Bangladesh is called land of natural beauty and as it is daughter of nature. Bangladesh, officially it is known as People’s Republic of Bangladesh . This country is in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma (Myanmar) to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. Together with the Indian state of West Bengal, it makes up the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" in the official Bengali language.
The official and most widely used language in Bangladesh, as in West Bengal, is Bengali, an Indo-Aryan language of Sanskrit origin with its own script. English is used as second language among the middle and upper classes and in higher education. Since a President Order in 1987, Bengali is used for all official correspondence except those that are to foreign recipients.
The majority ethnic groups of Bangladesh are the Bengali people, comprising 98% of the population. There are thirteen tribal groups located in the Chittagong Hill Tracts; the most populous of the tribes are the Chakmas. The region has been a source for ethnic tension since the inception of Bangladesh.] The largest tribal groups outside the Hill Tracts are the Santhals and the Garos (Achiks). Human trafficking has been a lingering problem in Bangladesh and illegal immigration has remained a cause of friction with Burma and India.
Bangladesh is the seventh most populous country in the world and is among the most densely populated countries in the world with a high poverty rate. However, per-capita GDP has more than doubled since 1975, and the poverty rate has fallen by 20% since the early 1990s. The country is listed among the “NEXT ELEVEN” economies. Dhaka and other urban centers have been the driving force behind this growth. Geographically, the country straddles the fertile Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta and is subject to annual monsoon floods and cyclones
Recent estimates of Bangladesh's population range from 149 to 165 million, making it the 7th most populous nation in the world. With a land area of 1,44000 square kilometers, ranked 94th, the population density is remarkable. A striking comparison is offered by the fact that Russia's population is slightly smaller even though Russia has a land area of 17.5 million square kilometers, at least 120 times larger than Bangladesh. Bangladesh has the highest population density in the world, excluding a handful of city-states and small countries such as Bahrain. Bangladesh's population growth was among the highest in the world in the 1960s and 1970s, when the country grew from 50 to 90 million, but with the promotion of birth control in the 1980s, the growth rate slowed. The population is relatively young, with the 0–25 age group comprising 60%, while 3% are 65 or older. Life expectancy is 63 years for both males and females.
The major religion practiced in Bangladesh Islam (89.7%) and a sizable minority adheres to Hinduism (9.2%). About 96% of the Muslims are Sunni while over 3% are Shi'a. Ethnic Biharis are predominantly Shia Muslims. Other religious groups include Buddhists (0.7%, mostly Theravada), Christians (0.3%, mostly of the Roman Catholic denomination), and Animists (0.1%). Bangladesh ranks fourth after Indonesia, Pakistan, and India by the number of Muslims, with over 130 million. Islam is the state religion of Bangladesh, but other religions may also be practiced in harmony.] The United Nations has recognized the country mainly as a moderate Muslim democratic country.
Bangladesh is a parliamentary Democracy. Direct elections in which all citizens over the age 18 can vote are held every five years for the unicameral parliament known as Jatiya Sangsad. The parliamentary building is known as the Jatiyo Shanshad vabanand was designed by architect Louis Kahn
