Bangladesh - Culture Smart!

Bangladesh - Culture Smart! offers an insightful overview of a lush, green country situated on the fertile Ganges delta, adjacent to the Indian state of West Bengal. Despite having hilly areas in the northeast, Bangladesh is mostly flat and criss-crossed by numerous rivers. Its coastline hosts parts of the world's largest mangrove forests, the Sundarbans, home to the Royal Bengal tiger and a diverse range of flora and fauna.

Bangladesh is a young nation with an ancient history. The province of Bengal was divided when India gained independence in 1947, with its mainly Muslim eastern part becoming East Pakistan. This led to years of upheaval, culminating in 1971 when a freedom movement and a subsequent war resulted in the establishment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.

Most Bangladeshis reside in rural areas, with a majority adhering to Islam, though they have historically lived in harmony with people of many other faiths. The lingua franca is Bengali, or Bangla, with several regional dialects spoken across the country. Once a central hub of the southern Silk Route, the Bengal delta region boasts a long and rich cultural tradition. Over the centuries, it has been shaped by Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.