Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh (গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ; Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh), is a country in South Asia located at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. It is bordered by India and Burma to the north, west and east and separated from Nepal and Bhutan by India's narrow Siliguri corridor in the north. Bangladesh is part of the ancient and historic ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" in the official Bengali language. The country has a rich and diverse cultural heritage arising from its long history as a melting pot of civilization. It straddles the fertile basin of the Padma (Ganges), Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and Meghna rivers.
The present-day borders of Bangladesh were established during the partition of the British Indian Empire in 1947, when eastern Bengal became part of the newly formed nation of Pakistan. However, it was separated from West Pakistan
by nearly 1,500 km (about 900 mi) of Indian territory. Due to political
exclusion, ethnic and linguistic discrimination, and economic neglect
by the politically dominant western wing, popular agitation and civil disobedience led to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. After independence, the new state endured widespread poverty, famine, political turmoil and military coups.
The restoration of democracy in 1991 has been followed by economic
progress and relative political calm, although the country's main
political parties remain highly polarized.
Founded as a secular democracy in 1971, Bangladesh is a unitary multiparty parliamentary republic with an elected national parliament called the Jatiyo Sangshad.[8] Bangladesh is the world's eighth-most populous country as well as one of the world's most densely populated countries. It is the third most populous nation in the Muslim world. It is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the OIC, NAM, the Developing 8 Countries and BIMSTEC. A long-standing proponent of regional engagement in South Asia, Bangladesh pioneered the creation of SAARC. Its armed forces are the world's largest contributor to United Nations peacekeeping forces.
Bangladesh continues to face a number of major challenges, including poverty, political and bureaucratic corruption, political instability, overpopulation and vulnerability to climate change. However, the country has significantly improved its human development since independence.[9] This includes the achievement of universal primary education, stemming population growth through family planning,
a large decline in infant mortality, improvement of maternal
healthcare, increasing life expectancy, progress towards
self-sufficiency in food production and the increasing spread of renewable energy.[10][11][12][13][14] The country has a growing economy and has been identified as one of the Next Eleven.[15] Dhaka and Chittagong, its two largest cities, have been the driving force behind much of the recent economic growth.
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