Travel ( Introduction )

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Introduction

Bangladesh is situated in the north-eastern part of south Asia. It lies between 20° 34' and 26° 36' north latitude and 88° 1' and 92° 41' east longitude. The heavy 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 gangetic plains (West Bengal) of India and on the eastern frontier lies the almost impass able forest of Myanmar (Arakan Province) and India (Tripura and Assam hills). These picturesque geographical boundaries delineate out a low lying plain of about 143,998 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 land is mostly flat except for a range of hills in the south-east. It is mainly characterized by wooded marshylands and jungles with forest regions in Sylhet, Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban Hill Tracts, Sundarbans, Mymenshingh and Tangail.

History

The history of Bangladesh has been one of extremes, of turmoil and peace, prosperity and destitution. 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 Bengal was defeated at Palassey. In 1947 the country was partitioned into India and Pakistan.

Following the partition of India in 1947, the area of Bangladesh became a province of Pakistan, initially known as East Bengal, and then, from 1955, as East Pakistan. The people of East Pakistan Province declared their independence as the nation of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971, while fighting a savage war against the central Pakistani government. The separation from Pakistan took place, with extensive aid from India, on December 16, 1971 as a result of the third Indo-Pakistan War. Bangladesh was soon recognized by most other nations, although Pakistan withheld diplomatic recognition until 1974 and China did not recognize the nation until 1976. Bangladesh was admitted to the United Nations in 1974.

The country's initial government was formed in January 1972 under the charismatic leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman known as Mujib, who became prime minister. His immediate tasks were to rebuild the war-ravaged nation, reestablish law and order, and reintegrate the numerous Bengalis returning from India. A longer-range goal was to foster economic growth in order to raise the very low living standard of the densely populated nation. In the first years of independence, Bangladesh received much aid from abroad, and Mujib nationalized major industries as part of his programme of developing the country along the lines of democratic socialism. He had little success, however, in improving the economy, and lawlessness prevailed.

In mid-1974 the country was devastated by floods that destroyed much of the grain crop. At the same time, political disorder was increasing, and in late 1974 a national state of emergency was declared. In early 1975 Mujib became president under a remodelled constitution that granted him virtually dictatorial power. He was unable to stabilize the political situation, however, and was killed in a military coup datat on August 15, 1975. In November military leaders ousted Mujib's successor, Khandakar Mushtaque Ahmed, who had initiated martial law, and installed Abusadat Muhammad Sayem as president. General Ziaur Rahman assumed the presidency when Sayem resigned in 1977. Martial law was lifted in 1979, following parliamentary elections. Despite a continuing food shortage, the nation made considerable economic progress in 1980 and 1981.

President Rahman was assassinated in May 1981 as part of an abortive military coup. He was succeeded by Vice President Abdus Sattar, who won election to the presidency in his own right in November. However, a bloodless military coup in March 1982 brought General Hussein Muhammed Ershad to power. After suspending the constitution and abolishing all political parties, Ershad ruled by martial law under a figurehead president.

A proposal by Ershad to require all schools to teach Arabic and the Koran sparked demonstrations and riots in February 1983. Later in the year, limited political activities were allowed to resume; in December Ershad assumed the presidency. The long-postponed parliamentary elections took place in May 1986. Some members boycotted the initial meetings of parliament because Ershad did not lift martial law. In an October 1986 presidential election that was boycotted by opposition parties, Ershad was elected to a five-year term with a majority of more than 80 per cent. In November, after parliament passed legislation protecting his military regime from reprisals, Ershad lifted martial law and reinstated the constitution. Devastating floods in September 1988 inundated about three-quarters of the country and left an estimated 30 million people homeless. Faced with rising political opposition, Ershad resigned in December 1990; he was subsequently convicted and imprisoned on charges of corruption and illegal weapons possession. In February 1991, Khaleda Zia, widow of President Rahman, was elected prime minister, which became the governmental position with primary executive power after a change in the constitution later that year.  

More than 120,000 people were killed and millions left homeless in April 1991 when a powerful cyclone struck the coastal areas in the Ganges delta. An influx of Muslim refugees in the early 1990s, fleeing persecution in Burma, further strained Bangladesh's already devastated economy.

