Bangladesh has only been an independent country since 1971, but geologists estimate that the area has been inhabited for over four thousand years based on archeological finds in the country. With this long history, the people and culture of the country is unique and rich.

One of the first known events that happened in the area that today is called Bangladesh was in the fourteenth century, when the Bengal people were conquered by Timur. In the 1500s, Bobur, one of Genghis Khan’s descendants, conquered the land, bringing the Mughal Empire to the area. This stage in the country’s history brought Islam to the forefront of the religious mindset.

Bengal was divided along religious lines in 1947. The eastern part of the area became East Bengal and part of Pakistan. The western area became part of India. Britain no longer controlled the country.

East Bengal, which later was renamed East Pakistan, never functioned well as a part of Pakistan. The people were not happy with being controlled by the Pakistani upper class. The Bengali-speaking population of the area signed a petition for autonomy in the 1960s, but the Pakistani government ignored it. Tensions mounted, until a huge cyclone destroyed the coast of the area in 1970. When the Pakistani government did not respond well, the people rebelled. After a long, bloody revolution, East Bengali won its independence and chose the name Bangladesh.

Sheikh Mujib was the first leader of the country. He was assassinated in 1975 after establishing socialist rule in the country. The three months after his assassination were bloody and confusing, but soon General Ziaur Rahman took power and established a multi-party government. He was also assassinated in 1981. He was followed by Hossain Mohammad Ershad, who ruled for eight years. After his reign, the current parliamentary democratic republic was established.

In December of 2004 an undersea earthquake caused a huge tsunami to crash onto the coast of Bangladesh. Thousands of people were killed as a result of this wave. Bangladesh is still recovering from the devastation caused by this recent natural disaster.