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BANGLADESH - WHERE RIVERS CONSTRUCT THE LIFE LINE
BANGLADESH - THE LAND OF THE LARGEST MANGROVE FOREST ON EARTH
BANGLADESH - WHERE ART IS PART OF OUR LIFE
BANGLADESH - WHERE RIVERS FORM THE LAND
BANGLADESH - WHERE GREEN PREVAILS IN THE SPECTRUM


CHITTAGONG DIVISION: WHERE MOUNTAINS MEET THE SEA

GENERAL INFORMATION


Chittagong Division is in the south eastern corner if Bangladesh. With an area of 33,771.13 square kilometer, it is bounded by Dhaka and Sylhet divisions and Tripura state of India on the north, Bay of Bengal and Arakan state of Myanmar on the south, Mizoram, Tripura states of India and chin state of Myanmar on the east and Bay of Bengal, Barisal and Dhaka divisions on the west. Approximately 24 million people of this division are 52.32% male and 47.97% female; Muslim 79%; Hindu 12.65%; Buddhist 7.08%; Christian 0.84% and others 0.43%.

Majority of this division is hilly. This division has Longest unbroken sandy sea beach of the world, the highest peak, only coral island, and biggest sea port of Bangladesh. We grow paddy, betel leaf, potato, cotton, tea, peanut, mustard, guard, brinjal, ginger, bean, Mango, jackfruit, pineapple, guava, coconut, betel nut, litchi, banana, papaya, water melon and lemon in this division.

This division is ideal for Trekking Tours, Walking Tours, Cycling Tours, Photography Tours, Culture tours, and Nature tours.

Chittagong is accessible by Air, Road, or Train as well.


GEOGRAPHY
Bangladesh has an area of approximately 147,540 square kilometer in the south Asian region. The country is surrounded by India completely in the West, North, and partially in the East sharing a total of 4,053 kilometer border, while the rest 193 kilometer of the Eastern side is bordered by Myanmar. The Bay of Bengal retains its boundary In the South, where we have a 580 kilometer of coastline.

About half the total area is actively deltaic and never higher than 10m from mean sea level. This flat low lying land is very fertile and is suitable for rice cultivation. The vast river delta area is home to the dominant plains culture. In the northeast and the southeast the land is more hilly and dry, and tea is grown. The hilly areas of the northeast and southeast are occupied by much smaller tribal groups.

Ganges and Brahmaputra are the two main rivers of Bangladesh, carrying tones of silts from the mighty Himalayans that eventually fertile the plain. Apart from these two rivers, we have hundreds of others comprising a very wide and complex river system.

Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest of the world, is situated in the southwest. The Chittagong Hill Tracts have extensive hardwood forests. Lawachara is a semi-evergreen forest situated in the northeast in Sri Mangal. The Sal forest is spread around in various parts of the country, like Bhawal and Modhupur National Park.

CLIMATE
Bangladesh has tropical monsoon climate characterized by wide seasonal variations in rainfall, high temperatures, and high humidity. Regional climatic differences in this flat country are minor. Three seasons are generally recognized: a hot, muggy summer from March to June; a hot, humid and rainy monsoon season from June to November; and a warm-hot, dry winter from December to February. In general, maximum summer temperatures range between 38 and 41 °C (100.4 and 105.8 °F). April is the hottest month in most parts of the country. January is the coolest (but still hot) month, when the average temperature for most of the country is 16–20 °C (61–68 °F) during the day and around 10 °C (50 °F) at night.

Winds are mostly from the north and northwest in the winter, blowing gently over the country. From March to May, violent thunderstorms, called northwesters, produce winds of up to 60 kilometers per hour (37.3 mph).

Heavy rainfall is characteristic of Bangladesh that helps irrigation in the rice field during the burning months of June – August. About 80 % of Bangladesh's rain falls during the monsoon season. Most parts of the country receive at least 2,300 mm (90.6 in) of rainfall per year, but because of its location just south of the foothills of the Himalayas, Sylhet in northeastern Bangladesh receives the greatest average precipitation. Annual rainfall in that region ranges between 3,280 and 4,780 mm (129.1 and 188.2 in).


FESTIVAL & CULTURE
Bangladesh is a land of festivity. Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha, Eid-e-Miladunnabi, Muharram etc. Hindus observe Durga Puja, Kali Puja, and Sarashwati Puja among others. Buddha Purnima is the biggest festival for Bangali Buddhists, and Borodin (Christmas) is celebrated by the Christians. People from several tribal communities also have their respective festival as well.

Apart from these religious and tribal celebrations we also have several secular festivals. Pohela Boishakh (Bangla New Year) is the biggest among all the festivals in Bangladesh. This day People get into their best attires, go out with friends or family, business men open their new book of records and send sweets & fruits to their regular clients, cultural organizations organize cultural programmes, students bring morning processions called Probhat Ferry. Nobanno (New Rice) is another of our festivals, which is strongly based in the rural Bangladesh. When the farmers get new rice, they observe this day with Rice flour and sugar mixed in water and Puffed rice.

We also observe 21st February as Shahid Dibash (as observed worldwide as International Mother Language Day), 26th March as Independence Day, and 16th December as Victory Day.

Rice is our staple food. In general we eat steam boiled rice with vegetables and fish or meat. We cook Polau rice, Biriani or fried rice in celebrating special occasions. Puffed and popped rice are common especially in villages, where a guest is entertained with puffed rice and a piece of Gurh (a replacement of sugar made by boiling date palm sap).

