Official Name: Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh (People's Republic of Bangladesh).

Area: Asia

Size: 144,000 km²

Coast Line: 580 km

Independence: from Pakistan March 26 1961

Form of Govt.: Unitary multiparty republic

Head of Govt.: Prime Minister

Capital: Dhaka

Largest City: Dhaka

Demographics (2005): 147,365,352,   998.6 /km²

Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims

GDP per Capita (2005): $2,100

Languages: Bengali (Bangla) is the official language

Geography: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast. The country includes about 200 navigable rivers. Ganges (Ganga), Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers are subject to annual flooding. Most parts of Bangladesh are less than 10 metres above sea level, and it is believed that about 10% of the land would be flooded if the sea level were to rise by 1 metre. A major part of the coastline comprises a marshy jungle known as the Sundarbans, one of the largest mangrove forests in the world

Climate: Bangladeshi climate is tropical with a mild winter from October to March, a hot, humid summer from March to June. In addition to the normal monsoonal rainfall, Bangladesh is subject to devastating cyclones, originating over the Bay of Bengal.