Travel in Bangladesh  

Bangladesh  is in South Asia sometimes converging with Southeast Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal to the south, mostly surrounded by India and bordering Myanmar in the southeast.

British India was partitioned by joint leaders of the Congress, All India-Muslim League and Britain in the summer of 1947, creating the commonwealth realms of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and a Republic of India . Bangladesh came into existence in 1972 when Bengali-speaking East Pakistan seceded from its union with Punjabi dominatedWest Pakistan after a 9 month bloody war. Although Bangladesh emerged as an independent country only in 1972, its history stretches back thousands of years and it has long been known as a crossroads of history and culture. Here you will find the world's longest sea beach, countless mosques, the largest mangrove forest in the world, interesting tribal villages and a wealth of elusive wild life. Although relatively impoverished compared to its burgeoning South Asian neighbour India , Bangladeshis are very friendly and hospitable people, putting personal hospitality before personal finances.

Ready-made garments, textiles, pharmaceuticals, agricultural goods, ship building and fishing are some of the largest industries. The gap between rich and poor is increasingly obvious and the middle-class is fast-shrinking, as in the rest of Asia, especially in cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong as you move around between the working class old city and affluent neighborhoods like Gulshan and Baridhara. 

Climate in Bangladesh  

Bangladesh has a sub tropical monsoon climate. There are six seasons in a year; Winter (Dec-Jan), spring (Feb-Mar), Summer (Apr-May), Monsoon (June-July), Autumn (Aug-Sep) and Late Autumn (Oct-Nov). The average temperature across the country usually ranges between 9 C - 29 C in winter months and between 21 C - 34 C during summer months. Annual rainfall varies from 160 cm to 200 cm in the west, 200 cm to 400 cm in the south-east and 250 cm to 400 cm in the north-east. Cyclones above category three/four are uncommon (especially in the deep winter January through March)-- but while rare, can still bring widespread disruption as expected to infrastructure and power outages, especially in the coastal areas. The weather pattern is akin to the Gulf Coast in the United States ( Alabama , Mississippi andLouisiana ).  

The current weather can be seen by hitting the 'play' button on the following interactive map, Current Bangladesh Satellite Weather Radar. 

Landscape  

The country is primarily a low-lying plain of about 144,000 km², situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into theBay of Bengal . It’s fertile and mostly flat farmland and, with the exception of Chittagong Hill Tracts, rarely exceeds 10 meters above sea level, making it dangerously susceptible to a rise in sea level.

Highest point: Bijoy (1,231 meters). 

Holidays  

Pohela Boishakh - The most widely celebrated secular national festival of the country. Here people from all walks of life participate in various cultural shows called Boishakhi Mela,wearing national dress (kurta or Shari ), eating sweets and wishing every one happy new year.  

Ekushey - National Mother Language Day - February 21. This day marks the anniversary of the martyrs that died in 1952 while protesting the imposition of Urdu, in the name ofIslam, as the mother-tongue. The uprisings to supportBangla as the mother language fueled the movement towards secular nationalism that culminated in independence in 1971. The holiday is marked by (one of the most colourful events in Asia) tributes to the martyrs by political leaders, intellectuals, poets, writers, artisans and singing beginning at one minute after midnight on the 21st. Government offices are closed, and expect traffic disruption from February 20.  

Independence day - March 26th- On this day 'Father of the Nation' Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaimed country's independence.  

Victory day - December 16th- On this day Pakistani occupied forces surrendered to joint Bangladeshi & Indian forces.  

Eid-ul-Fitr - the largest muslim holiday of the year, it celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramazan. Food is the highlight, and if you're lucky you'll be invited into a private home for a feast. Businesses close for at least a couple days if not a week.  

Eid-ul-Azha - is the second largest muslim festival.  

Durga Puja - October 5th-9th, 2008. The largest Hindu festival in the country, it goes on for several days with festivities varying each day.  

Christmas - December 25th, This is the largest Festival of Christian Community in the country which is declared as a Goverment Holiday.A prayer is held at Tejgaon Churchat 11 PM (Local Time) in 24th December. Also some other church in Dhaka also arrange prayer at 24th December. By Stanley Dipu Mazumdar