Bangladesh 🇧🇩
Bangladesh is a country in Asia with a population of 171,186,372. Its capital is Dhaka. The official currency is BDT, and the main languages are Bengali.
Quick facts
- Capital: Dhaka
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 171,186,372
- Area: 147,570 km²
- Density: 1,160 people per km²
- Currency: BDT
- Languages: Bengali
- ISO code: BD
Where Bangladesh sits
Bangladesh 🇧🇩 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Dhaka. It covers 147,570 square kilometres — 92nd in the world — and is home to about 171,186,372 people, 8th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Japan. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Bangladesh compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Bangladesh sits closest to Russia and Mexico. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Nepal and Tajikistan.
At 1,160 people per square kilometre it is about 20 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
Bengali is listed as official in Bangladesh alone. The BDT is used by Bangladesh and no one else.
To see Bangladesh next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Bangladesh
Dhaka lies on the Ganges Delta, bounded by the Buriganga, Turag, Dhaleshwari and Shitalakshya rivers. For the flag, picture a red sun rising over green rice fields, and note that the round red disc, like the rising sun on Japan's flag, sits on green, not white.
The flag of Bangladesh: green and red
🇧🇩 The flag is a dark green flag with a large red disc set slightly towards the flagpole. The red disc stands for the rising sun and the sacrifice made for independence, and the green for the lush land of Bangladesh.
Region and neighbours
Bangladesh is a country in South Asia on the Bay of Bengal, mostly on the fertile Ganges Delta. It shares land borders with 2 countries: India and Myanmar.
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Myanmar 🇲🇲 — capital Naypyidaw
Three facts about Bangladesh
- Bangladesh is home to the largest mangrove forest in the world, the Sundarbans.
- Bangladesh is the most densely populated large country in the world.
- Most of the country lies on the Ganges Delta, the largest river delta in the world.
Sources: Wikipedia: Bangladesh, Wikipedia: Flag of Bangladesh, Wikipedia: Dhaka, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Bangladesh
- Asian capitals quiz — match Bangladesh to Dhaka
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Bangladesh flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Bangladesh
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Bangladesh those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Dhaka
- Bangladesh capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Bangladesh
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Bangladesh
- Capital of Bangladesh: Dhaka — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
- Iran 🇮🇷 — capital Tehran
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Bangladesh flag?
The flag of Bangladesh is a dark green flag with a large red disc set slightly towards the flagpole. The red disc stands for the rising sun and the sacrifice made for independence, and the green for the lush land of Bangladesh.
Which countries border Bangladesh?
Bangladesh shares land borders with India and Myanmar.
How can I remember the capital of Bangladesh?
Dhaka lies on the Ganges Delta, bounded by the Buriganga, Turag, Dhaleshwari and Shitalakshya rivers. For the flag, picture a red sun rising over green rice fields, and note that the round red disc, like the rising sun on Japan's flag, sits on green, not white.