The People’s Republic of Bangladesh is located in South Asia,
almost completely surrounded by India, with a small border with
Burma in the southeast. One of the world’s most densely
populated countries, it is an emerging democracy with an
increasingly prominent role in global economics. A young state
with an ancient culture, Bangladesh bears remnants of human
settlement dating back 4,000 years. Numerous Bangladeshi
kingdoms have risen to regional power, and several great empires
have left their mark on the nation as well. Bangladesh was ruled
by the Mughals when the British East India company gained power
over the country in 1757. As a British colony, Bangladesh was
part of the Indian state of Bengal, which was divided along
religious lines during the British withdrawal from the region in
1947. The Hindu-majority western portion of the country remained
an Indian state, while the east, with a primarily Muslim
population, became East Pakistan. But political, cultural, and
economic divisions created popular disc