You Really NEED To Know These Chilling Facts About Bangladesh

#1 Prostitution Is Legal

Yes, you read that right. Prostitution is legal in Bangladesh, with an estimated 100,000 females in the trade. Unsurprisingly, Bangladesh is home to the world’s largest brothel, which is home to 1,300 young girls and women. Most of these women enter the profession before the age of 12.

#2 Girls Are Sold By Their Famalies

Girls are often sold by their families to brothels with disabled and orphaned girls being particularly susceptible to prostitution. Girls are trafficked both internally and internationally, with the police estimating that more than 15,000 women and children are smuggled out of Bangladesh every year.

#3 Homosexuality Is Illegal

Whilst many countries are now focussing on making gay marriage legal, Bangladesh works strongly in the opposite direction. Homosexuality is illegal and carries a hefty penalty, including jail time! Shockingly, other punishments include caning and whipping. The death penalty also exists in Bangladesh…

#4 Death Penalty

Scarily, the death penalty is legal in Bangladesh to eternally punish those who are found guilty of heinous crimes such as murder, human trafficking, abduction, rape causing death, espionage and hijacking an aircraft. So, tick all of those activities off your holiday bucket list!

#5 Child Bride

In Bangladesh, children under the age of 18 are permitted to marry in what are considered ‘special cases’ or for the ‘greater good’. The law effectively means that children as young as zero can be married!

#6 Cover Up!

Female travelers should always keep their shoulders covered and wear trousers or long skirts to cover their legs, to avoid offending the locals. This is not the only thing that will upset locals, though, you should also be careful to never, ever do this…

#7 Shake A Woman's Hand

Bangladeshi Homestay Host and Mother – Hatiandha, Bangladesh

Men should avoid attempting to shake hands with or touch Bangladeshi women when greeting as it is highly offensive. Instead, men should place their hands over their hearts and bow slightly as a sign of respect.

#8 Left Hand Down

In Bangladesh, as with many countries in the region, the left hand is considered unclean. Therefore, it is the left hand that you should use for bathroom duties, removing shoes or any other ‘dirty’ activity. Always eat with your right hand, otherwise, you will offend. Good luck if you are left handed!

#9 Cheaters Never Win!

In Bangladesh, cheating is taken very seriously. Children aged 15 and over can be jailed for cheating on their final examinations! Every year, shortly before exams, the government in Bangladesh launch a large media campaign to scare would-be cheaters into obeying the law. It brings a whole new meaning to ‘Further Education’!

#10 No Smiling

The people of Bangladesh rarely smile, this is not because they are rude or unfriendly, but simply because smiling is considered a sign of immaturity. So, your duck face pose is certainly not welcome!

#11 Off Limits

Many areas of Bangladesh are strictly off-limits to women, no matter who you are. In terms of bridging the gender gap and smashing the patriarchy, there’s a long way to go here…

#12 Local Celebrities

Bangladesh is rarely visited by tourists, which means that foreigners are often considered quite a novelty to locals, especially to children. Tourists can find themselves being followed around by curious locals. Many locals may also attempt to use foreign visitors to help them improve their English!

#13 Drugs Are Illegal, So Watchout For This...

Drugs are illegal in Bangladesh, however, that doesn’t mean they’re not available. In fact, they are often available whether you ask for them or not, especially hidden in ‘hukka pipes’. These smoking pipes are often spiked with drugs, so avoid them, unless you want a bit more than you bargained for!

#14 Population Overloaded!

Bangladesh has a staggering population of 156.6 million people, whilst Russia (the largest country in the world) has a population of 143.5 million. To put that into perspective, the United Kingdom is larger in size than Bangladesh.

#15 Strict Curefew

Bangladesh does not have a vibrant nightlife, in fact, it is unusual to see anyone outside their home past 10pm without any serious urgency. This is predominantly due to safety reasons in the capital of Dhaka and outside, with 10pm being considered the midnight hour.

#16 Independence Day

On March 25th 1971, the Pakistani Military killed most of the intellectuals in Bangladesh in ‘Operation Searchlight’. The aim was to kill the intellectuals so that Bangladesh would never be able to survive as a country afterward, therefore becoming reliant on Pakistan. However, they misjudged Bangladesh’s fighting spirit! In fact, in many areas, Bangladesh thrives better than Pakistan.

