BANGLADESH | At a glance
About Bangladesh, one of the world’s most densely populated and poorest nations:
Population: 163 million
Area: 57,000 square miles, about the size of Iowa or Greece
Languages: Bengali, English
Religions: 89.5 percent Islam, 9.6 percent Hindu, 0.9 percent other
Capital: Dhaka, 14.3 million people
Life expectancy: 70
Place on United Nations Human Development Index: 146 of 187 countries
Gross domestic product: $111.9 billion, about the same as Utah
Income per person: $1,940 per year
History: Controlled by the British as part of India until 1947. It was then split from India along religious lines as East Pakistan, though separated from what is now Pakistan by more than 1,000 miles.Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Sources: World Bank, CIA World Fact Book, United Nations Development Programme