Background: Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. About a third of this extremely poor country annually floods during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.

NOTE: The information regarding Bangladesh on this page is re-published from the 2001 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bangladesh Introduction 2001 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bangladesh Introduction 2001 should be addressed to the CIA.