Facts and Statistics
Capital: Dhaka
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Climate: tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Population: 144,319,628 (July 2005 est.)
Ethnic Make-up: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims
Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1%
Languages in Bangladesh
The official language is Bangla, also known as Bengali. It is the first language of more than 98 percent of the population. It is written in its own script, derived from that of Sanskrit. Many people in Bangladesh also speak English and Urdu.
Bangla vocabulary shows many influences. These include a strong Islamic influence seen in the greetings of “Salaam aleykum” (Peace be unto you) and “Khoda hafez” (God Bless you) and nouns from
