Some quick facts of our field operations in: Bangladesh, South Asia

Location

Bangladesh officially known as the People’s Republic of Bangladesh is located in South Asia surrounded by India and shares a common border with Myanmar. The southeastern tip of the country is a beautiful area of rolling hills and large landscapes of huge trees and spreading, green rice fields. Bangladesh was born after East Pakistan (Bangladesh) had a war of independence in 1971 from West Pakistan (Pakistan). The capital city of Bangladesh is Dhaka and Bangladeshi taka is the official currency.

People

Most of the 160–170 million people of Bangladesh look just like the people of India with brown skin and eyes and dark black hair. The rest of the population is composed of indigenous people known for their Mongolian descent and Asian features. Most of the people live in rural areas in bamboo or mud-walled houses and farm small plots of land. Only 50 percent of the people can read and write. About 70 percent of the population rely on agriculture and farming.

Language

The national language in Bangladesh is Bengali (Bangla), although many dialects are spoken throughout the country. Most people today can read, write, and understand basic English through modern schools established and many educational non-profits.

Religion

87 percent of the people are Muslim and 12 percent are Hindu. The remaining 1 percent of the people are either Buddhist, Animist, or Christian (about one-tenth of 1 percent).

Climate

Bangladesh, situated about 22 degrees north of the equator, has a tropical climate with monsoons and periodic devastating cyclones. The monsoons begin in early June and end as late as October, dropping around 100 inches of rain. The rest of the year is clear and dry, with April, May, September, and October being the hottest months. In the hot months, the temperature is often over 100 F with humidity at 90–100 percent. The months from November to February are the pleasant, cooler, and drier months with daytime temperatures in the high 70's and nights in the 50's or lower. The weather begins to change in early November and becomes progressively cooler and less humid. By mid-December, it is often cool and marks the beginning of winter.