Bangladesh
The word Bangladesh first appeared in a political song by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905. Kazi Nazrul Islam used the term again in his own patriotic composition during 1932. Early theories suggest the name derives from a Bronze Age proto-Dravidian tribe known as Vanga. Historical records show the earliest written usage of Bangla on the Nesari plate dated to 805 AD. The term gained official status when Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah declared himself Shah of Bangala in 1342. A 16th-century historian named Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak explained that the suffix al came from ancient rajahs who raised mounds of earth called al. This linguistic evolution transformed the region into what is now known as the Land of Bengal.
Siraj-ud-Daulah led the state defeated by the British East India Company at the Battle of Plassey on the 23rd of June 1757. This defeat marked the beginning of two centuries of colonial rule over Bengal and the wider Indian subcontinent. The Great Bengal famine of 1770 caused between one million and ten million deaths, killing up to one-third of the total population. Following nearly two hundred years of direct British rule, borders were established with the partition of India on the 15th of August 1947. East Bengal became the eastern wing of the newly formed Dominion of Pakistan alongside West Pakistan. These western and eastern wings remained geographically separated by a distance of over 1,000 miles. Khawaja Nazimuddin served as East Bengal's first chief minister while Frederick Chalmers Bourne acted as governor.
A nine-month-long bloody liberation war began after Operation Searchlight initiated by the autocratic Pakistani government on the 25th of March 1971. Sheikh Mujib signed the Proclamation of Independence on the 26th of March 1971 before Major Ziaur Rahman publicly broadcast the message the following day. The Mukti Bahini waged a successful armed revolution with aid from Indian forces against a genocide perpetrated by Pakistan. The conflict culminated in a sovereign nation following the Pakistani surrender on the 16th of December 1971. A massive public rally led by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani declared independence of East Pakistan on the 23rd of November 1970 though it was not officially recognized. The Bangladesh Liberation War resulted in the establishment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh as a sovereign state.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the country until his assassination in 1975 following a significant decline in popularity. The presidency transferred to Ziaur Rahman who re-established public order and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Ziaur Rahman himself was assassinated in 1981 after which Hussain Muhammad Ershad dominated the decade with military dictatorship. Ershad was overthrown in a mass uprising in 1990 leading to the restoration of parliamentary democracy. Power alternated between Khaleda Zia of the BNP and Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League for the next three decades. This era became known as the Battle of the Begums defining politics and history for eighteen years. Sheikh Hasina won four consecutive terms in elections held during 2014, 2018, and 2024 before being forced to resign on the 5th of August 2024. An interim government formed on the 8th of August 2024 with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus serving as Chief Adviser.
Over 84% of export earnings come from the textile industry making Bangladesh the second-leading garments exporter globally. The country achieved 100% electrification by 2022 after experiencing daily blackouts several times a day in 2009. Poverty rates dropped from 80% in 1971 down to 18.7% in 2022 according to national statistics. Bangladesh has the largest off-grid solar power programme in the world benefiting 20 million people. The nation's economy grew significantly driven by free market policies implemented since the early 1990s. It emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world while maintaining the second-largest economy in South Asia. The private sector accounts for 80% of GDP compared to the dwindling role of state-owned companies.
The Sundarbans covers an area of 10,000 square kilometers and serves as the world's largest mangrove forest. Over 508 cyclones have affected the Bay of Bengal region over the course of a century with 17 percent believed to make landfall in Bangladesh. A three-foot rise in sea levels will inundate some 20 percent of the land and displace more than 30 million people by 2050. In September 1998 two-thirds of the country went underwater during the most severe flooding in modern history killing approximately 1,000 people. The cyclone of 1991 killed around 140,000 people making it particularly devastating. About 10 percent of its land would be flooded if the sea level were to rise by three feet according to estimates.
Charyapada poems dating back to the 10th to 12th centuries represent the oldest extant examples of the Bengali language. Rabindranath Tagore became the first Asian and non-European laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Kazi Nazrul Islam was a revolutionary poet who espoused political rebellion against colonialism and fascism. The annual Ekushey Book Fair and Dhaka Lit Fest are among the largest literary festivals in South Asia. Picture House opened as the first permanent cinema in Dhaka between 1913 and 1914. Sukumari released in 1929 was the first film produced in Bangladesh while The Last Kiss arrived in 1931 as the first full-length feature film. The Mangal Shobhajatra parade organized on Pohela Boishakh was enlisted as an Intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2016.
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Common questions
When did the word Bangladesh first appear in a political song?
The word Bangladesh first appeared in a political song by Rabindranath Tagore in 1905. Kazi Nazrul Islam used the term again in his own patriotic composition during 1932.
Who declared himself Shah of Bangala to give the term official status?
Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah declared himself Shah of Bangala in 1342. This event marked when the term gained official status after historical records showed the earliest written usage of Bangla on the Nesari plate dated to 805 AD.
What date marks the beginning of the Bangladesh Liberation War?
A nine-month-long bloody liberation war began after Operation Searchlight initiated by the autocratic Pakistani government on the 25th of March 1971. The conflict culminated in a sovereign nation following the Pakistani surrender on the 16th of December 1971.
When did Sheikh Hasina resign and who formed the interim government?
Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign on the 5th of August 2024. An interim government formed on the 8th of August 2024 with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus serving as Chief Adviser.
How many people were killed in the cyclone of 1991 that affected Bangladesh?
The cyclone of 1991 killed around 140,000 people making it particularly devastating. Over 508 cyclones have affected the Bay of Bengal region over the course of a century with 17 percent believed to make landfall in Bangladesh.