By 1993 the Bangladeshi economy was recovering, despite continuing problems with flooding and other crises. In May 1994 opposition parties began a series of boycotts of parliament, amid a deepening personal feud between Prime Minister Zia and the opposition Awami League leader, Sheikh Hasina Wazed. In September the author Taslima Nasreen fled to Switzerland after a series of legal cases, demonstrations, and death threats against her by Islamic fundamentalists. In December 1994 opposition Members of Parliament resigned en masse to force new elections, and organized a series of violent strikes in January 1995. Following general strikes in September and October 1995, President Abdur Rahman Biswas formally dissolved parliament in November to make way for a general election, but opposition parties refused to participate without the appointment of an impartial caretaker government. The general election went ahead in February 1996, but the opposition boycott, a low voter turnout, and violent incidents undermined the landslide victory of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist party. With strikes and demonstrations continuing, Zia was finally forced in March 1996 to concede the appointment of a caretaker administration by the president and tendered her resignation. President Biswas swore in the caretaker government in April, with all parties promising to cooperate, and scheduled general elections for June. Following a reported coup attempt in May, the June general elections brought the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina Wazed to power.

Climate and seasons

The climate is sub-tropical with temperatures ranging from a daytime low of 8° c in the cold season to a maximum of 43° c in the summer. Annual rain fall ranges from 160cm. to 200cm. in west, 200cm. to 400cm. in the south-east and 250cm. to 400cm. in the north-east mainly in monsoon. The country has mainly four seasons, the Winter (Dec-Feb), Summer (Mar-May), Monsoon (June-Sept) and Autumn (Oct-Nov).

In all areas about 80 per cent of the annual rainfall typically occurs in the monsoon period, which lasts from late May to mid-October. Average annual precipitation ranges from about 1,400 mm (55 in) along the country's east-central border to more than 5,080 mm (200 in) in the far north-east. In addition to the normal monsoonal rainfall, Bangladesh is subject to devastating cyclones, originating over the Bay of Bengal, from April to May and September to November. Often accompanied by surging waves, these storms can cause great damage and loss of life. The cyclone of November 1970, in which about 500,000 lives were lost in Bangladesh, was one of the worst natural disasters of the 20th century.

Bangladesh has warm temperatures throughout the year, with relatively little variation from month to month. January tends to be the coolest month and May the warmest.

Rivers and Lakes

Rivers are a prominent and important feature of the landscape in Bangladesh. Some rivers are known by different names in various portions of their course. The Ganges (Ganga), for example, is known as the Padma below the point where it is joined by the Jamuna River, the name given to the lowest part of the main channel of the Brahmaputra. The combined stream is then called the Meghna below its confluence with a much smaller tributary of the same name. In the dry season the numerous branches of the delta that lace the terrain may be several kilometres wide as they near the Bay of Bengal, whereas at the height of the summer monsoon season they coalesce into an extremely broad expanse of silt-laden water. In much of the delta, therefore, homes must be constructed on earthen platforms or embankments high enough to remain above the level of all but the highest floods. In nonmonsoon months the exposed ground is pocked with water-filled tanks, or borrow pits, from which the mud for the embankments has been excavated. These tanks are a chief source of water for drinking, bathing, and small-scale irrigation.

Seaports

Chittagong and Mongla.

Airports

Zia International Airport, Dhaka, Domestic Airports at Chittagong, Jessore, Sylhet, Cox's Bazar, Rajshahi and Saidpur.

Tourist Season

October to March.

Main tourist Attractions

Colourful Tribal life, Longest sea beach, Centuries old Archaeological sites, Home of the Royal Bengal Tigers, Largest Tea Gardens, Interesting Riverine Life etc.

Cultural Life

Bangladeshi culture is, in many respects, inseparable from that of Bengal, since the country was created by the partitioning of Bengal in 1947, and since the early 19th century a majority of the most widely read and admired Bengali writers and artists, Hindu and Muslim, worked for a time in the Indian metropolis of Calcutta. Greatest among these was the writer, artist, and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore.

Classical, light-classical, devotional, and popular music enjoy a wide following in Bangladesh. Classical dancing is of various Indian schools, such as Kathak Bharatanatyam, and indigenous folk genres are being developed.

Cultural Activity 

Bangladesh lacks sufficient numbers of schools and cultural institutions, even though facilities were increased substantially in the 1970s.

Cultural Institutions

Higher cultural life is concentrated in Dhaka, which is the site of the Bangla Academy (1972), devoted to the promotion and development of the Bengali language and literature. The country's largest library is part of the University of Dhaka, and the Bangladesh National Museum, also in Dhaka, is noted for its art and archaeology collections. The Varendra Research Museum, controlled by the University of Rajshahi, is an important centre for archaeological, anthropological, and historical research.

Aviation & Tourism

Serious reforms have taken place in the civil aviation sectorby allowing operation of private sector airlines in the domestic services. Tourism sector is fully open for the private sector to operate.