Small Country, Large Disasters : Bangladesh: Troubled Nation

Capital--Dhaka.

History--Muslim invaders conquered the area in the 12th Century. Britain ruled from the 18th Century to 1947, when Pakistan was separated from India and the area became East Pakistan. Bangladesh came into being in December, 1971, after a war against Pakistani rule in which Indian forces aided the rebels.

Geography--55,598 square miles, slightly smaller than Wisconsin, bordered by India and Burma to the east. Mostly a low plain cut by the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers and their delta. The land is alluvial and marshy along the coast, with hills only in the extreme southeast and northeast. Monsoon climate is among the rainiest in the world.

People--Population of 96,539,000, 98% Bengalis. Official language is Bengali, with English also used. Religions are Islam (86%) and Hinduism (13%).

Economy--Manufacture of cement, fertilizers and petroleum products. Agricultural production of rice and most of the world’s jute. Fishing is a major industry. Also has natural gas and offshore oil resources.

Government--A republic, currently under martial law. President Hussain Mohammed Ershad, an army general, took power in a coup Dec. 11, 1983.

Natural Disasters--At least 18 major cyclones since 1960 have killed more than half a million people and caused $3 billion in damage. In one of the 20th Century’s worst disasters, a cyclone and tidal wave in Nov. 12-13, 1970, killed an estimated 500,000. Month of May has been regularly destructive, with cyclones in this month killing more than 10,000 in 1961, 1963 and 1965.