Women usually wear Sari, but younger ladies wear Salwar Kamij. Jewelry of gold and silver is very popular among ladies of all ages. Ladies keep long hair. A special twisted bun, called Beni, is popular a hair style among young girls, while ladies prefer Khopa (kind of tying the hair mass at the back of head) in general. Males casually wear Lungi or Pajamas with or without under shirt, Panjabi or Fatua. In formal occasions or in offices men wear western shirt and pants. In general, people love to wear colourful dresses.

People in Bangladesh are still family oriented. We either live together as an extended family or frequently visit our parents and relatives in vacations and weekends. Respecting elders is a norm here. In every major occasion of our lives we have our parents and relatives playing a major role. Arranged marriage is still a common sight, even when people chose their partner they proceed through their respective families to arrange the wedding.

Music
Traditional music in Bangladesh shares the perspectives of that of the Indian sub-continent. Music in Bangladesh can be divided into three distinct categories -classical, folk and modern. Ustad Alauddin Khan and Ustad Ayet Ali Khan are two names in classical instrumental music who are internationally recognized.

The store of folk song abounds in spiritual lyrics of Lalan Shah, Hasan Raja, Romesh Shill and many anonymous lyricists. Bangla music arena is enriched with Jari, Shari, Bhatiali, Murshidi and other types of folk songs. Rabindra Sangeet and Nazrul Sangeet are our precious heritage. Modern music is also practiced widely. Contemporary patterns have more inclinations to west. Pop song and band groups are also coming up mainly in big cities.

Bangladesh has a good number of musical instruments of her own. Original musical instruments include Banshi (bamboo flute), Dhole (wooden drums), Ektara (a single stringed instrument), Dotara (a two stringed instrument), Mandira (a pair of metal bawls used as rhythm instrument), Khanjani, Sharinda etc. Now-a-days western instruments such as Guitar, Drums, Saxophone, and Synthesizer etc. are being used alongside country instruments.

Painting
Bangladesh has a rich tradition of modern painting which was pioneered by Zainul Abedin, Kamrul Hassan, Anwarul Haque, Shafiuddin Ahmed and S.M. Sultan. Zainul Abedin earned international fame for his sketches on famine of 1943 in Bangladesh. Other famous artists of Bangladesh are Abdur Razzak, Qayum Chowdhury, Murtaza Bashir, Aminul Islam, Debdas Chakraborti, Kazi Abdul Baset, Syed Jahangir, and Mohammad Kibria.

Dance
Classical forms of the sub-continent predominate in Bangladeshi dance. The folk, tribal and Middle Eastern traits are also common. Among the tribal dances, particularly popular are Monipuri and Santal. Rural girls are in the habit of dancing that does not require any grammar or regulations. Bangla songs like jari and shari are presented accompanied with dance of both male and female performers.

Jatra
Jatra (Folk Drama) is another vital chapter of Bangalee culture. It depicts mythological episodes of love and tragedy. Legendary plays of heroism are also popular, particularly in the rural areas. In near past jatra was the biggest entertainment means for the rural Bangalees. Gradually western culture is occupying the place of traditional culture like jatra.


ECONOMY
Bangladesh has made significant strides in its economic sectors since independence in 1971. The country is in 46th position among 193 countries with a gross domestic product of US$ 242,200 million. The economy has grown at the rate of 6-7% annually over the past few years. More than half of the GDP belongs to the service sector that employs 25% of the work force, while half of the work force is employed in the agricultural sector that counts for 18% of our GDP.

With sound planning and forward vision of the regulatory body as well as the Government, Bangladesh proved to be resilient to the latest global meltdown. Rather it showed a very healthy and steady growth of its GDP during last few years and is predicted to have similar trend in the coming years, while most of the developed and developing countries of the world are experiencing either gridlock or backward move of their GDP.

Remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and East Asia, as well as exports of garments and textiles are the main sources of foreign exchange earning. Bangladeshi entrepreneurs have shown themselves adept at competing in the global garments marketplace. This industry is now worth more than $11 billion. Among other export items Tea, Shrimp & Sea fishes, Cement, Ceramics wear, Medicine, leather & leather goods, jute, and Ships are notable ones.

Bangladesh has significant reserve of natural gas and coal alongside a little reserve of hard rock and oil. However, the best natural resource of Bangladesh is the soil itself. Land is so fertile that it produces nearly everything that could be grown on earth. The land is mainly devoted to produce rice. Because of the fertile soil and normally ample water supply, rice can be grown and harvested three times a year in many areas that made Bangladesh the third largest producer of rice on earth. We also produce Jute, sugar cane, Banana, oil seeds, several fruits and vegetables.

Micro Credit, initiated by Nobel Laureate Dr. Md. Yunus, is being implemented by NGOs and local banks. This was a leap forward for the country in terms of rural development as well as women empowerment. This also helped Bangladesh achieve very low rate of unemployment, which is only 2.50%. Despite regular natural calamities and frequent political instabilities over the years, Bangladesh has set an example for the world in keeping constant economic development through industrialization in an open market policy without shifting its concentration from Agricultural base and maintaining a low disparity between rich and poor (GINI ratio 33.2).
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What an amazing trip!! Journey Plus did a great job. Thank you.
-Nigel J Alexander, UK