BANGLADESH
COUNTRY PROFILE
LOCATION AND
PHYSICAL FEATURES
Bangladesh
is situated in the north-eastern part of south Asia. It lies between 20' 34' and 2e 36' north latitude and 88' I'
and 92' 41' east longitude. The
heary and great Himalayas stand as the northen ramparts, while the
southern frontier is guarded by the Bay of Bengal. On the west lies the
expansive gangetic plains (West Bengal) of India and on the eastern
frontier lies the almost impassable forest of Myanmar (Arakan Province)
and India (Tripura and Assam hills).
These picturesque geographical boundaries delineate out a low
lying plain of about 144,000 sq.km. (55,598 sq. miles) criss -crossed by
innumerable brooks, rivers, rivulets and streams. Mighty rivers the
Padma, Jamuna, Meghna, Karnaphuli and others flow through Bangladesh.
The unscalable blue is stretched high above, and the green and silvery
landscape below runs far and beyond.
This is Bangladesh, a fertile land where nature is bounteous.
HISTORY
The
history of Bangladesh has been one of extremes, of turmoil and peace,
prosperity and destitution. It
has thrived under the glow of cultural spiendour and suffered under the
ravages of war. The
earliest mention of Bangladesh is found in the Hindu epic, the
Mahabharata (the story of Great Battle-9th century B.C). Evidence also
suggests that there was a strong Mongoloid presence as well.
Soon after, in the 5th and 6th centuries B.C. came the Aryans
from Central Asia and the Dravidians from Western India.
Then came the Guptas, Palas, Senas, who were Buddhist and Hindus.
From
the 13th century A.D. the flood of Muslim invaders and the tide of Islam
swamped the Buddhist and Hindus untold 8th century.
Sometimes there were independent rulers like the Hussain Shahi
and Ilyas Shahi dynasties while at other times they ruled on behalf of
the imperial seat of Delhi. From 15th century the Europeans, namely;
Portuguese, Dutch, French and
British traders exerted an economic influence over the region.
British political rule over the region began in 1757 A.D. when
the last Muslim ruler of Ben. gal was defeated at Palassey.
In 1947 the country was partitioned into India and Pakistan.
Present Bangladesh becomes the Eastern Wing of the then Pakistan.
But the movement for autonomy for East
Pakistan started within a couple of years because of language and cultural difference and economic disparity between the two wings. The seeds of independence were sown through the Language Movement of 1952 to recognize Bangla as a state language. Ultimately the then East Pakistan emerged as a sovereign and independent state of Bangladesh in 1971 after nine month - long war of Liberation (starting on 26 March 1971) in which 3 million people courted martyrdom.
