36 Interesting Facts About Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries on the planet, with its people crammed into a delta of rivers that empty into the Bay of Bengal. It spent 15 years under military rule; although democracy was restored in 1990, the political scene remains volatile in the country. In the traditionally tolerant country, Islamist extremism is also on the rise. Because the country is low-lying, it is prone to flooding and cyclones. So, here are 36 interesting facts about Bangladesh.

1. Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan from 1955 to 1971; it was also controlled by the Pakistan Government. India freed the country after fighting a war in the region against the Pakistan army in 1971.
2. Bangladesh has three international airports and five domestic airports.
3. The country shares its physical border with only two countries that is India and Myanmar.
4. The jackfruit is the national fruit of Bangladesh, and the mango tree is the national tree.
5. The country has six seasons Grisma (summer season), Barsa (rainy season), Sarat (autumn season), Hemanta (late autumn season), Shhit (winter season), and Basanta (spring season).
6. Over 21.8 percent of people in the country live under the poverty line, which constitutes about 35 million people. However, the stats are for 2018 and have been improved from 24.3 percent in that of 2016.

   

7. Bangladesh means “country of Bangla.” While the official name of the country is the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh.
8. About 89 percent of the total population of Bangladesh is Muslim, while 10.7 percent of the population are of Hindus, Buddhists are about 0.6 percent, and 0.4 percent are Christians.
9. The country is the third-largest Muslim population in the world.
10. The country is home to the world’s biggest contiguous mangrove forest known as the Sundarbans reserve forest(SRF). The forest holds a population of about 96 world-famous Bengal tigers.
11. Bangladesh has an inferior rank in terms of corruption and is considered one of the most corrupt countries on the planet as it comes on 143rd rank among 180 countries.
12. The royal Bengal tiger is the country’s national animal, and it’s estimated that there are about 440 of them in the whole country. However, the species of the tiger is endangered.

    

13. The shapla is the country’s national flower, which is considered a medicinal plant in the Indian Ayurveda.
14. The national bird of Bangladesh is the magpie robin. The country also does have a national fish which is the ilish.
15. The people of Bangladesh celebrate a festival called Bengali new year or Pôhela Boishakh. The Mughal emperor Akbar introduced it to the Bengali calendar. It is celebrated on the 14th of April every year and is a national holiday too.
16. The country’s national sport is kabaddi. However, cricket is widely played and the most popular sport.
17. The biggest lake in Bangladesh is the chapatti lake. The lake has a catchment area of about 11,122 km2 (4,294 sq mi) and has a depth of 100 ft to 495 ft.
18. Cox’s Bazar is the world’s longest natural sea beach stretching over 150 km(93 miles) and is one of the country’s biggest tourist destinations.

    

19. Bangladesh ranks on the 33rd spot in terms of economy and 127th most complex economy in the world.
20. The top five exports from Bangladesh are knit T-shirts ($9.06B), non-knit men’s suits ($8.82B), knit sweaters ($8.02B), non-knit women’s suits ($6.63B), and knit women’s suits ($4.08B). The majority of these exports go to the United States ($11.7B), Germany ($10.2B), the United Kingdom ($4.86B), Spain ($4.41B), and Poland ($3.53B).
21. The main imports into Bangladesh are largely from China ($26.8B), India ($13.8B), Singapore ($4.68B), Malaysia ($4.23B), and Indonesia ($3.89B). Refined petroleum ($11.3B), raw cotton ($2.9B), non-retail pure cotton yarn ($1.97B), scrap iron ($1.86B), and palm oil ($1.77B) are the country’s top imports.
22. Three main crops are grown in the country, which are rice, jute, and tea. Rice is grown for domestic use, while jute and tea are main exported.
23. The Ganges- Brahmaputra delta is the largest river delta on the globe. It lies mainly in Bangladesh, and some part of it lies in the West Bengal state of India.
24. The country is one of the most highly dense countries in the world. The country has a population density of 1,115.62 people per square inch and ranks 10th on the planet in terms of people density.

    

25. The country faced one of the biggest bank heists in the history of mankind. In 2016 some hackers stole about $81 million from the national bank.
26. The capital city Dhaka is one of the biggest cities in the world, with a population of around 89 lakh. The city of Dhaka is also called the “city of mosques” as it has more than 1000 mosques.
27. The first women prime minister of the country was Khaleda Zia, who served on the post for ten years. She was prime minister during 1991-1996 and 2001-2006. However, the active prime minister is also a woman Sheikh Hasina Wazed and was appointed in 2009.
28. The country has 17.5% of land covered in forest, which is about 2.53 million hectares.
29. About 700 big and small rivers are flowing on Bangladesh’s land, which constitutes a total area of 24,140 km(15,000 miles).
30. The land of Bangladesh is very fertile to grow crops as most of the soil found is alluvial. About 59.65 percent of the land is arable, and 91,942 sq km of land is agricultural land.

    

31. The highest mountain in the country is the Keokradong peak, which elevates 3,173 ft(967 meters).
32. The biggest natural disaster that happened in the country after its independence was by a cyclone named Alia. It came on 25 May 2009, caused 190 deaths, and 3,935,341 were affected. The total financial loss was USD270 million. However, the biggest cyclone ever recorded on the land was in 1970, before one year of its independence. The cyclone’s name was Bhola, and it wiped 45 percent out of the 167,000 population of a particular area.
33. The country is one of the biggest contributors to the United Nations peacekeeping forces, with about 8000.
34. The country’s national anthem was written by Rabindranath Tagore, who also wrote the national anthem of India.
35. Mahasthangarh is one of the oldest urban archaeological sites discovered in the country. It was discovered in 1931 and dated back to the 3rd century BC, and was fortified until the 8th century AD.
36. The bhawal national park is the national park of the country. It was officially declared as a national park in 1982. It is covered in an area of 940 hectares but extends to 5022 hectares of surrounding forest.