The huge delta region formed at the confluence of the Ganges and Brahmaputra River systems PDF

Preview

Summary

delta of ganga...

Description

T he huge del ta regi on formed at the confl uence of the Ganges and B rahmaputra R iv er systems now referred to as B angl adesh - w as a loosel y i ncorporated outpost of v ari ous empi res centered on the Ganget ic plai n for much of the fi rst mi l l enni um A.D . Musl i m conversi ons and settl ement i n the regi on began i n the 10th century, pri mari ly from A rab and P ersi an traders and preachers. Europeans establ i shed tradi ng posts i n the area in the 16th century. Eventual l y the area know n as B engal , pri mari l y Hi ndu in the w estern secti on and mostly Mus li m i n the eastern hal f, bec ame part of B ri ti sh Indi a. P arti ti on i n 1947 resul ted i n an eastern w i ng of Paki stan in the Mus li m-maj ority area, w hi ch became E ast P aki stan. C al l s f or greater aut onomy and anim osi ty between the eastern and w estern wi ngs of P aki stan l ed to a B engali i ndependence movement. T hat movement, l ed by the Awami League (A L) and supported by India, w on the i ndependence w ar for B angladesh i n 1971. T he post-independence A L government faced daunti ng chal lenges and i n 1975 it w as overthrow n by the mi li tary, t ri ggeri ng a seri es of mi l i tary coups that resulted in a mi l it ary-backed gov ernment and subsequent creati on of the B angl adesh Nati onal ist P arty (B N P ) i n 1978. T hat government al so ended i n a coup i n 1981, fol l ow ed by mi l i tary-backed rul e unti l democrati c el ections occurred in 1991. The B N P and AL hav e alternated in pow er since 1991, w i th the exc epti on of a mi li tary-backed, emergency c aretaker regime that suspended parl i amentary el ections pl anned for January 2007 i n an eff ort t o reform the pol i tical system and root out corrupti on. T hat government returned the country to ful ly democ ratic rul e i n December 2008 wi th the el ection of the A L and P ri me Mi nister S hei kh HA S INA . In January 2014, the incumbent AL won the nati onal el ecti on by an overw hel mi ng maj ori ty after the BN P boycotted the electi on, w hi ch extended HA S IN A's term as pri me mi ni ster. In D ecember 2018, H A SI NA secured a third consecuti ve term (fourth overal l ) w i th the AL coal i ti on securi ng 96% of av ai l able seats, ami d w i despread cl ai ms of electi on i rregul ari ti es. With the hel p of i nternati onal devel opment assi stance, B angl adesh has reduced t he poverty rate from ov er hal f of the popul ati on to l ess than a thi rd, achi eved Mi ll enni um Devel opment Goal s for maternal and chil d heal th, and made great progress i n food securi ty since independence. The ec onomy has grown at an annual average of about 6% for the l ast tw o decades and the country reac hed World B ank l ow er-middl e i ncome status i n 2014....