Straight Way Tours & Travels Bangladesh. Delta Dahlia (10th Floor), 36 Kamal Ataturk Avenue Banani C/A, Dhaka-1213, Bnagladesh. Tel: +880 2 9822259, 9821860, 9822304. Cell: +88 01711 166561, 01611 166561. Fax: +880 2 9822283. E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Web: www.straightwayrz.com BRIFE INFORMATIOn… Official Name: People’s Republic of Bangladesh (Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh). Capital : Dhaka. From of Government: Parliamentary from of government. Location: Between 20*34 to 26*38` N and 88*01 to 92*41` E. Time: GMT + 6.00 hours. Area: 147,570 sq. km. Administration Units: Divison 7 (Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Barisal & Sylhet) & District 64. Climate: Topical. Mild winter (October to March) with temperature ranging from 11*C to 29*C; hot humid summer (March to June) with temperature ranging from 21*C TO 35*C; humid, warm rainy monsoon with humidity going up to 95-100% during then. Religion: Muslim 90%, Hindus 9%, Buddhists, Christian and Other 1%. Languages: Bangla (official mother language) with English being the second most important language. Literacy: (7 years and above) 65.5% (2001). Energy sources: Fuel wood, nature gas, liquid petroleum fuels, coal, hydropower, solar power, Biogas etc. Industries: Jute, tea, textile & readymade garments, paper, newsprint, fertilizer, leather and goods, cement, sugar, fish processing, pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Currency: Taka (App. BDT 80= USD 1, October, 2013). Per-capita Income: USD 1700 (2010 east. Adjusted by purchasing power parity). Transport and Communication: Metal road 10,000 km; Railways: 2,891 km. Waterways: 8,900 km. Seaports: Chittagong and Mongla port. International Airports: Hazrat Shahjalal (R) Airport, Dhaka; Amanat Shah Airport, Chittagong and Osmani Airport, Sylhet. Staple Diet: Rice, wheat, vegetable, pulses. Fish and meat. Flora: 6000 species (5000 flowering plants). Fauna: Vertebrates; about 1600 species; fish: 266 inland species and 442 marine species; Amphibians: 22 species; Reptiles: 126 species ( 109 inland and marine); Birds: 628 species (388 resident and 240 migratory); Mammals: 120 species. Forest: Total 21,403 sq. km. Hill forest land: 13617 sq. km, Inland forest land: 1220 sq. km, Littoral forest: 6566 sq. km. National Holidays: Shaheed dibas (Martyrs day) on 21st February now observed as International Mother language day; Swadhinata Dibas (Independence Day) on 26th March; Pahela Baishakh or Bangla Nababarsa (Bangla New Year) on 14th April, Bijoy Dibas (Victory Day) on 16th December. Festivals Common: Navanna, Pahela Baishak (Bangla Nababarsha). Eid-Ul-Fiter, Eid-Ul-Azha, Shab-E-Qadar, Shab-E-Barat, Eid-e-Miladunnabi, Muharram, Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Laksmi Puja, Saraswati puja, Doljatra, Holi, Christmas, Buddha Purnima. Tourist Destination of Bangladesh Smiling people of Bangladesh: The largest delta in the world with some unique ecological zones, Bangladesh is one of the most populated countries in the world. With more than 70% of its people living in the countryside, Bangladesh pulsates with life wherever you go. Dhaka City: Situated on the banks of the River Buriganga. Dhaka the Capital of Bangladesh first came into prominence in 1610 AD. Islam Khan Chishti the then Subader & chief –of-Army of Mughal Army in Bengal transferred the capital of Subah Bangla from Rajmahal to Dhaka. Today it is a bustling city of around 16 million people and the 9th biggest of the world. Known for its traffic snarl up, excessive pollution, poor public transportation and housing problems, Dhaka still retains its allure because of the people that live within. A people who love to chat over long sessions of tea and snacks; who love to eat road side food and people who love their cricket and football. Dhaka houses many old and new attractions. Some of the most popular tourist spots of this city includes Shankharia Bazar (Hindu Street), Ahsan Manzil (Pink Palace), Sadarghat (River front), Armenian Church, Star Masque, Dhakeswari Temple, Lalbagh Fort, Rickshaw Art, Curzon Hall (Dhaka University Campus), Kamlapur Buddhist Temple, Bashundhara Shopping Place, National Assembly Building etc. Lalbagh Fort & Ahsan Manjil: The capital city Dhaka predominantly was a city of the Mughals. In hundred years of their vigorous rule, successive Government and princely Viceroys who ruled the province, aborted it with many Nobel monuments in the Sharpe of magnificent places, mosques, tombs, fortifications and ‘Katars’ often surrounded with beautifully laid out gardens and pavilions. Among these, few have survived the ravages of time, aggressive tropical climate of the land and vandal hands of man. But the finest specimen of this period is the Aurangabad fort, commonly known as Lalbagh Fort which indeed represents the unfulfilled dream of a Mugal Prince. It also contains within its fortified perimeter a number of splendid monuments and is surrounded by attractive garden. These are; a small 3-domed mosque, the mausoleum of Pari Bibi (the reputed daughter of Nawab Shaista Khan) and the Hammam and Audience Hall of the Governor. National Parliament House & National Martyrs' Memorial: