Located on the Bay of Bengal and almost entirely surrounded by India's eastern states, Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely populated countries but is well off the tourist trail. Its attractions include numerous historic Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist sites including the Mosque city of Bagerhat and the Buddhist ruins at Paharpur as well as the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, which support a huge diversity of wildlife including the Bengal tiger. Explore in depth highlights of Bangladesh.
| Tours | Unesco WHS | Guidebooks |
|---|---|---|
| groups tours with set departures |
World Heritage Sites | country, regions and cities |
| Time zone: | GMT +6 (Bangladesh time) | Daylight savings: None |
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| Main languages: | Bengali | Other languages: English |
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| Currency: |
taka (BDT) €1 = Tk89.53, $1 = Tk0.00, £1 = Tk106 (rates as of Sep 2016) |
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| Internet Domain: | .bd | International Dialling Code: 880 |
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For help planning your trip to Bangladesh including visas, vaccinations, currency exchange, flights, accomodation and insurance, see our Bangladesh trip planning page.
Further information on Bangladesh
Discover more about Bangladesh - the country's geogrpahy and natural features, an assessment of its status on freedom and rights and data on the country's population and economy.
Geography & Natural Features
Total area: 144,000 sq km (10,090 sq km under water)
Coastline: 580 km (Bay of Bengal)
Neighbours (border lengths): Burma (193km), India (4,053km)
Climate: Tropical climate with a mild, dry winter from October to March, a hot, humid summer from March to June and a humid, warm rainy monsoon from June to October when the country is prone to cyclones and flooding.
Highest mountain: Keokradong (1,230m)
Freedom & Rights
Summary status and rankings for Bangladesh from classifications of different organisations measuring political and economic freedom, democracy and civil rights. See more details of these rankings.
| Index | Status | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Freedom in the World | Partly Free | - |
 | Democracy Index | Hybrid regime | 85/167 |
 | Economic Freedom | Mostly Unfree | 131/179 |
 | Press Freedom | Difficult situation | 144/179 |
 | ILGA LGBT rights | No rights | - |
 | Corruption Perceptions | High corruption | 145/174 |
| Overall Ranking: | 142/195 | ||
Other Data & Links
Full name: People's Republic of Bangladesh Status: Independent Country
Population: 166,280,712 (rank: 8/196) Density: 1154.7 people/sq km (rank: 7/196)
Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)
Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
GDP (PPP): $324.6 billion GDP per capita: $2,100 (rank: 162/195)
Information derived from the CIA World Factbook. Other country profiles: BBC News.