Bangladesh is a relatively new country.  Independence was in 1971 and it was the world’s 139th country. A little bit bigger than the size of North Carolina it has close to 144 million people. Reportedly, it is the most densely populated country in the world and the 8th largest.  

Where in the world is Bangladesh?

A Bengali woman in a village area

It is mainly surrounded by India on three sides. Three large rivers, the Ganges, Meghana, and Jamuna, flow off of the Himalaya Mountains just to the north right through the center of the country into the Bay of Bengal.  Combined with these river basins and 7 months of torrential monsoon rains, one-third of the country is covered in water.  It is a relatively poor country with 80% of the people living on less than $2 per day and 57 million people un-employed.  

A bazaar (market) in Bangladesh

The climate is also pretty intense with the hot season being from March to October with temperatures from 90 to 105 F with 60% to 90% humidity.  Rainfall varies throughout the country from 98 inches (or 8 ft) to 196 inches (or 16 feet!) per year.