|
CLIMATE
Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon
climate with heavy summer rain and high summer temperatures. Winters are dry and
cool. South and southwest winds dominate from mid-April to mid- October and
bring enormous amounts of moisture from the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal:
95 percent of the total rainfall, which averages about eighty inches (2,040
millimeters) occurs during that period. The temperatures range from an average
of about .68 F (18C) in January to about 86 F (3OC) in April.
SEASONS
Bangla tradition divides the year into six seasons: Grishmo
(summer), Barsha (rainy), Sarat (early autumn), Hemanta (late autumn), Sheet
(winter) and Boshonto (the Spring). For practical purposes, however, four
seasons are clearly distinguishable: Summer, Rainy, late Autumn and Winter. Rain
begins to fall in April with the accompaniment of norwester or Kalbaishakhi.
With the onset of monsoon in the first week of June extremely heavy downpour
starts, and average temperature falls to low 80F. These heavy rains prevail for
about two to three months causing floods and inundation of fields and river
banks. The Winter is moderate while the Spring is mellow and pleasant.
BIO-DIVERSITY
Bangladesh contains greater bio-diversity in the world than
that of many countries in the world. Indeed, few countries in the world can
match its rich and varied flora and fauna. Water lily is the national flower
while the Royal Bengal tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh, which abounds
in the Sunderbans, recognised as a World Heritage.
PEOPLE
Building upon the firm ethnological roots and an
entrepreneurial spirit and innovative skill the people of Bangladesh are
creating a special niche for themselves on the global plank. A fascinating land
with a variegated history and a rich cultural tapestry, the people are endowed
with a native intellect, capacity for hard work and resilience. Bangladeshies
are simple in nature, extremely friendly and hospitable. With about 150 million
people, Bangladesh ranks as the world's 8th most populous country. It is also
one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The staple food of the
people is rice, which is generally eaten with fish curry and lentil. Most women
in Bangladesh wear a sari, and men, sarongs, locally called 'lungi'.
Bangladeshies descended from several racial and sub-racial groups entering South
Asia over the past five thousand years. By and large, they are now a single
homogenous race with one common language- Bangla, There are, however, several
small ethnic groups with their own languages and distinctive cultures. Birth
rate in 2000 has come down to 1.5 %, while the percentage of literacy rate is
now over 60, the highest in South Asia after Sri Lanka. Life expectancy at birth
is now over 60 years (60.8 in the year 2000).
LANGUAGE
Bangla, the official language, is spoken by more than 99
percent of the population but English is also generally understood particularly
in urban areas. Bangla is one of the most extensively spoken languages of the
world. Bangla script is derived directly from Gupta Brahmi script having close
affinity with Thai and Cambodian scripts. The origin of this script is generally
traced to 10th century AD. Bangla is a rich language capable of expressing the
finest nuances of thought and feeling a language that continuously mirrors the
ever-changing play of life. Bangladeshies passionately love their language under
the neocolonial subjugation of Pakistan the Bangladeshies on February 21, 1952
shed their blood for protecting and preserving their mother tongue from the
encroachment of the alien Urdu language. The day has been declared by UNESCO in
1999 as the International Mother Language Day to be observed all over the world
in commemoration of the Bangla language martyrs of the 21st February. Bangla is
rich in poetry, short story, novel, essay and drama. Two major Bangla poets are
Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore (1863-1941) and Bangladesh's national poet
Kazi Nazrul lslam.
RELIGION
Islam is the predominant religion with over eighty-eight
percent of the population adhering to it. Hindus comprise about ten percent of
the population. The rest are Buddhists, Christians and animists. People are
generally pious and keen in observing their respective religious rites and
festivities with fervour. Bangladesh is a model of religious harmony and
tolerance. Different religious communities and groups live in peace and the
minorities are well represented in all tiers of society as well as in the
government machinery.
TIME
Standard time of Bangladesh is 6 hours ahead of GMT. Friday &
Saturday are the weekly government holidays. Office hours are from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m.
HISTORY
Bangladesh is usually called a comparatively new nation in an
ancient land. It emerged as an independent country through a sanguinary and
protracted War of Liberation at the cost of immense sacrifices. The history of
the country is as old as it is eventful. Bangladesh was famed in ancient times
as a land of bounty and affluence. Etymologically the word Bangladesh is derived
from the cognate Vanga, which was first mentioned in the Hindu scripture Oitery
Araanyk composed between 5000 BC and 500 AD. Bangladesh is the largest wetland
in the world formed by the interaction of innumerable rivers and streams; its
configuration was determined and is continuously changed by them. Geological
evidence indicates that much of Bangladesh was formed 1 to 6.5 million years ago
during the tertiary era. Human habitation in the region is believed to be very
old with its roots in the Paleolithic civilisation dating back to about one
hundred thousand (1,00,000) years. In the ancient age an Austro-Asian race first
inhabited the region. Then came the Dravidians from western India and later the
Aryans from Central Asia. Then followed the influx of the Mongolians, Persians,
Turks and Afghans. The mighty Gangaridai and Prasioi empires were located in
Bangladesh. According to Greek sources of 4th century BC, the people of this
deltaic region made extensive military preparations to halt the march of
Alexander the Great, had he chosen to continue his eastward advancement. Later
records, inscriptions, coins and ornaments testify to the tradition of rich
heritage and civilisation indicating the glorious past of Bangladesh. Because of
its strategic location Bangladesh since time immemorial served as a flourishing
entry-port and intermediary in trade and commerce between South Asia and the Far
East. The influence of Bangladesh spread far and wide and the region played a
seminal role in disseminating its rich heritage and tradition, art and
architecture, culture and learning in the wider continent of Asia and beyond.
