Southern Asia · AsiaBangladesh
Discover Bangladesh - a delta nation of 170 million people where the Ganges and Brahmaputra meet the sea, garment factories power the economy, and Bengal's cultural heritage runs deep.
Where Is Bangladesh?
Bangladesh is a country in Southern Asia. Its capital is Dhaka.
- Capital Dhaka
- Population 176M
- Area 147,570 km²
Bangladesh is what happens when two of the world's mightiest rivers - the Ganges and the Brahmaputra - converge and pour into the Bay of Bengal through the largest river delta on Earth. Nearly 170 million people live in a country the size of Iowa, making it one of the most densely populated nations on the planet. The landscape is almost entirely flat, laced with hundreds of rivers, and during monsoon season roughly a third of the country floods. Life here is defined by water in ways that are difficult to comprehend from dry land.
Yet Bangladesh is one of the great development success stories of the modern era. Once dismissed as a basket case after its brutal 1971 war of independence from Pakistan, the country has dramatically reduced poverty, become the world's second largest garment exporter after China, and pioneered microfinance through Grameen Bank. Bengali culture is one of the richest in South Asia - this is the land of Rabindranath Tagore, of muslin fabric so fine the Mughals called it woven air, of the Sundarbans mangrove forest where Bengal tigers swim between islands. The language itself is a source of fierce pride: Bangladesh is the only country in the world that fought a war partly over the right to speak its own language.
At a glance
Largest cities in Bangladesh
Dhaka
Chittagong
Khulna
Rajshahi
Sylhet
Famous people from Bangladesh
Rabindranath Tagore
LiteratureNobel Prize-winning poet who wrote the national anthems of both Bangladesh and India, the first non-European to win the Nobel in Literature
Muhammad Yunus
ScienceNobel Peace Prize winner who founded Grameen Bank and pioneered microfinance, lifting millions out of poverty worldwide
Kazi Nazrul Islam
LiteratureNational poet of Bangladesh whose revolutionary poetry and songs challenged colonial rule and inspired the independence movement
Fazlur Rahman Khan
ScienceStructural engineer who revolutionized skyscraper design, making the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center possible
Shakib Al Hasan
SportConsidered the greatest Bangladeshi cricketer ever, consistently ranked among the top all-rounders in world cricket
Traditional cuisine of Bangladesh
- Hilsa Fish Curry
- The national fish cooked in mustard sauce, so revered that Bangladesh produces and consumes more hilsa than any country on Earth
- Biryani
- Fragrant rice layered with spiced meat, potatoes, and boiled eggs, the Dhaka version with its distinct kacchi style is legendary
- Pitha
- Traditional rice flour cakes in hundreds of varieties, sweet and savory, especially popular during the winter harvest festival
- Fuchka
- Crispy hollow shells filled with spiced mashed potatoes and tangy tamarind water, Bangladesh's beloved street snack
- Shorshe Ilish
- Hilsa fish smothered in a pungent mustard seed paste and steamed in banana leaves, the pinnacle of Bengali home cooking
Nature and landmarks in Bangladesh
- SundarbansForest
- World's largest mangrove forest shared with India, home to the Royal Bengal tiger and a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Cox's BazarCoast
- The longest uninterrupted natural sea beach in the world at 120 kilometers, stretching along the Bay of Bengal
- Chittagong Hill TractsMountain
- Southeastern highlands home to indigenous tribal communities, bamboo forests, and Bangladesh's only mountainous terrain
- Ratargul Swamp ForestForest
- Bangladesh's only freshwater swamp forest in Sylhet, a hauntingly beautiful flooded woodland accessible only by boat
- Padma RiverRiver
- Main distributary of the Ganges flowing through Bangladesh, crossed by the recently completed Padma Bridge, the country's largest infrastructure project
Sports in Bangladesh
- Cricket
- Bangladesh's national obsession and the sport that unites 170 million people, with the national team a competitive force in world cricket
- Football
- Historically the most popular sport, with passionate local leagues and a growing grassroots development system
- Kabaddi
- Traditional contact sport deeply rooted in Bengali village culture, with Bangladesh competing at the Asian Games level
Did you know?
Bangladesh is the only country in the world born partly from a language movement - the 1952 protests for Bengali led to International Mother Language Day
Cox's Bazar beach stretches 120 kilometers unbroken, making it the longest natural sea beach in the world
The Sundarbans mangrove forest is home to Bengal tigers that are known to swim between islands
Bangladesh is the world's second largest garment exporter, producing clothes for virtually every major global fashion brand
Rickshaws are so ubiquitous in Dhaka that the city has been called the Rickshaw Capital of the World with an estimated 400,000 on the streets
Muslin fabric from Bangladesh was once so fine that an entire sari could be pulled through a finger ring - the Mughals called it woven air
February 21 is International Mother Language Day, established by UNESCO to honor Bangladeshis who died in 1952 defending the right to speak Bengali
Read more about Bangladesh
Can you find Bangladesh on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Bangladesh and its neighbours without a second thought.
