Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country in 1971 following a nine month war of liberation. It is one of the largest deltas of the world with a total area of 147,570 sq. km. With a unique communal harmony, The majority (over 88%) of the people are Muslim. Over 98% of the people speak in Bangla. English, however, is widely spoken. The country is covered with a network of rivers and canals forming a maze of interconnecting channels. Being an active partner, Bangla desh plays vital role in the international and regional forum, particularly in the UN, Common wealth and South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

INFORMATION BRIEF
Official name: People's Republic of Bangladesh (Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh)
Government: Parliamentary form of government, President is head of the State and Prime Minister is head of government.
Nationality: Bangalees as a nation and Bangladeshi as citizen.
Weekends: Friday & Saturday, some govt and non-govt offices remain open on Saturdays.
International Dialing Code: +880
Standard Time: BST (GMT +6 Hours)
Capital: Dhaka.
Currency: Taka (Tk 107= US$1, February, 2023)
Population: 165.1 Million
Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 74 years (women)
GDP: Growth rate 7.1 and per capita GNI 2,793 in US$, FY22 (BBS, 2023)
UNO Member: UNO membership no 136, admitted on 17 September, 1974.
Geographical location: In South Asia, between 20°34' to 26°38' north latitude and 88°01' to 92"41 east longitude. Maximum extension is about 440 km in E-W direction and 760 km in NNW-SSE direction.
Area and boundaries Area: 147,570 sq km. Boundaries: west Bengal (India) on the west West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya (all the Indian states) on the north; Indian states of Assam, Tripura and Mizoram together with Myanmar on the east; and bay of bengal on the south.

Administrative units: Division 8 (Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur & Mymensingh); district 64; upazila and thana 507, union 4,554, village 87,319;
Climate: Sub-tropical monsoon. Average maximum and minimum winter temperatures are 29°C and 11°C respectively; average maximum and minimum summer temperatures are 34°C and 21°C respectively. Annual rainfall 1,194 mm to 3,454 mm. Highest humidity 80% to 100% (August-Sep tember), lowest 36% (February-March).
Tourist spots: cox's Bazar, rangamati, chittagong, sylhet, Kuakata (patuakhali), sundarbans (Khulna). The 120-km long Cox's Bazar sea beach is considered to be the longest in the world. Kuakata is a unique beach for viewing sunrise as well as sun-setting.
Employment: (Labour Force Survey, 2016-17) By occupation: agriculture- 40.6%, industry- 20.4%, services-39%
Mineral resources: Natural gas, coal, peat, limestone, hard rock, beach sand heavy mineral (zircon, rutile, Ilmenite, Garnet, Magnetite, Monazite, Leucoxene, Kyanite), glass sand, white clay, brick clay and metallic minerals
Industries: Readymade garments, pharmaceuticals, cements, garment accessories, chemicals, fertilizers, newsprint, leather and leather goods, paper, sugar, jute, ship building
Export Processing Zone (EPZ): Chittagong EPZ, Dhaka EPZ, Mongla EPZ, Ishwardi EPZ, Comilla EPZ, Uttara EPZ, Adamjee EPZ, Karnaphuli EPZ, Etc

Exports: Readymade garments, frozen foods (shrimps), leather, leather products, jute, jute products, tea, ceramic, textile fabrics, home textile, chemical product, light engineering products including bi-cycle, IT Outsourcing.
Country Domain: .bd,
Imports: Wheat, oil seeds, crude petroleum, raw cotton, edible oil, petroleum products, fertilizer cement, yarn.
ransport and communication: The transport sector of Bangladesh consists of a variety of modes. As the country is essentially a flat plain all three modes of surface transport, i.e. road, railway and ater, are widely used in carrying both passengers and cargo. The airline network is also extensive
and effective. ajor Inland River ports: Dhaka, Chandpur, Barisal, Khulna, Baghabari, Sharishabari, Narayanganj Bhairab Bazar, Ashuganj.
Seaports: Chittagong Port, Mongla Port, Payra Port and Matarbari Port.
Airports: Hazrat Shahialal International Airport, Dhaka; Shah Amanat International Airport Chittagong; Osmany Airport, Sylhet; Cox's Bazar Airport; Jessore Airport; Barisal Airport: Rajshahi Port: Saidpur Airport, Nilphamari; Ishwardi Airport, Pabna; Tejgaon STOL Port, Dhaka; Shamser nagar STOL Port, Maulvi Bazar; Comilla STOL Port, comilla; Lalmonirhat STOL Port: Thakurgaon STOL Port
Principal crops: Paddy, jute, wheat, tobacco, pulses, oil seeds, spices, vegetables, jack-fruit banana, mango, coconut, pineapple etc
National days: Shaheed Dibas (Martyrs' Day) on 21 February now observed as international ther language day: Swadhinata Dibas (Independence Day) on 26 March: Pahela Baishakh or angle Nababarsa (Bangla New Year), Bijoy Dibas (Victory Day) on 16 December. August 15 is observed as National Mourning Day. On this day in 1975.
jor Trading Partners: USA, EU Countries, India. China, Japan, South Korea, Australia Malaysia Hong Kong. Taiwan, Indonesia. Thailand. Saudi Arabia, UAE ets
Port-partners: USA, Germany, UK. Spain, France, Italy. Canada, Netherland etc