Population: 131,269,860 (July 2001 est.)

Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Background: Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. About a third of this extremely poor country annually floods during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.

Currency: taka (BDT, No information)

Data from CIA World Factbook. Click on CIA link for more. Click on map or flag for larger images.