Bangladesh

region in the world. The people of Bangladesh make their livings from agriculture (3 rice crops per year), textiles/garments, jute products, seafood processing, fertilizer production, sugar, tea, leather and ship-breaking for steel. Many of the people are landless and are forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land. The Bengalis are predominantly Muslim (88%) with minority populations of Hindus (11%), Christians, Buddhists and others. Almost everyone in Bangladesh speaks Bengali which is the official language. Many also speak English. There are also tribal languages that are spoken in some areas. Periodic severe flooding during monsoons has been exaggerated due to global warming. During the summer of 2004 Bangladesh saw the worst flooding in 15 years. Over 20 million people were affected. Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh CCDB operates development programs throughout Bangladesh, serving 51,000 poor families. Programs include literacy training, loans to start small businesses, skills training and womenΓÇÖs programs. It also provides disaster relief and rehabilitation assistance when needed. The Bangladesh lowlands are frequently subjected to flooding. Church of Bangladesh Social Development Program, Dhaka Community Development Projects The Church of Bangladesh Social Development Program (CBSDP) is a development wing of the Church of Bangladesh. Its goal is to uplift the status of people in the church community and reduce the social, economic and moral inequalities. This Community Development Projects aim to empower the rural poor people around issues of health, womenΓÇÖs rights and human rights and to provide vocational development opportunities for youth and adults (especially including women). National Council of Churches of Bangladesh, Dhaka The Jatiya Church Parishad or National Council of Churches of Bangladesh is a joint mission of the Christian communities in Bangladesh. They are currently working to develop schools in the very rural and poor regions of the country. Christian Hospital at Chandraghona The Christian Hospital Chandraghona was started as a Baptist Hospital in 1907 by the British. It houses the largest church-based Nursing Training Institute in Bangladesh. The Institute has 60 students in training at any given time. Most of the nurses are trained for service in the community. The Institute selectively recruits students from minority groups. Ninety-five percent of the students are from Tribal Groups or are Christians. Eighty percent earn a self-supporting income within two years of graduation.

Bangladesh is surrounded by India on the West, North and Northeast, Myanmar on the Southeast and the Bay of Bengal on the South. Bangladesh has a strategic location and acts as bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has a population of 129.2 million people. Bangladesh is about the same size as New York State with half the population of the United States. Dhaka is the capital and has a population of about 9 million.

Bangladesh, originally known as Bengal, was settled by many peoples – Mughul (Mongol), Arab, Persian, Turkic, West European, and Indo-Aryan. The original state societies were Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms. These dynasties were overtaken during the 1300s C.E. by Sufi Muslim invaders, who led much of the population to convert to Islam. In the 1500s, Bengal was absorbed into the Mughul Empire, and during this time merchants from the East India Companies of Holland, France and Britain made their initial contacts. Bengal became part of the British Empire in 1859.

Bangladesh, because of its predominantly Muslim population became part of Pakistan when the region gained independence from the British in 1947. In 1972, it gained its independence from Pakistan through violent struggle and reclaimed the name “Bangladesh”. In 1991, all the political parties in the opposition opted for a parliamentary system of governance in place of the existing presidential system. In 1996 the provision of holding general elections in the country under a non-party neutral caretaker government was incorporated in the Constitution. This was designed to safeguard the franchise of the people.

Most of Bangladesh is at low elevations and is divided into five physical regions: (I) the Ganges Delta to the Southwest, (II) the Paradelta to the Northwest, (III) the East Central plains and the Sylhet Hills in the Northeast, and (IV) the Chittagong region in the Southeast. Bangladesh is the largest deltaic region in the world.

The people of Bangladesh make their livings from agriculture (3 rice crops per year), textiles/garments, jute products, seafood processing, fertilizer production, sugar, tea, leather and ship-breaking for steel. Many of the people are landless and are forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land. The Bengalis are predominantly Muslim (88%) with minority populations of Hindus (11%), Christians, Buddhists and others. Almost everyone in Bangladesh speaks Bengali which is the official language. Many also speak English. There are also tribal languages that are spoken in some areas.

Periodic severe flooding during monsoons has been exaggerated due to global warming. During the summer of 2004 Bangladesh saw the worst flooding in 15 years. Over 20 million people were affected.

Population (2014 est) – 166,280,712

Area – 89,480mi

Capital – Dhaka

Ethnic Background

     Bengali – 98%

     Other (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) – 2%

Exports – garments, knitwear, agricultural products, frozen food (fish and seafood), jute and jute goods, leather

Imports – machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement

Life Expectancy (2014 est) – M 69 years     F 73 years

Infant Mortality (2014 est) – 45.67 deaths/1,000 live births

Adult Illiteracy Rate – 42.3%