Literature Timeline Glossary Project
Bangladesh became an independent country on 16th December 1971 after a tumultuous liberation struggle when it seceded from Pakistan. In 1947 after the partition of British India, a separate country for Indian Muslims was carved out in the form of East Pakistan and West Pakistan with more than 1200 miles of Indian territory between them. Soon after, East Pakistan, predominantly composed of Bengali Muslims became subordinate to its Urdu speaking counterpart West Pakistan, facing economic hardship as well as attempts to obliterate its identity by imposing Urdu as the National language of Pakistan. From this emerged a national resistance movement which eventually managed to secure independence with the help of the Indian state. Over the next five decades the country has been touted in the media as struggling with poverty and underdevelopment and as a source of illegal migration. Yet over the last two decades the country has shown substantial progress in several social indicators including education, sanitation and health. With a third of its population below the age of 14, the country has seen a steady economic growth with its GDP at 7.9 percent surpassing that of India at 6.8 percent in 2018. Garment export and remittances from migrant workers form a quarter of its GDP.
Bangladesh is a part of the South Asian Region with a population of 162 million people covering an area of 57000 square miles, making it the most densely populated country in the world. Bangladesh is bounded by India to the west, north and east, Myanmar to the South East, and is separated from Nepal and Bhutan by the Siliguri corridor in India and from China by 100 kilometers of Indian territory in Sikkim. Administratively the country is made of 8 divisions viz. Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Dacca, Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong. The 8 divisions are further divided into 64 districts and 495 subdistricts.
Bangladesh is a part of the South Asian Region with a population of 162 million people covering an area of 57000 square miles, making it the most densely populated country in the world. Bangladesh is bounded by India to the west, north and east, Myanmar to the South East, and is separated from Nepal and Bhutan by the Siliguri corridor in India and from China by 100 kilometers of Indian territory in Sikkim. Administratively the country is made of 8 divisions viz. Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Dacca, Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong. The 8 divisions are further divided into 64 districts and 495 subdistricts.