Bangladesh extends between the latitudes 21 degrees N and 26 degrees N and between the longitudes 88 degrees E and 92 degrees E.

The total area of Bangladesh is about one lakh forty-four thousand square kilometers. India lies to the north, east and west of Bangladesh. To the south is the Bay of Bengal. Myanmar lies to the south-east of Bangladesh.

Almost all of Bangladesh lies in the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta region. When the rivers are in flood during the monsoon, they bring down alluvium and silt which is deposited on the river banks. These deposits have made the soil very fertile. The riversoften change their courses because of alluvium deposits.The coastal region of Bangladesh is a marshy land. There are many islands near the coast. The delta region of Bangladesh is also called ‘Sundarban’. The Chittagong hills are in the south-east region of Bangladesh. Cox’s Bazar is a sandy beach which is 120 km long. This is the largest sandy beach in the world.

There are monsoon type forests in the hilly Chittagong regions. Trees such as teak, sal, peepul, tamarind, banyan are found in these forests. Bamboo is useful for making paper. There are few forests in Bangladesh. Therefore, it is necessary to use forest resources frugally.

Forests of ‘sundri’ trees are found on the coast. The sundry wood is used for making boats.

Tigers, leopards, bears, sambar, bisons, elephants etc. are the animals found in the jungles of Bangladesh. The striped Bengal tiger lives in the Sundarbans. The domestic animals include cows, buffaloes etc. Buffaloes are used in agriculture.

Most of the land in the country is under cultivation. More than a half population depends on agriculture for a living. So, agriculture is of great importance as an occupation. Rice and jute are the major crops of Bangladesh. The fertile alluvial. Soil on the banks of the rivers, plenty of rain, hot and humid climate are all favorable for large scale production of rice and jute. The rice crop is taken twice or sometimes three times in a year in some parts of the country. Also, Bangladesh is an important jute producing country in the world.

Sugarcane is cultivated in Dhaka and Dinajpur regions. Wheat is grown in winter in the northern regions. Tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, potatoes etc. are the other crops grown in Bangladesh. There are tea plantations on the slopes of the Chittagong hills and in Sylhet district.

The Bay of Bengal lies to the south of Bangladesh and the interior is traversed by the big rivers Ganga, Jamuna, their tributaries and distributaries. Therefore, fishing is carried on, on a very large scale, As fish is an important constituent of the meals in Bangladesh, the second most important occupation is fishing. Another industry in Bangladesh is the processing of fish and fish foods.

There are coal deposits in the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta. Limestone is found in the north-east. There are also deposits of China clay. The fine sand used in glass-making is also found here.

There are natural gas reserves in Komilla and Sylhet districts. There are mineral oil wells in the coastal region. From Sylhet district, the natural gas is used to generate electricity. In addition, there are thermal power plants at Dhaka, Khulna and Chittagong. Karnaphuli has a hydel power station.

Making jute fibre is an important occupation in Bangladesh. Other occupations include working on the tea plantations, cultivations betel leaves, making different articles from bamboo, handicrafts etc.

There are jute, textile and paper mills in Bangladesh. Chittagong has an oil refinery. The karnaphuli hydel power project supplies power to this refinery. There are also factories producing sugar, cement, paper, glass, match-boxes, etc.

There is a network of the major rivers Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna and their tributaries in the country. This network forms waterways useful for transport. Sea routes along the coast are also used. Chittagong and Mangla are major sea ports. In addition, Dhaka, Chadpur, Barisal, Khulna etc. are all inland ports.

There are few roads and railways in Bangladesh on account of the big rivers, the marshy lands developing because of floods, and the various rivulets and streams. The railways in Bangladesh connect it with the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, etc. in India.

There are international airports at Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. There are radio and television transmission centers in many of the big cities and towns.

The population of Bangladesh is about twelve crores. Bengali is the language of the people, as well as the national language. The English language,too,is used.

The staple diet of the people in rice and fish.

There are small villages everywhere in the country. Houses are built in a row along the river banks or along the roadside. In some places, houses are seen scattered away from each other. Houses in the plains are built on high ground. The walls of these houses are of mud or clay and are sometimes thatched. Roofs are thatched with grass or palm-leaves.

The people of Bangladesh are of medium height and slender built. Their way of life is simple.