Official Name
People's Republic of Bangladesh

Geographical Location
In South Asia; between 20° 34' and 26° 38' north latitude and between 88° 01' and 92° 41' east longitude; consists of flat fertile alluvial land. Click on the first map to see a large scrollable map of the country.

Boundaries
North - India (West Bengal & Meghalaya)
West - India (West Bengal)
East - India (Tripura & Assam) and Myanmar
South - Bay of Bengal

Area
147,570 square km / 56,977 sq mi. (territorial waters-12 nautical miles)

Capital City
Dhaka (Metropolitan Area, 202 sq. miles/522 Sq. km).

Standard Time
GMT + 6 hours.

Climate
Sub-tropical monsoon.

Climatic variations
Winter (Nov-Feb) temperature: Average maximum 29° C, average minimum 11° C. Summer (March-June) temperature: Average maximum 32° C, average minimum 21° C.

Rainfall
1194 mm to 3454 mm (average during monsoon, mid-June-mid-August).

Humidity
Highest -99 percent (July) lowest-36 percent (Dec. & January).

Vegetation
Grassland, mixed evergreen and evergreen.

Ethnic groups
Predominantly mixed group of Proto Austroloids/Dravidians, Mongoloids and Aryans.

Language
95 percent Bangla, 5 percent other dialects, English is widely spoken.

Religion
Muslim (88.3 percent)
Hindu (10.5 Percent)
Buddhist (0.6 percent)
Christian (0.3 percent) and
Animists and believers in tribal faiths

Food
Staple diet - rice, vegetable, pulses, meat and fish.
Principal crops
Rice, wheat, jute, tea, tobacco and sugarcane.

Principal Rivers
Ganges, Padma, Brahmaputra, Jamuna, Meghna, Karnaphuli, Teesta, etc. (total 230 rivers including tributaries).

Mineral resources
Natural gas, limestone, hard rock, coal, lignite silica sand, white clay, radio-active sand, etc. (There is a strong possibility of oil deposit).

Human resources
A substantial manpower reserve well trained and skilled engineers, economists, technicians, physicians, accountants and other professionals; trained administrative and managerial personnel; abundant, cheap, easily trained and adaptable, hard working, intelligent and youthful labour force; labour rates between US$ 1.5-2.0 per day.

History
Recorded history traceable to the 4th century B.C. with clear evidence of flourishing civilization consisting of cities, palaces, temples, forts, seats of learning and monasteries;
1200 A.D.: advent of the Muslims, enjoying periods of prosperity under Muslim rule;
17th century: a time of economic well being;
1757: beginning of British colonial rule;
1947: departure of the British from Indian subcontinent; Bangladesh becomes "East Bengal/East Pakistan as part of Pakistan;
1971: emergence of Bangladesh.