#17 Woman Run the Show

Despite varying laws and rules set against women in Bangladesh, the country’s Head of State, the Parliament Speaker and Opposition Leader are all women! Nowhere else in this world has this situation been seen before! In fact, there hasn’t been a single male Head of State since 1990. Girl power!

#18 Mosques

Whilst the mosques in Bangladesh are incredibly beautiful, with intricate and elaborate designs, don’t be tempted to take a visit as they are typically off-limits to non-Muslims. Instead, just admire from a distance, unless you are Muslim, of course!

#19 World Wide Web

You may see Bangladesh as a third world country, stuck in its old ways, however, you couldn’t be more wrong. The country has the 20th highest internet user base in the world and, staggeringly, the number of people using mobile telephones in Bangladesh is higher than the population of Germany, Australia, and even the UK.

#20 A Space In Space!

Bangladesh has bought a spot in space where it will be launching its first satellite, admitting Bangladesh into the exclusive club of satellite-owning countries. They will be the 57th member of the club.

#21 Equality For All

Bangladesh has improved its gender quality significantly, in a way that would put most other countries to shame! The government has officially recognized the third gender, Hijra, which represents individuals who identify as transsexual, transgender, cross-dresser or eunuch.

#22 Homeless Children

Bangladesh has more than 64 million children, but tragically, hundreds of thousands of them live on the streets. These children are denied an education and medical care, nor are they accepted into society. As a result, they fall into a vicious cycle of poverty.

#23 Tigers Live Rouge!

That’s right, the Bengali Tiger is a real threat. You likely won’t see it on your travels, but be warned, they do lurk just out of view. If you fancy a thrill, then you can book trips to go in search of the tiger. Rather you than us…

#24 There Is No Western Food

Street Food at Sadarghat – Dhaka, Bangladesh

This cannot be too much of a shock. However, in this modern world, it seems that you cannot go anywhere without coming across the golden McDonald’s arches – they even have one at Guantanamo Bay! However, in Bangladesh, all you’ll find is one Pizza Hut in the capital city of Dhaka. Rice, anyone?!

#25 Jail Time!

Jails in Bangladesh are worse than you could possibly imagine. Even your grotty hostel cannot contend with the horrors that lie in wait for those who break Bangladesh’s (bizarre) laws! Not only that, but the judicial system is quite complex, meaning that you should expect to be behind bars for quite a long while if you break the law!

#26 Natural Disaster

Bangladesh is prone to monsoon flooding and cyclones. The country is almost entirely flat and dominated by many major rivers, which often causes mass flooding. The country was also severly affected by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

#27 The Day Job

More than half of Bangladesh’s population is composed of farmers, who tend to the many rice fields that blanket the country.

#28 Its Pants

Despite the thousands of farmers, Bangladesh makes a staggering amount of money from the garments industry. The country produces clothing for countries all around the globe, which generates most of its export earnings.

#29 Mad News!

Bangladesh has more than 2,000 daily newspapers, despite the country’s average constant readership only being 15%!

#30 The Six Seasons

Bangladesh is sometimes called “the playground of seasons”, in fact they have such bizarre weather changes that they have 6 seasons: Grismo (summer), barsha (rainy), sharat (autumn), hemanto (cool), sheet (winter) and bashonto (spring). Make sure you pick the right one when booking your holiday!

#31 Religious Ways

The predominant religion in Bangladesh is Islam, with 88.3% of the population committed to the faith. Less than 1% are Christians, Buddhists and animists!

#32 Crazy Capital

The capital of Bangladesh is Dhaka, which is home to a staggering 15 million people, making it one of the largest cities in the world. It is also known as the “City of Mosques”.

#33 Cricket Crazy!

Bangladesh’s most popular sport is cricket. In 1999, its national cricket team was part of the World Cup and in 2000, it recieved Test status which is an extreme honor in the sport.

#34 Poverty Problems

Over 30% of Bangladesh’s population live below the poverty line, however, the economy and standards of living have been dramatically increasing in recent years.

#35 The Flag

Bangladesh’s flag is green with a red circle in the centre. The green represents the villages of Bangladesh and the farming, whilst the red stands for freedom.