert (mishti): if you are eating Chom-Chom, you’re in Tangail, if it’s Roshmallai you’re in Comilla, or Monda if in Muktagacha.
• In Dhaka, all of the autorickshaws and most of the taxis run on clean-burning natural gas (CNG) rather than diesel or petrol.
• The Bengali people of Bangladeshi fought for the right to speak their own language in 1952, this event is now commemorated worldwide as International Mother Language Day.
• The monsoon season in Bangladesh is generally from June to August. If you visit then, bring an umbrella.
• Bangladesh lies on the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees northern latitude). Other countries on this line include Mexico, the Bahamas, Eygpt, Saudi Arabia, India and China.
• Bangladesh’s parliament building, an architectural landmark, was designed by an American architect, Louis Khan.
• Barisal, one of the six divisions of Bangladesh, is known as the Venice of Asia because of its waterways.
• During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, believers do not eat or drink for the entire day. After sunset, families have feasts known as Iftar.
• Every year, about one third of Bangladesh floods during the monsoon season.
• In Bangladesh, high school spans grades five to ten, while grades 11 and 12 are considered to be college.
• In Bangladesh, there is one house in parliament (the Jatiya Sangsad). Members are elected every five years.
• Just as movies from the US come from Hollywood, and those from India are from Bollywood, movies made in Bangladesh (Dhaka) are said to be from Dhalliwood.
• Rickshaws are often elaborately decorated. The designs may depict nature, scenes from Indian mythology, or scenes from Bollywood and Dhalliwood movies.
• Kids in Bangladesh attend secondary school (high school) from the age of 12 to 16, and then college when they are 17 and 18.
• On the first day of summer, the Sun is exactly over Bangladesh at noon.
• One fruit or another is always in season in Bangladesh: mango, papaya, banana, guava, jackfruit, pineapple, and many more.
• Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the man who lead Bangladesh to Independence in 1971 is often referred to as the Bangabandhu, or friend to the Bengali people.
• The Bangla language has its own numbers, written differently than arabic numbers. When people give their phone numbers, however, they usually do it in English.
• The Bangla language is a descendant of ancient Sanskrit, and more literature is available in Bangla than any other language of the Subcontinent.
• The Bengal region was first united in the seventh century by Shashanka, a Hindu ruler.
• The longest (120 km) natural beach in the world is found in Bangladesh at Cox’s Bazaar.
• The national animal of Bangladesh is the Royal Bengal Tiger.
• The national bird of Bangladesh is the Magpie.
• The national fish of Bangladesh is the Hilsa fish.
• The national fruit of Bangladesh is the Jackfruit, a large spiky Mellon.
• The national flower of Bangladesh is the Water Lily (the Shapla).
• There are no polar bears in Bangladesh.
• The same person wrote the national anthems for both India and Bangladesh: famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore.
• The suffix “wallah” is often tacked onto words to indicate someone who does a task. The person that pulls a rickshaw is a “rickshaw-wallah”, the person who delivers milk (dudh) is a “dudh-wallah”.
• The two most popular sports in Bangladesh are cricket and football (the kind with a round ball).
• Known as the “banker to the poor”, Muhammad Yunus is the first Nobel laureate from Bangladesh, awarded in 2006.
• Almost everything that Bangladesh imports or exports goes through its sea port city, Chittagong.
• At dusk, it is not uncommon to see big (one meter wingspan) fruit bats flying around throughout Bangladesh.
• At the beginning of each summer, strong wind storms are sometimes accompanied by hail. The hail balls may be up to 10 cm in diameter.
• There are three rice crops each year, each of which has different seed stock and growing conditions; the crops are called aman, anus and boro.
• Three major rivers come together in Bangladesh: the Padma (a branch of the Ganges), Jamuna and Meghna.
• Tigers, elephants and crocodiles can be found in the Sundarbans, the forest in Southern Bangladesh
• To accommodate large numbers of students, many Bangladeshi schools use a shift system, where one set of students attends a school in the morning, and another set of students in the afternoon.
• Bangladesh is a member state of the Commonwealth, the OIC, SAARC, BIMSTEC, and the D-8.
• Weddings in Bangladesh often run about five evenings, with celebrations each night.
• Traditionally, men in Bangladesh wear a lungi, a wrap of fabric, instead of pants. In cities, however, pants are now common.
• Women in Bangladesh often wear a sari or a salwar kameez. The sari is more formal, and is essentially a long piece of fabric which is intricately wrapped. The salwar kameez consists of a pants and a top, and is usually worn with a scarf known as an orna.