COUNTRY PROFILE

Bangladesh Flag, Capital and Country Facts

Bangladesh is a country of large streams and dense settlements on the Gulf of Bengal. Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna form an extensive delta here. The green flag with red disc appears deliberately simple; behind it stand the Bengali language culture and the independence of Pakistan in 1971.

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Bangladesh Flag: Meaning & Country Facts · supplied learning collection

Bangladesh at a glance

Capital: Dhaka
Quiz continent: Asia
Languages in reference record: Bengali/Bangla (official language); other regional languages
Currency: Taka (BDT)
Population: 175,686,899 (2025, World Bank)
Area: 147,570 km²
Coastal setting: Not landlocked
ISO codes: BD / BGD
Internet country suffix: .bd

Large streams: Padma, Jamuna and Meghna
Sea bay: Gulf of Bengal
Independence Day: 26 March
Day of Victory: 16 December
National animal: Bengal tiger
National flower: Water lilies

Bangladesh Flag: Design, Meaning and History

A red circular disc lies on a dark green background. The circle is slightly shifted to the hoist side and is therefore not exactly in the geometric center. For recognition, the green background and the red disc are crucial together; Japan also uses a red disc, but on a white background.

The archived factbook combines green with lush vegetation and red with both the rising sun and the victims of the struggle for independence. The flag shows no map and no star. This makes them clearly recognizable even in the small quiz picture, if you pay attention to the background color.

Capital: Dhaka

Dhaka is located in the central part of Bangladesh in the large river area of the delta. As a capital, it bundles political tasks and is an important economic focus. The location in the lowlands distinguishes the city fundamentally from South Asian capitals in the mountains or on dry highlands.

The name of the city is explained differently; a single secured derivation should therefore not be considered fact. Dhaka is part of a region where waterways, monsoon and fast-growing settlements work closely together. Capital and delta are not separate issues: the topography affects traffic, drainage and the distribution of development.

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Bangladesh: Geography, History and Culture

Most of the country is flat alluvial land. In Bangladesh, the Ganges is called Padma, the main arm of the Brahmaputra Jamuna; together with the Meghna they drain to the Gulf of Bengal. In the southeast, on the other hand, there is hill country. The widespread idea of a completely flat country thus meets the dominant type of landscape, but not the entire territory.

The monsoon brings a large part of the annual precipitation. Rivers provide fertile sediments, but can also cross the banks; tropical cyclones are added on the coast. Agriculture and settlements thus benefit from the same water systems that generate significant natural hazards. The mangroves of the Sundarbans form another characteristic transitional space between river and sea.

Bangla is not only an official language, but an essential reference point of national history. After the division of British India, the area belonged from 1947 as East Pakistan to Pakistan, spatially separated from the western part of the country. In 1971, the independent state of Bangladesh was established. History cannot therefore be understood solely as a geographical division; language and political participation also played central roles.

Sundarbans

UNESCO has listed the Sundarbans as a natural heritage site since 1997. The mangrove space is located in the transition between the river delta and the territorial sea. It shows how much Bangladeshi landscapes are shaped by fresh water, tides and sediments together.

Paharpur

The ruins of the Buddhist monastery of Paharpur have been a World Heritage Site since 1985. They document an older religious and cultural layer. Bangladesh’s history thus extends significantly beyond the emergence of the modern nation state.

bagerhate

The historic mosque city of Bagerhat has also been on the World Heritage List since 1985. Together with Paharpur, it shows different religious building traditions of the country. Both sites complement the delta’s natural image with a concrete architectural history.