Introduction

In a few years Bangladesh will celebrate its fiftieth year of independence. The country emerged as an independent nation in 1971, although it has existed for centuries – as a part of the Mughal Empire, as part of the British-colonized subcontinent, and then as the eastern province of Pakistan (1947–1971). Located in South Asia, it covers an area of 147,570 km² and is almost entirely surrounded by India, except for a short south-eastern frontier with Myanmar and a southern coastline on the Bay of Bengal. With a current estimated population of 165 million, Bangladesh is the most densely populated country in the world, excluding city-states such as Singapore, Bahrain, and the Vatican.