Country - Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely-populated countries, with its people living in a delta of rivers that empty into the Bay of Bengal. Poverty is widespread, but Bangladesh has in recent years reduced population growth and improved health and education. Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh came into being only in 1971, when the two parts of Pakistan split after a bitter war which drew in neighbouring India. Bangladesh spent 15 years under military rule and, although democracy was restored in 1990, the political scene remains volatile. Islamist extremism has also been rising in the traditionally tolerant country. Bangladesh is low-lying and vulnerable to flooding and cyclones. It stands to be badly affected by any rise in sea levels.

Facts

Capital: Dhaka

Area: 148,460 sq km

Population: 165.1 million

Language: Bengali

Life expectancy: 71 years (men) 74 years (women)

Leaders

President: Mohammed Shahabuddin

Mohammed Shahabuddin was elected unopposed in the 2023 presidential election. He was nominated by the ruling Awami League. Before being elected to the largely ceremonial post, he had served as a judge and as a commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina has secured her fourth straight term as prime minister in a controversial election in January 2024 - she has been prime minister since 1996. Her Awami League party and its allies won 223 of 300 parliamentary seats contested, amid a boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and followed mass arrests of BNP leaders and supporters. Official figures suggested a low voter turnout of about 40%, though critics said even those numbers might have been inflated. In comparison, the last election in 2018 had a voter turnout of more than 80%. Human Rights Watch (HRW) estimated that nearly 10,000 activists were arrested after an opposition rally on 28 October 2023 turned violent, resulting in the deaths of at least 16 people and injuring more than 5,500. It accused the government of "filling prisons with the ruling Awami League's political opponents". Fears have been raised that this new victory for the Awami League could lead to de-facto one party rule. Few observers expect the government to relax its crackdown - particularly if opposition parties and civil society groups continue to raise questions over the legitimacy of the government. The BNP boycotted the election after the Awami League rejected their demands for an independent caretaker government to preside over the polls.

Timeline

1204 - Muslim conquest of Bengal.

14th Century - Bengal sees the rise of three city-states; Sonargaon, Satgaon and Lakhnauti.

1352 - Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah unites the three city-states into the Bengal Sultanate, which dominates the area for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th Centuries.

17th Century - Mughal Empire controls Bengal.

18th Century - Nawabs of Bengal, within the Mughal Empire, become the de facto independent rulers of the area.

1757 - After the Battle of Plassey, Bengal is the first region of the Indian subcontinent to be conquered by the British East India Company.

1947 - British colonial rule over India ends. A largely Muslim state comprising East and West Pakistan is established, either side of India. The two provinces are separated from each other by more than 1,500km of Indian territory.

1971 - Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) becomes independent after a war with West Pakistan - now just Pakistan - with India backing the Bengali nationalists against Pakistan.

1973 - First parliamentary elections give the Awami League a landslide victory.

1975 - A military coup sees founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members killed, putting an end to civilian rule.

1979 - Second parliamentary elections brings former army chief Ziaur Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party to power.

1981 - President Ziaur Rahman assassinated during abortive military coup.

1982 - General Hussain Muhammad Ershad assumes power in coup. He suspends the constitution and political parties.

1991 - The country returns to a parliamentary system of government.

2006-2008 - Political crisis sees leaders of both major parties briefly detained.

2014-17 - Bangladesh faces a campaign of violence by Islamists against bloggers, atheists and secular intellectuals.