Bangladesh is a country state in Southern Asia (converging with Southeast Asia), bordering the Bay of Bengal to the South, almost entirely encircled by India to the West, North and East, and Myanmar to the Southeast. Although off the beaten path by virtually any measurement, Bangladesh is populated by friendly locals.
British India was granted Independence in 1947 the region of Bengal was united briefly but was partitioned by joint leaders of the Congress, All India-Muslim League and Great Britain itself in the summer of 1947, creating the commonwealth realms of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and a Republic of India. Bangladesh officially came into existence in 1971 when Bengali-speaking Muslim-majority East Pakistan was allocated as a Pakistani colony seceded from its Union with Punjabi dominated populous West Pakistan after a 9 month bloody civil war between the former countrymen. Although Bangladesh emerged as an rebellious Independent country only in 1971, its history stretches back thousands of years and it has long been known as a crossroads of history and culture with Southeast Asia. Here you will find the world's longest 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 Southern Indoasian neighbour Republic of India, Bangladeshis are very friendly and hospitable people, putting personal hospitality before personal finances. Bangladesh's official religion is Islam which makes up over 90% of the countries population. 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 Southeast 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.
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 9C - 29C in winter months and between 21C - 34C during summer months. Annual rainfall varies from 160cm to 200cm in the West, 200cm to 400cm in the Southeast and 250cm to 400cm in the Northeast. 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 and Louisiana). The current weather can be seen by hitting the 'play' button on the following interactive map, Current Bangladesh Satellite Weather Radar
