Official Name	:	The People's Republic of Bangladesh
Geographical Location	:	Latitude between 20o34' and 26o38' North Longitude between 88o01' and 92o41' East
Area	:	147,570 sq. km.
Boundaries	:	North - India (West Bengal and Meghalaya), West - India (West Bengal) East - India (Tripura and Assam) and Myanmar, South-Bay of Bengal.
Capital City	:	Dhaka
Other Major Cities	:	Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Barisal
Standard Time	:	GMT +6 Hours
Climate Variation	:	Winter 11o C - 20o C (October - February) Summer 21o C - 38o C (March - September)
Rainfall	:	1100 mm to 3400mm (June - August)
Humidity	:	Highest 99% (July) Lowest 36% (December & January)
Population	:	145 million
Literacy Rate	:	60%
Language	:	Bangla (national language). Spoken by 95%, other dialects 5%, English is widely understood and spoken.
Principal Crops	:	Rice, Jute, Tea, Wheat, Sugarcane, Pulses, Mustard, Potato, Vegetables.
Principal Rivers	:	Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Surma, Brahmaputra, Karnaphuli, Teesta, Sitalakhya, Rupsha, Madhumati, Gorai, Mahananda etc.
Principal Industries	:	Garments, Tea, Ceramics, Cement, Leather, Jute, Textiles, Electric and Electronics, Medicine, Fishing.
Principal Exports	:	Garments, Knitwear, Frozen Shrimps, Tea, Leather and Leather products, Jute and Jute products, Ceramics etc.
Principal Imports	:	Wheat, Fertilizer, Petroleum goods, Cotton, Edible Oil etc.
Electricity	:	220 Volts AC in all cities and towns
Currency	:	Taka, having 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 in notes and 5,2,1 in coins. Exchange Rate : US$ 1 = Taka 73.00
Religion	:	Muslims - 86.6%, Hindus - 12.1%, Buddhists - 0.6%, Christians 0.4% and others 0.3%.
Government	:	Parliamentary form of Government President is the head of the state while the government elected by the people is headed by the Prime Minster.
Business Hours	:	Government Office Hours: 9.00 a.m. “4.00 p.m. Saturday-Thursday, Friday closed. Some Private business houses work on Fridays.
Best Tourist Season	:	October to March.

Bangladesh – A School of Life...

LONGEST UNBROKEN SEA BEACH IN THE WORLD – COX’S BAZAR:

Golden sands - miles after miles, overlooked by genteel cliffs and awash with foaming waves, colorful conch shells, ponderous pagodas, delicious seafood- this is Cox's Bazar. The sea-side tourist township of Bangladesh boasting the world's longest (120km) unbroken beach sloping gently down into the blue water of the Bay of Bengal- Cox's Bazar is one of the most attractive tourist spots of the country.

To north of Cox's Bazar is Chittagong and the hill districts of Bandarban and Khagrachhari, to the east is Myanmar, to the west and south is the Bay of Bengal.

The flamboyant township at the head of a 120 km long beach with lines of fancy shops on either sides of Cox's Bazar main road, calm and peaceful Khyangs and Pagodas, Rakhyne quarters, fish harbour of Kostura Ghat, the sights of the rising sun behind the hills and setting of it into the Bay of Bengal- all together gives the aura of a fairy land- a tourist paradise.

SUNDARBAN - Royal Bengal Tiger and Mangrove Forest:

Located about 320 km. south-west of Dhaka and spread over an area of about 60000 sq, km of deltaic swamps along the coastal belt of Khulna, the Sundarbans is the world's biggest mangrove forest - the home of the Royal Bengal tiger. These dense mangrove forests are criss-crossed by a network of rivers and creeks.

Here, tourists find tides flowing in two directions in the same creek and often tigers swimming across a river or huge crocodiles basking in the sun. Other wildlife of the region include the cheetahs, spotted deer, monkeys, pythons, wild bears and hyeanas. The forest is accessible by river from Khulna or Mongla. There are rest-houses for visitors to stay and enjoy the unspoiled beauty and splendour of the forest.

UNESCO has decleared the Sundarban a world heritage site that it offers splendid opportunities for tourism.

The main tourist spots inside the Sundarban include Hiron Point (Nilkamal), Katka and Tin Kona island. These places offer the best vantage points for watching tigers, deer, monkeys, crocodiles and birds. Another major attraction inside the Sundarban is Dublachar (island), a fishing village. Herds of spotted deer often come to graze here.