Meet Bangladesh -
Major Cities:
Dhaka or Dacca, city, capital of Bangladesh, in Dhaka Division, central
Bangladesh. It is located on an arm of the Dhaleswari River in the populous and
flood-prone Ganges-Brahmaputra delta and is a major
commercial, cultural, and manufacturing center served by the nearby port of Narayanganj. Products include jute, silk, and cotton
textiles; carpets; processed food; chemicals; jewelry; and rubber goods. The
city's old section, a maze of crowded bazaars and narrow streets, is in marked
contrast to Ramna Maidan, a modern well-planned area to the north, where most of
the government buildings and educational institutions are located. More than 700
mosques in the city attest to the importance of Islam as the predominant
religion. Other landmarks include Lal Bagh Fort and the tomb of Pari Bibi (the
wife of a governor of Bengal), both built in the late 17th century, and the
large Parliament building (dedicated 1982), designed by Louis I. Kahn. The
University of Dhaka (1921), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
(1962), and Jahangirnagar University (1970) are located in Dhaka.
An ancient
community of uncertain origins, Dhaka rose to importance in the 17th century
when it was the Mughal capital of Bengal Province from 1608 to 1639 and again
from 1660 to 1704. During that period it became known for the production of fine
muslins. The city declined after the capital was moved to Murshidabad in 1704,
and it came under British control in 1765. With the partition o3f British India
in 1947, Dhaka became the capital of the Pakistan province of East Bengal, and
in 1956 it was made the capital of East Pakistan. The city suffered considerable
damage during the 1971 war for independence from Pakistan before becoming the
capital of newly independent Bangladesh in late 1971. Population (1991)
3,368,940.
