Bangladesh

Climate

Bangladesh has a sub tropical monsoon climate. There are six seasons in a year; Winter Dec-Jan, spring Feb-Mar, Summer Apr-May, Monsoon June-July, Autumn Aug-Sep and Late Autumn Oct-Nov. The average temperature across the country usually ranges between 9 C - 29 C in winter months and between 21 C - 34 C during summer months. Annual rainfall varies from 160 cm to 200 cm in the west, 200 cm to 400 cm in the south-east and 250 cm to 400 cm in the north-east. Cyclones above category three/four are uncommon especially in the deep winter January through March-- but while rare, can still bring widespread disruption as expected to infrastructure and power outages, especially in the coastal areas. The weather pattern is akin to the Gulf Coast in the United States Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

The current weather can be seen by hitting the 'play' button on the following interactive map, Current Bangladesh Satellite Weather Radar (http://amardeshbd.com/wea...)

Landscape

The country is primarily a low-lying plain of about 144,000 km2, situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna main channel of the Brahmaputra and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal. It’s fertile and mostly flat farmland and, with the exception of Chittagong Hill Tracts, rarely exceeds 10 meters above sea level, making it dangerously susceptible to a rise in sea level.

Highest point: Bijoy 1,231 meters.

Visit

Bangladesh is a country with lots of places to visit, many of which offer unforgettable experiences but remain relatively unknown to the rest of the world.

Dhaka the Capital is a pulsing, gritty conglomerate, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It has a number of attractions for the tourists. They include, but are not limited to, the Lalbagh Quilla, Ahsan Manjil, Shaheed Minar, Boro Katra, Choto Katra, the National Museum, Jatiyo Songshad Bhabanthe Parliament Building etc. The Suhrawardy Uddan and the Ramna Park are two parks that provide green respite to city dwellers. Other tourist attractions include places like Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, the High Court Building, the Bangabandhu Museum, etc. If you're visiting only one thing, then the LalBagh Qilla fort is a must-see, in the older part of town. The older part of Dhaka, known as "Puran Dhaka", is literally a city of history, with hundred-year-old buildings crammed on each side of hundreds of narrow lanes. Each "Moholla" city block of Puran Dhaka is unique with its specialized shops and artisans and gives an authentic taste of what Dhaka is all about.

The rest of Bangladesh is also ornamented with thousands of gems, most of which remain hidden and await exploration. The names are endless, but the prominent ones include, Moynamoti, Paharpur Shompur Bihar, Mohasthangor, Kantajir Mondir, Ramshagor, Shatgombuj Mosque, Khanjahan Ali's Shrine, Shriti Shoudho etc. These sites offer architectures from various eras of the country's history, including Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim eras and date back thousand years.

The natural beauty of Bangladesh can be explored away from the hustle and bustle of Dhaka, the Capital. Bangladesh has the longest unbroken sea beach in the world, the Cox Bazaar. Also, it has the largest mangrove forest in the world, the "Sundarbans" "beautiful forests", named after the "Sundari" [beautiful] trees in it. The hill tracts of Rangamati, Khagrachori and "Bandarban" "monkey forest" offer exciting trekking opportunities, while the Kaptai Lake situated amongst the hills of Rangamati can be considered a romantic getaway. The villages are the true countryside of Bangladesh and almost always have green paddy fields and yellow mustard fields with flowing rivers. Other natural wonders of Bangladesh include the Padma Ganges river, the Madhabkunda, Jaflong, the tea gardens of Sylhet/Sreemangal and Moulovibazar, etc.

Holidays

Pohela Boishakh

The most widely celebrated secular national festival of the country. Here people from all walks of life participate in various cultural shows called Boishakhi Mela,wearing national dress kurta or Shari, eating sweets and wishing every one happy new year.

Ekushey - National Mother Language Day

February 21. This day marks the anniversary of the martyrs that died in 1952 while protesting the imposition of Urdu, in the name of Islam, as the mother-tongue. The uprisings to support Bangla as the mother language fueled the movement towards secular nationalism that culminated in independence in 1971. The holiday is marked by one of the most colourful events in Asia tributes to the martyrs by political leaders, intellectuals, poets, writers, artisans and singing beginning at one minute after midnight on the 21st. Government offices are closed, and expect traffic disruption from February 20.

Independence day

March 26th- On this day 'Father of the Nation' Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaimed country's independence.

Victory day

December 16th- On this day Pakistani occupied forces surrendered to joint Bangladeshi & Indian forces.

Eid-ul-Fitr

the largest Muslim holiday of the year, it celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramazan. Food is the highlight, and if you're lucky you'll be invited into a private home for a feast. Businesses close for at least a couple days if not a week.

Eid-ul-Azha

is the second largest Muslim festival.

Durga Puja

Four days around October. The largest Hindu festival in the country, it goes on for several days with festivities varying each day.

Christmas

December 25th, This is the largest Festival of Christian Community in the country which is declared as a goverment holiday. A prayer is held at Tejgaon Church at 11 PM Local Time in 24th December. Also some other churches in Dhaka also arrange prayer at 24th December.

Understand

British India was partitioned by joint leaders of the Congress, All India-Muslim League and Britain in the summer of 1947, creating the commonwealth realms of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and a Republic of India. Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali-speaking East Pakistan seceded from its union with Punjabi dominated West Pakistan after a 9 month bloody war. Although Bangladesh emerged as an independent country only in 1971, its history stretches back thousands of years and it has long been known as a crossroads of history and culture. Here you will find the world's longest sea beach, countless mosques, the largest mangrove forest in the world, interesting tribal villages and a wealth of elusive wild life. Although relatively impoverished compared to its burgeoning South Asian neighbour India, Bangladeshis are very friendly and hospitable people, putting personal hospitality before personal finances.

Ready-made garments, textiles, pharmaceuticals, agricultural goods, ship building and fishing are some of the largest industries. The gap between rich and poor is increasingly obvious and the middle-class is fast-shrinking, as in the rest of Asia, especially in cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong as you move around between the working class old city and affluent neighborhoods like Gulshan and Baridhara.