Bangladesh

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Quick Facts

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Capital

Dhaka

Government

Parliamentary Democracy

Nationality

Bangladeshi

Population

140 600 000^[1]

Languages

Bangla (Bengali), English

Religions

Islam, Hinduism

Currency

Bangladeshi Taka (BDT)

Calling Code

+880

Time Zone

BDT (UTC+6)

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Introduction

DAILY LIFE

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With flooding during the Monsoon season acting like an annual killjoy, the Bangladesh economy has had a steep uphill battle, one which has so far been unsuccessfully fought; Bangladesh is one countries of South Asia.

So it goes without saying that you shouldn't expect all the comforts of modern life if you visit Bangladesh, a country whose tourist board says "Come to Bangladesh before the tourists". What you should expect is a South Asian nation where the people's traditional way of life can still be observed (Many things have been modified though with a touch of modernization). You should also expect temples and monasteries dating back to before the turn of the first millennium. Bangladesh also counts to its credit the world's longest beach and the world's largest littoral mangrove forest. The latter, moreover, is part of Sundarbans National Park, which boasts large populations of Royal Bengal Tigers and spotted deer. So you'd better get to Bangladesh... before the tourists do.

Brief History

Geography

Bangladesh is bordered by India on the most part, a small section by Myanmar on the southeast and the Bay of Bengal to the south.

Regions

Bangladesh is organised into 6 administrative divisions, named after their divisional headquarters.

• Barisal Division
• Chittagong Division
• Dhaka Division
• Khulna Division
• Rajshahi Division
• Sylhet Division

Cities

• Dhaka - The capital
• Barisal
• Chittagong
• Chandpur
• Cox's Bazar
• St. Martin
• Jamalpur
• Khulna
• Jessore
• Rajshahi
• Sylhet
• Bogra

Sights and Activities

The Sunderbans

The Sundarbans mangrove forest is one of the largest forests of its kind and is located in the southwest of Bangladesh and in parts of India on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. The Sundarbans are shared with India and form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It contains a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests and has a high biodiversity with a wide range of flora and fauna. Animals include 260 bird species, the Royal Bengal tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python. Some of the wildlife though is very elusive and it is a matter of luck, for example, to see a tiger. It is best to arrange tours from Dhaka or Kulna which can last for a week if you want.

Bagerhat

The Historic Mosqua City of Bagerhat is another fantastic Unesco site and is located where the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers join. It is an ancient city which was founded by the Turkish general Ulugh Khan Jahan in the 15th century. The city’s highlights include a large number of mosques and early Islamic monuments, many of which are built of brick.

Beachlife

The southeastern corner of the Chittagong Division is where most travellers head to relax on one of the beaches. The most popular sports include the southern town of Cox's Bazar and Saint Martins Island. The latter is a small island about 10 kilometers southwest of the most southern tip of Bangladesh. It is a typical tropical island and the only coral island in the country. The main activities include hanging around on one of the beaches fringed with coconut palms and bountiful marine life. You need to get a ferry from Teknaf to get here, which take around 2 and half hours.

Kear Sindabad is the most demandable and tourist friendly ship for this route. LCT Kutubdia, Eagle-1, MV Farhan and Rangabali also operate every day in the tourism season from Teknaf to St.Martin.

Other sights and activities

• Hill Tract - Chittagong Division
• Ruins of the Budhis Vihara - Paharpur
• Sylhet - with surrounding tea estates and green rolling hills

Events and Festivals

Weather

Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate. There are roughly three seasons. The cool season from November to February, although warmer than in much of India. Than during the hot season from March until early June some rainstorms occur and these are often thundery. Temperatures and humidity combined makes this time not the most pleasant one, but it beats the rains during the the main rainy season of the southwest monsoon from June to September when the rainfall is heavy and frequent. Most of the country receives between 1500 and 2500 mm rain a year and near the eastern border this rises to as much as 3750 mm. Higher areas can receive twice as much in very wet years, although the amounts of the moutainous areas in Assam, India, are not recorded here.
September to November is wet as well, with changes of cyclones particularly during these months, although they can occur in August already.
Temperatures are roughly 25 °C or a little more in summer during the day and 12 or 13 °C at night. This applies to the inland though, for example in Dhaka. April is the hottest month with average daytime temperatures of around 35 °C but over 40 °C is no exception. Nights from May to October are around or over 25 °C! July is the wettest month with more than 400 mm of rain.
The coastline, for example in Chittagong, has somewhat slightly warmer winters and slightly cooler summers, although differences are small. It does rain a lot more though, with almost 600 mm in July.
Higher areas are of course cooler year round.

