Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world and among the most densely populated with a population of 170 million in an area of 148,460 square kilometres (57,320 sq mi). Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the north, west, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast. To the south, it has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal. To the north, it is separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor, and from China by the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim. Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation's political, financial, and cultural centre. Chittagong is the second-largest city and the busiest port. The official language is Bengali, with Bangladeshi English also used in government.
Dhaka, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is the ninth-largest and seventh-most densely populated city in the world with a density of 23,234 people per square kilometer within a total area of approximately 300 square kilometers. Dhaka is a megacity, and has a population of 10.2 million residents as of 2024, and a population of over 23.9 million residents in Dhaka Metropolitan Area. It is widely considered to be the most densely populated built-up urban area in the world. Dhaka is the most important cultural, economic, and scientific hub of Eastern South Asia, as well as a major Muslim-majority city. Dhaka ranks third in South Asia and 39th in the world in terms of GDP. Lying on the Ganges Delta, it is bounded by the Buriganga, Turag, Dhaleshwari and Shitalakshya rivers. Dhaka is also the largest Bengali-speaking city in the world.
Barisal Division is one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Located in the south-central part of the country, it has an area of 13,225 km2 (5,106 sq mi), and a population of 9,325,820 at the 2022 Census. It is the least populous Division in Bangladesh. It is bounded by Dhaka Division on the north, the Bay of Bengal on the south, Chittagong Division on the east and Khulna Division on the west. The administrative capital, Barisal city, lies in the Padma River delta on an offshoot of the Arial Khan River. Barisal division is criss-crossed by numerous rivers that earned it the nickname Dhan-Nodi-Khal, Ei tin-e Borishal.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is a major political party in Bangladesh. Founded on 1 September 1978 by the late Bangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman, with a view to uniting people with a nationalist ideology, BNP later became one of the two dominant parties in Bangladesh, along with its archrival Awami League. Initially a big tent centrist party, it later moved towards more right-wing politics.
The Bangladesh Awami League, simply known as Awami League, is one of the major political parties in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played a large role in achieving Bangladeshi independence both before and after the Bangladesh Liberation War. It is also one of the two most dominant parties in the country, along with its archrival Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Throughout its tenure as the ruling party from January 6, 2009 to August 5, 2024, it has been consistently described as authoritarian and dictatorial.
The Daily Ittefaq is a Bengali-language daily newspaper. Founded in 1949 by Moulana Bhashani and Yar Mohammad Khan, it is the oldest newspaper, and one of the most circulated newspapers in Bangladesh. The newspaper format is Broadsheet and it is printed by Ittefaq Group of Publications Limited.
Motiur Rahman Nizami was a politician, former Minister of Bangladesh, Islamic scholar, writer and the former leader of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. He is noted for leading Al-Badr during the Bangladesh Liberation War. On 29 October 2014, he was convicted of masterminding the Demra massacre by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh. Nizami was the Member of Parliament for the Pabna-1 constituency from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. He also served as the Bangladeshi Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Industry.
Dhaka (Dacca) is a modern megacity with origins dating to circa the 7th century CE. The history of Dhaka begins with the existence of urbanised settlements that were ruled by the Hindu Gauda Kingdom, Buddhist and Shaivite Pala Empire before passing to the control of the Hindu Sena dynasty in the 10th century CE. After the Sena dynasty, the city was ruled by the Hindu Deva Dynasty.
The Daily Star is a Bangladeshi English-language daily newspaper. It is by far the largest circulating English-language newspaper in the country. Founded by Syed Mohammed Ali on 14 January 1991, as Bangladesh transitioned and restored parliamentary democracy, the newspaper became popular for its outspoken coverage of politics, corruption, and foreign policy. It is considered a newspaper of record for Bangladesh. The newspaper has been described as having a "reputation for journalistic integrity and liberal and progressive views - a kind of Bangladeshi New York Times".
Rashed Khan Menon is a Bangladeshi politician. He is the president of Workers Party of Bangladesh and a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Barisal-2, Dhaka-8 and Bakerganj-9 constituencies. He was the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Education. Earlier, he served as the Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism.
Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, is a British citizen convicted of war crimes committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War which involved the murder of Bengali intellectuals in collaboration with the Pakistan Army. After the liberation of Bangladesh, Chowdhury escaped from Bangladesh and attained British citizenship. Bangladesh has yet to file a request with the UK government to bring back Mueen, and the two countries do not have any extradition treaty signed between them.
Mahmudur Rahman is one of the owners and editor of one of Bangladesh's Bengali daily newspapers, Amar Desh. He is also an author, engineer and businessman.
United News of Bangladesh is a Bangladesh private sector news agency established in 1988. Enayetullah Khan established UNB in the 1980s. It is the first fully digitized private wire service in South Asia.
The Dhaka Tribune is a major Bangladeshi English-language daily newspaper based in Dhaka, the country's capital and largest city. It also operates an online portal known as the Bangla Tribune. The newspaper has a strong readership in Bangladeshi cities, particularly among the young generation, the diplomatic community, and expatriates; as well as a wide readership in South Asia and internationally. The newspaper is notable for its highly diverse op-ed content, with contributions from leading Bangladeshi, South Asian and international columnists.
A.Z.M. Enayetullah Khan was a Bangladeshi journalist and government minister. He founded the weekly newspaper Holiday and the daily newspaper New Age. He served in Ziaur Rahman's cabinet, first as minister of land administration and land reform from December 1977 to June 1978, and then as minister of petroleum and natural resources from July 1978 to October 1978.
Bangladesh Pratidin is a Bengali-language independent daily newspaper in Bangladesh. It was founded on 15 March 2010. Bangladesh Pratidin tops the list of highest circulated dailies in the country out of 345 newspapers published from Dhaka and elsewhere, the information minister told parliament 10 March 2014. Abu Taher is the Acting Editor of Bangladesh Pratidin. Bangladesh Pratidin is a subsidiary of East West Media Group (EWMG), which is owned by Bashundhara Group. On behalf of EWMG, the publisher of the newspaper is Moynal Hossain Chowdhury.
Enayetullah Khan is a Bangladeshi entrepreneur, author, journalist and patron of the arts. He is best known as the founder and managing director of the Cosmos Group, a Bangladeshi conglomerate incorporating over a dozen companies operating at home and abroad. He is the founder of Dhaka Courier and United News of Bangladesh.
Committee for Civil Liberties and Legal Aid in short Civil Liberties Committee was a forum in Bangladesh formed by the members of civil society to restore the civil liberties and provide legal aid to the dissenting population of the country who were the victims of Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini. Headed by eminent poet Sikandar Abu Zafar, the committee consisted a total of 33 members.
Syed Badrul Ahsan is a Bangladeshi journalist and author who currently serves as editor-in-charge of The Asian Age, a publication based in Dhaka. He previously served as the press minister at the High Commission of Bangladesh, London and has worked for numerous universities such as the University of Dhaka, Independent University, Bangladesh, and University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh as well as being a Fellow at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has written a biography on the Founder of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman entitled From Rebel to Founding Father: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to much critical acclaim. Badrul Ahsan regularly contributes to Dhaka Courier, First News, Dhaka Tribune, Bangla Tribune, The Daily StarOur Time, Indian Express, Asian Affairs and South Asia Monitor.
