26th March: Bangladesh Independence Day

Today is Bangladesh Independence Day - 10 things you might not know about Bangladesh:

1. It is the world's eighth most populated country with a population of 160 million and a population density of almost 3000 people per square mile.
2. Although well over half the population are farmers, the majority of the country's export earnings come from garments and textiles.
3. Most of the country is less than 12 m (39.4 ft) above sea level, and if the sea level rose by one meter 10% of the land would be flooded.
4. The highest peak in Bangladesh is Saka Haphong with an elevation of 1,052 m (3,451 ft).
5. The Bengal Tiger is the national animal. The Magpie Robin is the National Bird. The national flower is the white-flowered water lily. The national fruit is jackfruit and the national tree is the mango.
6. Over two thousand newspapers and magazines are produced in Bagladesh, although the literacy rate is relatively low - 50% of men and 31% of women.
7. Dhaka is the capital and largest city.
8. Some points of etiquette - the left hand is considered unclean so it is rude to eat or hand someone a business card with the left hand. People here believe that smiling a lot is a sign of immaturity, so Bagladeshis do not smile very much.
9. The national anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla, "My Golden Bengal", was written by Rabindranath Tagore (the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913) in 1905.
10. Bangladesh has six distinct seasons rather than four: spring, summer, the rainy season, autumn, the cool season, and winter.