Parliament of Bangladesh, located at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. Designed by architect Louis Kahn, the complex, which accommodates all Bangladesh's seven parliaments, is one of the largest legislative complexes in the world, comprising 200 acres (800,000 m²) The building was featured prominently in the 2003 film My Architect, detailing the career and familial legacy of its architect, Louis Kahn. Robert McCarter, author of Louis I. Kahn, described the National Parliament of Bangladesh as one of the twentieth century's most significant buildings. National Martyrs' Memorial is the national monument of Bangladesh is the symbol in the memory of the velour and the sacrifice of all those who gave their lives in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which brought independence and separated Bangladesh from Pakistan. The monument is located in Savar, about 35 km north-west of the capital, Dhaka. It was designed by Syed Mainul Hossain. Chittagong City: Situated on the banks or the River Karnaphuli, is the number one sea port and second largest city of Bangladesh. Being a port city from early times, Chittagong attracted people from various regions of the world and acted as a melting pot for people coming from many different areas and belonging to different religions and races. These international contacts left a lasting impact on the language, religion and culture of the place. Today it is also an important place for different industries of the country. Besides being the gateway to some of the most attractive tourist Spots of Bangladesh lke Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) , Cox’s Bazar , St Martins Island etc…, Chittagong has also got some very unique attractions of its own like Ethnological Museum , World War II Cemetery , Chatteshwari Temple, Fay’s Lake, Patenga Beach, Parir Pahar (court building), Andarkilla etc. Sunderban mangrove forest: The Shundarban is the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world, covering over 10,000 square kilometers of wilderness. This forest is considered as the richest mangrove forest in the world in terms of species diversity and is not only home to critically endangered Royal Bengal Tiger (Pantheratigris) but also other threatened wildlife species.In 1999, the Shundarban came under UNESCO World Heritage Site. Recently a study from Wildlife Conservation Society has identified three areas in the shundarban mangrove forest as dolphin hotspots and the areas have been declared as wildlife sanctuaries for the conservation of threatened freshwater dolphins in 2012. The vegetation of shundarban is largely compresed of mangrove species. Some of the species mostly seen in the forest are; Shundari ( Heritierafomes ) , Keora ( Sonneratiaapetala) , Gewa ( Excoecariaagallocha ), Golpata ( Nypafruticans), Bean (Avicennia spp.) etc. Over 120 species of fish and 270 species of bird have been recorded in the shundarbans. This includes the rare Masked Finfoot (Heliopaispersonata) and the prized Mangrove Pitta (Pitta megarhyncha). About 32 species of mammals have been recorded in the forest which includes a healthy population of threatended Ganges River Dolphin (Platanistagangetica) and lrrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaellabrevirostris). Among the other mammals Rhesus Macaques (Macacamulatta), Spotted Deer (Axis axis), Wild Boar (Susscrofa) etc. are more common. Natural beauty and ethnic population: Chittagong Hill Tracts: The Chittagong Hill Tracts is the only extensive hill area in Bangladesh lies in southeastern part of the country bordering Myanmar on the southeast , the Indian state of Tripura on the north, Mizoram on the east and Chittagong plain land district on the west. The area of the Chittagong Hill Tracts is about 13,184 sq. km, which is approximately one-tenth of the total area of Bangladesh. The Chittagong Hill Tracts is divided into three individual districts. These are Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts. There are plenty of interesting places to visit in this area which is well connected by land from both Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar.It is possible to arrange soft trekking for a day or two in this area if organized in advance. Both at Rangamati & Bandarban good accommodation facilities are available while at Khagrachori it is rather limited. There is no doubt that meeting the ethnic people in their villages should be on top of your agenda while visiting this area, a cruise on kaptai Lake in Rangamatior driving by the lakeside road from Rangamati to bandarban or driving to Chimbuk or Nilgiri can be very interesting and exiting too. HAOR & Lakes: There are two natural lakes (Rainkhiangkinelake and Bagakine Lake) and one artificial lake (Kaptai Lake). The Kaptai Lake covers an area of about 767 sq km in dry season and about 1,036 sq km in the monsoon. World Heritage & Archeological Sites for history & culture: An important site of the Ganges delta, Bangladesh was an integral part of the medival civilizations that inhabited these regions. Although a country considerably rich in archaeological wealth, both during the Muslim and pre-Muslim rules, most of it is still unexplored and unknown.