Getting There

By Plane

Biman Bangladesh Airlines is the national airline of Bangladesh with its base at Zia International Airport (DAC) near the capital Dhaka. It has flights mainly to the southern parst of Asia and to Hongkong, Rome and London.

GMG Airlines is a bigger airline though and based at Dhaka as well. It has the same destinations as Biman, with the exception that it flies to Milan instead of Rome.

Jet Airways has cheap flights between Delhi and Dhaka while also AirAsia X has chartered budget flights from Kuala Lumpur and low-cost airline Air Arabia is planning to fly from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, making it possible to fly cheaper to Bangladesh compared to direct flights from Europe.

By Train

According to plans, trains are running again since late 2007 between Calcutta, India and the capital Dhaka for the first time in over 40 years. Although there were connections from Calcutta to the border and across the border further to Kulna, there weren't any connections to Dhaka at all from the west. This direct option takes about 12 hours including border formalities.

By Car

You can drive your vehicle to Bangladesh across the borders mentioned below (see by bus). You need a carnet de passage and all the usual documentation like international driving permit, insurance and of course a visa.

By Bus

There is a direct bus route that runs direct from Kolkata in India to Dhaka. The trip takes about 8-9 hours and runs several times a day. It costs about $10-$12 one way. Crossing is at Benapole most of the times and there are about three to four direct trips a week by BRTC and privately owned Shyamoli Paribahan.
There are quite a few border crossings, but not all have facilities for foreigners. The ones that have and are used include border crossings at Akhaura (Kolkata - Dhaka route), Benapole (as well on that route), Burimari, Godagari, Hili and Tamabil.

By Boat

Although there is a quite a long coastline, no international passenger services exist.

Getting Around

By Plane

There are several airlines servicing domestic airports, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Aero Bengal Airlines, Air Parabat, Bengal Airlift LTD and GMG Airlines. Destinations include Dhaka, Chittagong, Jesorre and Cox's Bazar.

By Train

Bangladeshi rail service covers most of the country and connects Dhaka with other major cities including Chittagong, which is served twice daily from the capital and some carriages are airconditioned. Although there are many rivers which are not crossed by train, there are river ferries which provide through services, thus covering a lot of the country.

By Car

Renting a car by yourself is not recommended as driving conditions are poor and sometimes chaotic and dangerous. Better to rent a car with a driver or take trains and boats as means of transportation. If you do want to drive a bit yourself, be sure to take your international driving permit and sufficient insurance. Rental cars are availabe at Dhaka and several airports.

By Bus

The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) provides a countrywide network of bus services. Roads are generally in a basic condition and buses can be uncomfortable.
New luxurious bus companies have joined the market though including Green Line, Shyamoli and Shohagh. Dhaka, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar are the main destinations.

By Boat

Bangladesh relies largely on ferry services on many of its rivers. Major river ports include Barisal, Chandpur, Dhaka, Khulna and Narayanganj. Ferries operate between southern coastal ports and the Ganges River delta. River services are operated by the Bangladesh Inland Waterway Transport Corporation (BIWTC). A ferry operates from Dhaka to Khulna four times a week, taking over 24 hours. Note that some ferries can be very crowded and as a result can be dangerous. Every year there are several accidents, killing tens of people.

Red Tape

Nationals from the following countries do not require a visa for a stay of up to 90 days:^[2]

• Barbados, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cyprus, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tonga, Western Samoa, Zambia.

All other nationals will have to apply for a visa at the nearest Bangladeshi Missions Abroad.

Money

See also: Money Matters

The official currency is the Bangladeshi Taka (ISO code: BDT). One taka is divided into 100 poisha. Banknotes are in denominations of Tk 1, Tk 2, Tk 5, Tk 10, Tk 20, Tk 50, Tk 100, Tk 500 and newly started TK 1000. Coins come in (1, 5, 10 poisa are not available in market) 25 and 50 poisa; Tk 1, Tk 2 and Tk 5.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

In the Dhaka, CHittagong, Cox's Bazar and some other cities there are some economy, budget class hostels.

Drink

Health

See also: Travel Health

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Bangladesh is: 880
To make an international call from Bangladesh, the code is: 00

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