Portal:Bangladesh

(Refresh) The BANGLADESH PORTAL 09:16, Thursday November 24, 2011 (UTC) • 15:16, Thursday November 24, 2011 (BST) • Ogrohayon 10, 1418 Main   Indices   Projects Shortcut: WP:BD Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on three sides and Myanmar to the southeast; the Bay of Bengal forms the southern coastline. Together with the Indian state of West Bengal, it comprises the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" and is written in Bengali as বাংলাদেশ and pronounced [ˈbaŋlad̪eʃ]. The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown. The borders of Bangladesh were set by the Partition of India in 1947, when it became the eastern wing of Pakistan (East Pakistan), separated from the western wing by 1,600 km (1,000 miles). Despite their common religion, the ethnic and linguistic gulf between the two wings was compounded by an apathetic government based in West Pakistan. This resulted in the independence of Bangladesh in 1971 after a bloody war, supported by India. The years following independence have been marked by political turmoil, with thirteen different heads of government, and at least four military coups. The population of Bangladesh ranks seventh in the world, but its area of approximately 144,000 km2 is ranked ninety-third. It is the third largest Muslim-majority nation, but has a slightly smaller Muslim population than the Muslim minority in India. It is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Geographically dominated by the fertile Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, the country has annual monsoon floods, and cyclones are frequent. Bangladesh is one of the founding members of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), BIMSTEC, and a member of the OIC and the D-8. More about Bangladesh ... {{{1}}} Selected article edit Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Bangla:বিমান বাংলাদেশ) is the national airline of Bangladesh, based at Zia International Airport in Dhaka. It provides domestic as well as international service to Asia and Europe, but derives most of its revenue from flights to Osmani International Airport, Sylhet. It has Air Services Agreements with 42 countries, although it maintains flights to only 18. Until July 2007, the airlines was owned by the Government of Bangladesh; on 23 July 2007, it was transformed into Bangladesh's largest Public Limited Company by the then Caretaker government of Bangladesh. Biman Bangladesh Airlines was established on 4 January 1972 to be Bangladesh's national airline under the Bangladesh Biman Ordinance (Presidential Order No. 126). The initiative to launch the national flag carrier, was taken by 2,500 former employees, including 10 Boeing 707 commanders and 7 other pilots, of Pakistan International Airlines, who submitted a proposal to the government on 31 December 1971 following the independence of Bangladesh. The airline was initially called Air Bangladesh International but was soon renamed Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Initially Biman operated an internal monopoly in Bangladesh until 1996. Dogged by corruption and accidents, the airline suffers from an ageing fleet, with some of its long-haul aircraft banned for safety reasons from the US and EU member states. Annual Hajj flights, labour migrants as well as Biman's subsidiaries, form an important part of the ailing carrier's business. Biman has a 2 star ranking out of 5 by Skytrax, a United Kingdom-based consultancy. (more...) Archive | Nominate an article... Bangladesh News edit Jun 12: A 36-hour nationwide strike takes place in Bangladesh over changes to the electoral system. (Straits Times) Jun 4: Bangladesh receives a loan from the World Bank to strengthen regional co-operation on wildlife protection. (Straits Times) Apr 25: A court in Bangladesh clears Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus of misappropriating Norwegian aid money at a micro-finance bank he founded. (The Times of India) Apr 11: Australian cricket player Shane Watson breaks the world record for number of sixes in a One Day International in the second match in the series against Bangladesh. Apr 5: Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus loses his final appeal in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh against his dismissal from his own Grameen micro-finance bank; the bank thought him too old for the job. (BBC) Apr 4: Severe thunderstorms kill 13 people in Bangladesh. (San Francisco Chronicle) Archive of old items Archive Where in Bangladesh... edit Mosque city of Bagerhat, founded by Turkish general Ulugh Khan Jahan in the early 15th century, is one of the three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bangladesh. Do you know where in Bangladesh is Mosque city of Bagerhat? Mosque city of Bagerhat This historic city is located at the meeting-point of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in Bagerhat District, under Khulna Division in south-west Bangladesh. Archive | Suggest a location... Selected picture edit Magpie Robin, a very common bird in Bangladesh - locally known as Doyel or Doel (Bengali: দোয়েল), is designated as the National Bird of the country. Photo credit: J.M.Garg Archive | Nominate a picture... Did you know... edit ...that on the banks of Shitalakshya River, in Bangladesh, there are artistic weaving centres, where once the muslin industry flourished? ...that the Bangabhaban has served as the official residence for the Viceroy of India, Governor of East Pakistan and the President of Bangladesh? ...that boats crammed with people from both India and Bangladesh, flying the flags of their respective countries, converge on the Ichamati River, the international border, to immerse the idols after Durga Puja? ...that the Tagore family, with over three hundred years of history, has exercised the greatest influence on reawakened Bengali spirit? ...that Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh was also known as Jahangir Nagar? ... that the Pakistan National Congress represented Hindus and other minorities and won 28 seats in the East Bengal Legislature in 1954? ...that Mukh O Mukhosh (The face and the mask), directed by Abdul Jabbar Khan, is the first full-length Bengali language feature film to be produced in the erstwhile East Pakistan, which later became Bangladesh? ...that a proposed strategic road link through Bangladesh and its capital Dhaka will reduce the travel distance between the Indian cities of Agartala and Kolkata from 1,700 km to 400 km? ... that a council ward in the East End of London was renamed "Spitalfields and Banglatown" in 2001 to reflect the history of Bangladeshi immigration to that area? Archive... Selected biography edit Ziaur Rahman (Bengali: জিয়াউর রহমান Ziaur Rôhman) (January 19, 1936 – May 30, 1981) was the President of Bangladesh and the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Popularly called Zia, he is also sometimes referred to as a Shaheed (Martyr). His widow Begum Khaleda Zia has served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh three times. An officer in the Pakistan Army, Zia's unit captured the Kalurghat radio station at the onset of the Bangladesh Liberation War and declared the independence of Bangladesh on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Recognised as a war hero, he was honoured with the Bir Uttom in 1972. A high-ranking officer in the Bangladesh Army, Zia was appointed chief of army staff following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975. Although briefly overthrown in a counter-coup, Zia returned to power in a military coup organised by Colonel Abu Taher. Declaring himself president in 1977, Zia won a referendum held in 1978. Founding the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Zia won widespread popular support for stabilising the nation and leading it in a new direction. A right-wing politician, Zia established free-market policies in a 19-point programme of industrialisation and development. He adopted policies bringing the government increasingly under Islam, which he included in the national constitution. Zia controversially pardoned the assassins of Sheikh Mujib by signing the Indemnity Act and rehabilitated individuals who had supported the Pakistan Army. A popular yet controversial leader, Zia was assassinated in 1981 in an abortive military coup. (more...) Archive | Nominate a biography... 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