9 Facts about Bangladesh
- The Royal Bengal Tiger is Bangladesh’s national animal. This majestic creature has a roar that can be heard up to 3 kilometers away. Unfortunately, it is now an endangered species.
- There are more than 2,000 periodicals and daily newspapers published in Bangladesh. However, the country’s average constant readership is only at 15%.
- Bangladesh is sometimes called “the playground of seasons” because it has six – not four – separate seasons, which it calls grismo (summer), barsha (rainy), sharat (autumn), hemanto (cool), sheet (winter), and bashonto (spring).
- With its size of 2,172,000 square kilometers, the Bay of Bengal is the largest bay in the world
- The people of Bangladesh seldom smile. This is not because they are unfriendly but because smiling much is considered a sign of immaturity.
- Bangladesh is still considered one of the poorest countries in the world with 31.5%24 of a population of 161 million people25, still living under the poverty line. That’s approximately 50.7 million people, a number that is more than double the entire population of Australia.
- Bangladesh is one of the most disaster prone areas in the world. Cyclones and floods have killed thousands and impeded economic growth.
- Cox’s Bazar Beach is an unbroken 120 kilometers (75 miles) sandy sea beach with a gentle slope, one of the world’s longest.
- With more than 1,000 people per square kilometer (2,600 per square mile), the country is one of the most crowded on Earth.