A Bangladeshi Overview Fact File o o o
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Official name – People’s Republic of Bangladesh Population – 156,118,464* Official Languages – Bangla (also known as Bengali), English Currency – Taka Capital city – Dhaka GDP – purchasing power parity $259.3 billion* GDP Per Capita – purchasing power parity $1,700
Overview What is today known as Bangladesh was established when Bengal separated from India in 1947. It was then named East Pakistan, part of the newly formed nation of Pakistan. Dissatisfaction fueled by political exclusion and ethnic discrimination by the dominant West Pakistan, culminated in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, which the Bengalis won due to the assistance of India, and the subsequent establishment of Bangladesh. The restoration of democracy in 1991 has been followed by relative calm and economic progress. Bangladesh has a rich cultural heritage, which encompasses both old and new traditions, which aid in uniting Bangladeshis across both religious and ethnic divides. It is also the world’s most densely populated non-island nation. Though it is largely Muslim, the country has a sizable number of Hindus and other minorities. Bangladeshi Culture – Key Concepts and Values Identity - Bangladeshi culture assimilated over centuries and is an amalgamation of Hindu, Jainist, Buddhist and Islamic influences. Bangladeshi national identity is embedded in Bengali culture. Symbolically, Bangladeshi identity is centred on the 1971 struggle for independence from Pakistan. During that liberation struggle, the key elements of Bangladeshi identity focused on the importance of the Bengali mother tongue and the distinctiveness of a culture or way of life connected to the floodplains of the region. Community - Although progress has been made in terms of the advancement of women (the current Prime Minister is female), Bangladeshi society functions along patriarchal lines and major