Geography & People

Bengal is a region in South East Asia where most of the people speak Bangla. East Bengal, which is overwhelmingly Muslim in population, became East Pakistan on August 14, 1947 when the British India was divided into two countries, India and Pakistan. West Bengal, which is overwhelmingly Hindu in population, became a state of India in 1947. After a civil war with West Pakistan in 1971, the East Pakistan became the independent nation of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971.

Bangladesh has an area of 55,126 sq mi (142,776 sq km) with an estimated population of about 140 million. The Indian state of West Bengal has an area of 33,928 sq mi (87,874 sq km) with a population of about 80 million. 98% of the people in Bangladesh speak Bangla and an overwhelming majority of people in West Bengal speaks Bangla. In today's Bangladesh, most citizens (83%) are Muslims, while Hindus amount to about 12% of the population; there are a small number of Buddhists and Christians in Bangladesh. In West Bengal, most citizens (70%) are Hindus while Muslims amount to about 20% to 25% of the population.

Both these populations are characterized by a strong sense of language identity that transcends political and religious boundaries. In both countries, the language-based identity facilitates the interaction among the elites who often pioneer new ideas and behaviors.