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BANGLADESH |
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Bangladesh as a vacation land has many facets. Her tourist attractions include archaeological sites, historic mosques and monuments, resorts, beaches, picnic spots, forest and wildlife. Bangladesh offers opportunities for angling, water-skiing, river cruising, hiking, rowing, surfing, yachting and sea bathing as well as bringing one in close touch with Mother Nature. She is also rich in wildlife and game birds. |
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LOCATION AND PHYSICAL FEATURES Bangladesh is situated in the north-eastern part of south
Asia. It lies between 20' 34'
and 2e 36' north latitude and 88' I' and 92' 41' east longitude. The hearty and great Himalayas
stand as the northern ramparts, while the southern frontier is guarded by
the Bay of Bengal. On the west lies the expansive ganges plains (West
Bengal) of India and on the eastern frontier lies the almost impassable
forest of Myanmar (Arakan Province) and India (Tripura and Assam
hills). These picturesque
geographical boundaries delineate out a low lying plain of about 144,000
sq.km. (55,598 sq. miles) criss -crossed by innumerable brooks, rivers,
rivulets and streams. Mighty rivers the Padma, Jamuna, Meghna, Karnaphuli
and others flow through Bangladesh. The un-scalable blue is stretched high
above, and the green and silvery landscape below runs far and beyond. This is Bangladesh, a fertile land
where nature is bounteous. Bangladesh is a deltaic region. Much of the country's land area
has been built up from alluvial deposits brought down by the major
rivers. The land is mostly
flat except for a range of hills
in the south-east. Wooded
marshy lands and jungles mainly characterize it with forest regions in Sylhet,
Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban Hill Tracts, Sundarbans, Mymensingh
and Tangail. HISTORY The history of
Bangladesh has been one of extremes, of turmoil and peace, prosperity and
destitution. It has thrived
under the glow of cultural splendor and suffered under the ravages of
war. The earliest mention of
Bangladesh is found in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata (the story of Great
Battle-9th century B.C). Evidence also suggests that there was a strong
Mongoloid presence as well.
Soon after, in the 5th and 6th centuries B.C. came the Aryans from
Central Asia and the Dravidians from Western India. Then came the Guptas, Palas,
Senas, who were Buddhist and Hindus. From the 13th
century A.D. the flood of Muslim invaders and the tide of Islam swamped
the Buddhist and Hindus untold 8th century. Sometimes there were independent
rulers like the Hussain Shahi and Ilyas Shahi dynasties while at other
times they ruled on behalf of the imperial seat of Delhi. From 15th
century the Europeans, namely; Portuguese, Dutch, French and
British traders exerted an economic influence over the region. British political rule over the
region began in 1757 A.D. when the last Muslim ruler of Ben. gal was
defeated at Palashi. In 1947
the country was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Present Bangladesh becomes the
Eastern Wing of the then Pakistan.
But the movement for autonomy for East Pakistan started within a couple of years because of language and cultural difference and economic disparity between the two wings. The seeds of independence were sown through the Language Movement of 1952 to recognize Bangla as a state language. Ultimately the then East Pakistan emerged as a sovereign and independent state of Bangladesh in 1971 after nine month - long war of Liberation (starting on 26 March 1971) in which 3 million people courted martyrdom. | |
