Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a country in Asia, capital Dhaka. its population is about 155 million (2009).

Geography

Most of the country consists of the alluvial plains of the rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra, and is very low-lying; over 75% of the area is no more than three metres above sea level. This makes the country very vulnerable to floods. However, there are hills in the south-east and north-east; the highest mountain is Keokradong (4,035 ft, 1,230m).

The climate is tropical; during the monsoon seaon (June-September) there are usually widespread floods.

History

Bangladesh was formerly the eastern half of Bengal plus the Sylhet district of Assam. In 1947 it became part of Pakistan, although physically separated by 1,000 miles from the bulk of that country. Tensions between the two parts led to Bangladesh seceding in 1971 and, following a civil war, to formal independence on 16 December 1971 with help from an Indian invasion force.

The country was for a long time very unstable, with several coups and attempted coups, the assassination of presidents Mujibar Rahman in 1975 and Zia Ur-Rahman in 1981. There were periods of martial law (1975-8, 1982-6) and states of emergency (1987-8, 2007-8). However, parliamentary government has been in place continuously since 1991, and there has been normality since the legislative election of December 2008.

Education

Primary education is compulsory and free, and virtually all children attend. However, only about 44% attend secondary education.