History recorded that Mauryas (4th to 2nd centuries BC), the Guptas (4th-5th
century AD), the empire of Sasanka (7th century AD), the Pala dynasty (750 -1162
AD) and the Senas (162 to 1223 AD) successively held their sway here. Then
followed a long chain of Muslim rule (till 1757) when this region reached the
zenith of economic affluence. In fact, had there been no British conquest in
1757 Bangladesh would have been the first country in Asia to achieve industrial
revolution because of its excellence in the finest fabrics. The British rule,
which started from Bangladesh, was subsequently extended to the whole of the
sub-continent. When the British left the subcontinent was partitioned into two
countries-India and Pakistan. Bangladesh formed the Eastern Wing of Pakistan.
Though numerically in the majority, the Bangladeshies were treated unjustly and
very soon the movement for the autonomy of Bangladesh started because of
cultural, linguistic and ethnic differences and economic disparity, deprivation
and exploitation perpetrated by the Pakistani rulers. The historic Language
Movement in 1952 was the first major awakening among the Bangladeshies and the
spurt of their nationalistic feeling which subsequently propelled to the War of
Liberation in 1971. The D-Day for the people of Bangladesh came on December 16,
1971 with the unconditional surrender of the Pakistani occupation forces.
LEGAL AND
JUDICIAL SYSTEM
The present legal and judicial system of Bangladesh
owes its origin mainly to two hundred years British rule in the Indian
Sub-Continent although some elements of it are remnants of Pre-British period
tracing back to Hindu and Muslim administration. It passed through various
stages and has been gradually developed as a continuous historical process. The
process of evolution has been partly indigenous and partly foreign and the legal
system of the present day emanates from a mixed system which have structure,
legal principles and concepts modeled on both Indo-Mughal and English law. The
Indian sub-continent has a known history of over five hundred years with Hindu
and Muslim periods which preceded the British period, and each of these early
periods had a distinctive legal system of its own.
The Hindu period extends for nearly 1500 years before
and after the beginning of the Christian era. The ancient India was divided into
several independent states and the king was the Supreme authority of each state.
So far as the administration of justice was concerned, the king was considered
to be the fountain of justice and was entrusted with the Supreme authority of
administration of justice in his kingdom.
The Muslim period starts with the invasion of the
Muslim rulers in the Indian sub-continent in 1100 A.D. The Hindu Kingdoms began
to disintegrate gradually with the invasion of Muslim rulers at the end of
eleventh and at the beginning of twelfth century. When the Muslims conquered all
the states, they brought with them the theory based o n the Holy Quran, their
religious book. According to the Holy Quran, sovereignty lies in the hand of
Almighty Allah and the king is His humble servant to carry out His will on the
earth. The ruler was Almighty's chosen agent and trustee.
The modernisation of ancient Indian legal and judicial
system took place in the hand of the British people who came here as being
trading company under a series of Royal Charters. East India Company gradually
established control and possession over Bombay, Madras and Calcutta which were
later on known as Presidency Towns. Ultimately the Company participated in
administration of justice in co-operation with the local authorities. The
Charter of 1726 issued by King George-I, by way of granting Letters Patent to
the Company, was the first gateway to introduce English legal and judicial
system in India. Later on, Charter of 1753 was issued by King George-II with a
view to remove the defects of the Charter of 1726. To improve the system, the
secret committee of House of Commons intervened, and passed the Regulation Act,
1773 under which the King issued a separate Charter of 1774 establishing the
Supreme Court of judicature at Calcutta. Subsequently, Supreme Courts were
established in Madras in 1801 and in Bombay in 1824.
Full name:
People's Republic of Bangladesh
Population:
152.6 million (UN, 2005)
Capital and
largest city: Dhaka
Area:
143,998 sq km (55,598 sq miles)
Major
language: Bengali
Major
religions: Islam, Hinduism
Life
expectancy: 62 years (men), 63 years
(women) (UN)
Monetary
unit: 1 taka = 100 paisa
Main
exports: Garments, fish, jute goods,
leather products
GNI per
capita: US $470 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet
domain: .bd
International Dialing code:
+880
|
