Geography:
Bangladesh is placed in Bay of Bengal, surrounded by India. It shares a border in the south-east with Myanmar and fronts on the Bay of Bengal.

Weather:
The climate of Bangladesh is subtropical and tropical with temperatures ranging from an average daytime low of 21 degrees C in cold season to a top of 35 degrees C in hot season. Bangladesh has three main seasons: Wet season from late May to early October, cold seasons from mid-October to the end of February and hot seasons from mid-March to mid-May.

Background Information:
Full country name: People's Republic of Bangladesh
Area:143,998 sq. km
Population: 125 million
Capital City: Dhaka (pop: 6 million)
People: 98% Bengal, 1% Biharian, 1% tribal
Language: Bangle (Bengaline)
Religion: 87% Islam, 12% Hindu, 0.5% Buddhist and 0.3% Christian
Government: Constitutional Republic

Economic Profile:
GDP: US$ 151 billion
World GDP Ranking: 56th
GDP Per Head: US$ 1290
Annual Growth: 4.5%
Inflation: 8%

Entry Information:
Visas: Bangladesh visas are valid for six months from the date of issue and are good to stays of one to three months.
How to get there: You could get there by airplane at Dhaka Airport. Tourists, also could get there via land from India.
Getting around: You could get around by bus or train, bus is easier. Also, you could get its islands by small ships in Indian Ocean.

Transportation:
Between Cities: airplane, ship, train & bus
In Cities: Bus or taxi

Time Zone:
GMT/UTC plus six hours

Money and costs:
Currency: Theca
Relative costs:
Cheap meal: US$ 0.50
Restaurant meal: US$ 2-3
Cheap room: US$ 1.
Hotel room: US$ 2-3.

Media:
Publications, radio and TV are most in Bengaline and Urdu, and less in English.

Communication:
Telephone, Fax, E-mail, Post and Internet.

Weight and measures:
Metric system

Electricity:
240 V, 50 Hz

Business Hours:
Governments: 8 - 16
Shopping: 9 - 12 ; 15 - 20
Weekend: Friday and Saturday

Art and Culture:
Bengal region has a multi-faced folk heritage, enriched by its ancient Animist, Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim roots. Weaving, pottery and terracotta sculpture are some of the earliest forms of artistic expressions. The best known literature of Bangladesh is the works of the great Bengaline Poets Rabindranath Tagore and Nasrul Islam, through these giants have been overshadowed recently by the terror over the writings of Taslima Nasreen who has received death threats from Muslim fundamentalists for her outspoken critiques of Islam's oppression of women.

Embassies:
All countries have embassy in Dhaka (Capital) .

Major Cities:
Dhaka (Capital), Chittagong, Somapuri Vihara