Introduction to Bangladesh: The nation and its People

Geographical features and their influence, Ethnic composition, Language, Cultural

syncretism and religious tolerance, Distinctive identity of Bangladesh in the context
of undivided Bangladesh.
• Geographical features and their influence:
• Bangladesh's physical geography is varied and is characterized by two distinctive
features: a broad deltaic plain subject to frequent flooding, and a small hilly region
crossed by swiftly flowing rivers.
• The country has an area of 147,569 square kilometers (56,977 sq mi) (according to BBS
2020) or 148,460 square kilometers (57,320 sq mi) (according to the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) World Factbook 2021).
• It extends 820 kilometers (510 mi) north to south and 600 kilometers (370 mi) east to
west.
• Bangladesh is bordered on the west, north, and east by a 4,095-kilometer (2,545 mi) land
with India and, in the southeast, by a short land and water frontier of 193 kilometers
(120 mi) with Myanmar.
• On the south is a highly irregular deltaic coastline of about 580 kilometers (360 mi),
fissured by many rivers and streams flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
• The territorial waters of Bangladesh extend 12 nautical miles (22 km), and the country’s
exclusive economic zone is 200 nautical miles (370 km).
Climate change
• Climate change is a critical issue in Bangladesh as the country is one of the
most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
• In the 2020 edition of Germanwatch's Climate Risk Index, it ranked seventh
in the list of countries most affected by climate calamities during the
period 1999–2018.
• Bangladesh's vulnerability to the effects of climate change is due to a
combination of geographical factors, such as its flat, low-lying, and delta-
exposed topography, and socio-economic factors, including its high
population density, levels of poverty, and dependence on agriculture.
• (A delta is an area of low, flat land shaped like a triangle, where a river
splits and spreads out into several branches before entering the sea.)
• The impacts and potential threats include sea level rise, temperature rise,
food crisis, droughts, floods, and cyclones.
River systems
• The rivers of Bangladesh mark both the physiography of the nation
and the life of the people. About 700 in number, these rivers
generally flow south. The larger rivers serve as the main source of
water for cultivation and as the principal arteries of commercial
transportation. Rivers also provide fish, an important source of
protein.
Influences of Geographical features
• Geography and the environment play a monumental
role in the establishment and success of nearly every
civilization. For example, rivers bring water and allow
for agricultural development, while mountains or
deserts provide protection and create a barrier. Many
things, such as the aforementioned deserts and
mountains, can offer both positive and negative
influences on the society in question. The climate and
amount of rainfall are directly related to the success or
failure of crop growth. Civilizations that are able to
spend less time on subsistence farming are able to
redirect that energy toward the establishment of arts,
culture, religion, and science.
Linguistic Affiliation

• The primary language is Bangla, called Bengali by most non-natives, an Indo-

European language spoken not just by Bangladeshis, but also by people who are
culturally Bengali.
• This includes about 300 million people from Bangladesh, West Bengal, and Bihar,
as well as Bengali speakers in other Indian states.
• The language dates from well before the birth of Christ. Bangla varies by region,
and people may not understand the language of a person from another district.
• However, differences in dialect consist primarily of slight differences in accent or
pronunciation and minor grammatical usages.
• Bangla is divided into two fairly distinct forms: sadhu basha, a learned or formal
language, and cholit basha, a common language.
• Sadhu basha is the language of the literate tradition, formal essays and poetry,
and the well-educated. Cholit basha is the spoken vernacular, the language of the
great majority of Bengalis.
Ethnic composition
• Today, Bengalis enjoy strong cultural homogeneity with a common
standardized language and a variety of dialects.
• Bangladesh is the world’s third-largest Muslim-majority country
after Indonesia and Pakistan. (15,03,60,405) ( 2022 census).
• Bengali Muslims also make up the world’s second-largest Muslim
ethnic group after Arab Muslims.
• Bengali Hindus are the largest minority in Bangladesh, with a
population of 1,42,30,110. ( 2022 census).
• Bangladesh has the third largest Hindu population in the world
after India and Nepal. There are 4,95,475 Bengali Christians and
10,07,468 Bengali Buddhists. (2022 census)
• Biharis are a group of people that include Urdu-speaking non-Bengali
Muslim refugees from Bihar and other parts of northern India.
• In 1971 they numbered about a million but had decreased to around
0.6 million by the late 1980s. Once they dominated the upper levels
of Bengali society. Hundreds of thousands of Biharis were repatriated
to Pakistan after the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971
• Ethnic Minorities of Bangladesh termed Indigenous people of
Bangladesh are ethnic minorities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts
(southeastern), Sylhet Division (northeastern), Rajshahi Division
(west), and Mymensingh Division (north-central) areas of the country.
• They are assumed as indigenous and tribal races, total population of
ethnic minorities in Bangladesh was estimated to be over 2 million in
2010. They are diverse ethnic communities including Tibeto-Burman,
Austric, and Dravidian people.
• According to the Ethnologue, there are 36 indigenous living linguistic
communities, which include 17 Sino-Tibetan, 10 Indo-European, 7
Austro-Asiatic, and 2 Dravidian language-speaking groups.
• Few of these groups, such as the Chakmas and Marmas (the largest
and second largest respectively), migrated to Bangladesh before the
British period from modern Burma. Others migrated from Central
India, where they are referred to as Upajati (Tribal).
• Most of these groups are often disadvantaged compared to ethnic
Bengalis for different reasons.
• Ethnic minorities of Bangladesh have their cultural traditions and,
languages.
• Vast number of ethnic tribes of Bangladesh are traditionally Buddhists
and Hindus by faith while others are largely Christians and small
animists.
• The government of Bangladesh has referred to the Chittagong Hill
Tracts' small ethnic groups as such, rather than Indigenous people.