@Bangladesh
Introduction Bangladesh
Background:
Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh
in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the
region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan
and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India
(largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East
Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of
a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km
left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan
seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed
Bangladesh. About a third of this extremely poor country floods
annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic
development.
Geography Bangladesh
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates:
24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Iowa
Land boundaries: total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km