People’s Republic of Bangladesh is located in South Asia. It shares its borders with India from all the sides except for Burma in the southeast and Bay of Bengal in the south.
Bangladesh is actually two words, Bangla and Desh.Bangla is the local word for the name of the language known in English as Bengali, while “Desh” means land or country. So, the word Bangladesh literally means the Land of Bangla or Country of Bengal.It is a tribute to the struggle of the People of Bengal for the right to speak in their own mother tongue Bangla, a language full of glorious history and heritage.
This struggle, which began with an ultimate sacrifice on the 21st of February 1952, seeded the formation of the present day Bangladesh, that achieved its Independence on 26th March, 1971.
In the flag, the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh covers an area of 56,977 square miles.
The currency of Bangladesh is taka. It is further divided into the denominations of Paisa.100 Paisa = Taka 1
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh. It is located on the banks of Buriganga River and is popularly known as the City of Mosques. It was established in 1608 CE and was granted city status in 1947.
Today, Dhaka is one of the fastest growing megacities in the world with a population of nearly 20 Million and is the centre of excellence of business, economic, cultural and social activities of Bangladesh. As of 2009, Dhaka’s Gross Municipal Product (GMP) is registered at US$ 85 Billion. With an annual growth rate of 6.2%, the GMP is projected to rise to $215 billion by 2025.
Bangladesh is a rapidly developing market-based economy. Its per capita income in 2010 was est. US$1,700 (adjusted by purchasing power parity). According to the International Monetary Fund, Bangladesh ranked as the 44rd largest economy in the world in 2011 in PPP terms and 57th largest in nominal terms.
Considered as the Next Eleven or N-11 by Goldman Sachs and Frontier Five by JP Morgan, Bangladesh has a GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of US$269.3 billion in PPP terms and US$104.9 billion in nominal terms.
The economy has grown at the rate of 6-7% per annum over the past few years. More than half of the GDP is generated by the service sector; while nearly half of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector. Other goods produced are textiles, jute, fish, vegetables, fruit, leather and leather goods, ceramics, ready-made goods.
The area constituted as the present day Bangladesh used to have a standard of living that is believed to have been higher compared to rest of South Asia. East Bengal – the eastern segment of Bengal – has been historically an important center of trade and commerce since at least the first millennium BCE. The Ganges Delta provided advantages of a mild, almost tropical climate, fertile soil, ample water, and an abundance of fish, wildlife, and fruit. It was pleasure a great history, heritage and prosperity.
As early as the thirteenth century, the region was developing as an agrarian economy. The region was a junction on the south west silk route, and commercial centers emerged at several ancient and historical cities across the region. Under Mughal rule, the region flourished as the center of the worldwide muslin trade.
In 2012, with over US $ 19 Billion worth of export, The World Trade Organization declared Bangladesh as the second largest Readymade Garments exporter in the World after China. The outlook for 2013 is set to exceed US $20 billion.
At its current pace of economic growth, within a few years, Bangladesh is set to surpass Pakistan to become the 2nd largest economy in South Asia after India.
Seaports of Bangladesh
The port of Chittagong is the principle port of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. It is situated on the right bank of the river Karnafuli at a distance of 9 nautical miles from the shore line of the Bay of Bengal. River Karnafuli rising in the Lushai Hills and falls in the Bay of Bengal after taking a winding course of about 120 nautical miles through the district of Chittagong Hill Tracts and Chittagong.
Seaward Port Limit: with Patenga Beacon as centre if an arc is drawn seaward with a radius of 5½ nautical miles till it interface the coast line at positions:
Lat 22° 18′ 45”N, Long 91° 46′ 30” E in the north and Lat 22° 08′ 13” N. Long 91° 50′ 00” E in the South, the area enclosed within the extremities in the arc will form the seaward limit of the port of Chittagong.
• The Maximum permissible draft for entering Chittagong Port is 9.15 Meter.
• The Maximum permissible length for entering Chittagong Port is 186.00 Meter.
• The Maximum permissible entry length for night navigation is 153.00 Meter.
• The Maximum permissible draft for Main Jetty areas is 8.55 Meter.
• The entry permissible draft would however depend on the day’s maximum permissible draft.
Mongla Port is situated on the East Bank of Pussur River near the confluence of Pussur River and Mongla Nulla at Channel distance of 71 Nautical Miles from the Fairway Buoy situated (Lat. 21026.9` N. long. 890 34.4 E) in the Bay of Bengal.
Navigational Information:
• The Maximum permissible draft for entering Chittagong Port is 9.15 Meter.
• The Maximum permissible length for entering Chittagong Port is 186.00 Meter.
• The Maximum permissible entry length for night navigation is 153.00 Meter.
• The Maximum permissible draft for Main Jetty areas is 8.55 Meter.
• The entry permissible draft would however depend on the day’s maximum permissible draft.
• Bangladesh is named one of “Next Eleven” countries by Goldman Sachs as the potential to become major economies in the 21st century along with the BRICS.
• JP Morgan terms Bangladesh as one of the “Frontier Five”, the five rapidly developing countries that can become major economies in the 21st century.
• The Royal Bengal Tiger is Bangladesh’s national animal
• Bangladesh is the largest river delta in the world.
• With its size of 2,172,000 square kilometers, the Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world.
• The southern tourist city of Cox Bazar has the longest unbroken sea beach in the world, 125 kms long.
• Bangladesh has the world’s largest mangrove forest, Sundarbans.
• With about 158 Million people, Bangladesh is the 8th most populous country in the world and the most densely populated country in the world.
• Bangla (the official language of Bangladesh) is spoken by over 220 million people worldwide, making it the world’s 3rd most spoken native language.
• Bangladesh has the largest shopping mall in the world, Bashundhara city, which is also the 13th largest in the world.
• Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) is the largest non-profit in the developing world.