Bangladesh PDF
Preview Bangladesh
001-007_MWN-BANG_fm 1/26/07 3:39 PM Page 1 AFGHANISTAN ISRAEL ARGENTINA ITALY AUSTRALIA JAMAICA AUSTRIA JAPAN BAHRAIN KAZAKHSTAN BANGLADESH KENYA BERMUDA KUWAIT BOLIVIA MEXICO BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA THE NETHERLANDS BRAZIL NEW ZEALAND CANADA NIGERIA CHILE NORTH KOREA CHINA NORWAY COSTA RICA PAKISTAN CROATIA PERU CUBA THE PHILIPPINES DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF PORTUGAL THE CONGO PUERTO RICO EGYPT RUSSIA ENGLAND SAUDI ARABIA ETHIOPIA SCOTLAND FRANCE SENEGAL REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA SOUTH AFRICA GERMANY SOUTH KOREA GHANA SPAIN GREECE SWEDEN GUATEMALA TAIWAN ICELAND THAILAND INDIA TURKEY INDONESIA UKRAINE IRAN UZBEKISTAN IRAQ VENEZUELA IRELAND VIETNAM 001-007_MWN-BANG_fm 1/26/07 3:39 PM Page 2 001-007_MWN-BANG_fm 1/26/07 3:39 PM Page 3 Bangladesh Douglas A. Phillips and Charles F. Gritzner Series Editor Charles F. Gritzner South Dakota State University 001-007_MWN-BANG_fm 1/26/07 3:39 PM Page 4 Frontispiece:Flag of Bangladesh Cover:Boat traffic along the Buriganga River, Bangladesh. Bangladesh Copyright © 2007 by Infobase Publishing All rights reserved.No part ofthis book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical,including photocopying,recording,or by any information storage or retrieval systems,without permission in writing from the publisher.For information contact: Chelsea House An imprint ofInfobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 ISBN-10:0-7910-9251-8 ISBN-13:978-0-7910-9251-4 Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Phillips,Douglas A. Bangladesh / Douglas A.Phillips and Charles F.Gritzner. p.cm.—(Modern world nations) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7910-9251-8 (hardcover) 1.Bangladesh.I.Gritzner,Charles F.II.Title.III.Series. DS393.4.P45 2007 954.92—dc22 2006032006 Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities forbusinesses,associations,institutions,or sales promotions.Please call ourSpecial Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at http://www.chelseahouse.com Series and Cover design by Takeshi Takahashi Printed in the United States ofAmerica Bang Hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Alllinks,Web addresses,and Internet search terms were checked and verified to be correct at the time ofpublication.Because ofthe dynamic nature ofthe Web,some addresses and links may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. 001-007_MWN-BANG_fm 1/26/07 3:39 PM Page 5 Table of Contents 1 Introducing Bangladesh 8 2 Physical Landscapes 16 3 Bangladesh Through Time 28 4 The Rise of Bangladesh 42 5 People and Culture 51 6 Government and Politics 64 7 Bangladesh’s Economy 75 8 Bangladesh Looks Ahead 87 Facts at a Glance 93 History at a Glance 96 Bibliography 99 Further Reading 100 Index 101 001-007_MWN-BANG_fm 1/26/07 3:39 PM Page 6 001-007_MWN-BANG_fm 1/26/07 3:39 PM Page 7 Bangladesh 008-015_MWN-BANG_01 1/26/07 3:40 PM Page 8 1 Introducing Bangladesh Inexploring the world,people often talk about places they would like totravel.Countries such as France,the United Kingdom,Germany, Japan,Australia,and New Zealand often appear at the top of such lists.Few people,however,would ever include the fascinating coun- try of Bangladesh on such a list! Why? Often,people’s feelings about a country are tainted with negative images from the past that aren’t necessarily representative ofthe present.This may be part ofthe case with Bangladesh. Many images of the country are negative. The country’s brutal war for liberation in 1972 may linger in the mem- ory ofsome.For others,visions ofthe devastation,famine,and death caused by the hurricane in 1974 may come to mind. (The term cycloneis also usedforahurricane in this part of the world and will be used throughout the book.) Grinding poverty and spiraling over- population combine to create a negative image that keeps most peo- ple from thinking of Bangladesh as a dream vacation destination. 8 008-015_MWN-BANG_01 1/26/07 3:40 PM Page 9 Introducing Bangladesh 9 Who,after all,would want to spend a holiday in a country that ranks near the very bottom of the Human Development Index and dead last among the world’s countries in terms oframpant corruption? And if the foregoing deterrents were not enough, more than half of the country’s total land area frequently dis- appears beneath churning floodwaters! The foregoing description presents only one side of this fascinating country’s personality. To a geographer, few places on Earth hold more interest.A contrasting view of Bangladesh sees the country as a land celebrating the early stages ofdemoc- racy, with people and a culture that are extremely interesting and welcoming. Contrasting views of Bangladesh can even be found in music.A local view is presented by the words of the national anthem of Bangladesh: My Bengal of gold (Precious), Ilove you Forever your skies, Your air setmyheart in tune As if it were a flute. Inspring,Oh mothermine, The fragrance from your mango groves Makes me wild with joy, Ah,what a thrill! In autumn,Oh mother mine, In the full blossomed paddy fields, Ihave seen spread all over sweet smiles! Ah,what a beauty,what shades, What an affection and what a tenderness! What a quilt have you spread At the feet of banyan trees And along the banks of rivers!
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