Bangladesh, officially the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, is an south Asian nation and the eighth-biggest country in the world. Let’s learn more about this country, where the main ethnic group and language are both called Bengali.
Bangladesh Basics
Bangladesh is bordered by India on three sides, and also shares a border with Myanmar. The south has a coastline on the Bay of Bengal.
The country is 57,320 square miles, or 148,460 square kilometers and is home to nearly 170 million people, making it one of the most densely populated countries.
Its capital is Dhaka, which is also the largest city. Bangladesh was formed after the partition of India in 1947 and was united with Pakistan until it gained independence in 1971. Ancient Bengal has a rich history as a pre-Islamic kingdom.
The name Bangladesh means Bengali country, and the region has been known as Bengal since the Sultanate of Bengal in the 14th century.
Bangladesh National Symbols
The flag of Bangladesh features a dark green background with an off-center red circle, which appears centered when the flag is flying. The green is said to represent the lush landscape of the country, while red is for the blood of the martyrs who helped the nation gain its independence.
“Amar Sonar Bangla” is the national anthem, which means My Golden Bengal. The anthem was written in 1906 and adopted as the national anthem in 1972.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVjbVPFeo2o?si=yFwbxa_JyEkTJ7ho]
The song is an ode to Mother Bengal, a national personification that is almost goddess-like.
The banyan fig is the national tree, which is unique in that its roots sprout from the branches and grown down to the soil. The hairy water lily (or pink water lily) is the national flower, and the national fruit is the jack fruit, the world’s largest tree fruit, which can weigh up to 120 pounds or 55 kg for a single fruit!
It probably won’t surprise you the Bengal tiger is the national animal. The oriental magpie-robin is the national bird.
There are many more national things listed at Kiddle if you want to learn more!
Bangladesh Activities
Learn more about tigers from National Geographic Kids, and check out the Sundarbar Tiger Reserve to learn what India is doing to help protect the mangrove habitat the tigers need in the wild.
Grab a banyan tree coloring page from Parentune. Members at Activity Village can download Bangladesh worksheets, a facts poster, flag coloring page and more.
Learn more about some amazing (and beautiful) historic sites in Bangladesh from History Hit, and check out other landmarks at the Bangladesh Tourism Board.
Starlight Treasures on Teachers Pay Teachers has a unit study on Bangladesh for early readers, while Beth Wimberly has a PowerPoint presentation you can use in the classroom. Check out how Unremarkable Files did an at-home, weeklong unit study about Bangladesh for more ideas you can use.
Child Fun has a description of how to play a Bangladeshi game called dung guli.
Learn more about jackfruit and cook one if you can find one where you live! Other popular foods in Bangladesh include curry and chicken korma, which you can learn to make form Haleem Eats (the author of the blog is from Dhaka so you know it’s going to be good!).
If you want to read about Bangladesh, check out Bangladesh from the Enchantment of the World series or B is for Bangladesh.
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