Bangladesh - Land of Rivers Trivia Quiz

Answer: One of the world's largest mangrove forests

The Sundarbans are one of the world's largest mangrove forests and support a diversity of endangered species including the Bengal tiger, the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python. The Sundarbans border on another UNESCO World Heritage Site, India's Sundarbans National Park. According to the UNESCO website, the Sundarbans in Bangladesh are actually three distinct wildlife sanctuaries - East Sundarbans, West Sundarbans, and South Sundarbans. These sanctuaries consist of islands lying within the deltas formed by the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. The website further claims, "The Sundarbans of Bangladesh and India support one of the largest populations of Royal Bengal Tiger with an estimated 350 individuals."

Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/798

Answer: Buddhism

Buddhism came to Bangladesh in the 7th century CE. Many monasteries were built throughout the country and from the 8th to 12th centuries most people were probably Buddhist or Hindu. But the Muslim conquest of Bangladesh in the beginning of the 13th century changed all of that. Most of the Buddhist monasteries were destroyed because they were believed to be fortresses. Today around 90% of the population is Sunni Muslim.

The Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur was built by the Buddhist Pala Emperor Dharmapala who reigned from 770-810 CE. At that time the ruins were called Somapura Mahavira (Great Monastery). The monastery was actually more like a small city and its architecture influenced regions as far away as Cambodia. It was also an intellectual center of Buddhism.

Answer: Ganges

The Ganges River plays a large role in the life of both India and Bangladesh. It is the most sacred river to the Hindus of India. In Bangladesh the main distributary of the Ganges is the Padma. It continues on until it meets the Meghna and then it becomes the Meghna until it reaches the Bay of Bengal.

Khalifatabad was founded in the 15th century CE by the Turkish general Ulugh Khan Jahan and lies in the suburbs of the modern city of Bagerhat Sadar. The city was master planned by its founder and is noted for its planning and architecture. Over 50 Islamic monuments cover the area, including numerous mosques and mausoleums. At some point after the founder's death, the city was abandoned and swallowed up by the surrounding jungle. It has since been rediscovered and the vegetation has been removed. It has become the Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat.

Answer: Hindu

Although Bangladesh is a majority Muslim nation, it has a large Hindu minority numbering a little less than ten percent of the population. Hinduism and Buddhism were the dominant religions prior to the Islamic invasion of the 13th century. Hinduism survived that invasion better than Buddhism did. Hindu temples can be found throughout the country. Dhakeshwari National Temple is owned by the government, making it the national temple. Built first in the 12th century CE, it has undergone extensive renovation and changes throughout the years.

In the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the original 800 year-old statue of Shakti Peetha was destroyed by the Pakistani Army.

Answer: Chittagong

Cox's Bazar is located in the Chittagong Division about 150 km (93 miles) south of the city of Chittagong. Bangladesh has seven administrative divisions and each is named after the major city found within the division. The city of Chittagong is home to 5.5 million people and is Bangladesh's busiest seaport. Its history dates back to the 6th century CE when it was built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River. It has been an important seaport and involved heavily in trade for most of its existence.

The beach is a 125 km (78 mile) unbroken white sand beach and is a major tourist attraction for the country, attracting people from all over the world. Cox's Bazar is named after Captain Hiram Cox, an officer in the British East India Company who won a place in the hearts of the locals because of his work with Arakan refugees and local Rakhains in the late 1700s.

Answer: Rice

Bangladesh has a thriving agricultural tradition because of its rich soil from being at the mouth of so many rivers. These rivers deposit rich soil and provide ample water. These factors allow rice to be harvested up to three times a year in some areas. Rice is the largest part of the economy and employs 45% of the nation's labor force.

The country is completely self-sufficient in its rice production and imports no rice. Although rice is the principal crop, wheat, maize and vegetables are beginning to gain in importance. Jute, a natural fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads, is the most important non-food related product.

It is second only to cotton in world-wide production. Better irrigation and flood control have helped increase the agricultural yield in the country in recent decades but population growth still puts pressure on the system.

Answer: Shrimp

Forrest Gump became a successful shrimp businessman in the movie of the same name. Khulna accounts for 75% of the shrimp exported from Bangladesh. Khulna also is known for its lobster, catfish, prawn, and crab. The city is located on the Rupsha and Bhairab rivers.

It is considered a major industrial and commercial center. Mongla serves as its port but the two work hand in hand to form a large port network that connects the interior of the country with the Bay of Bengal by air, road, train and water.

Answer: Silk City

Rajshahi is known as "Silk City" and has been a major exporter of silk since its colonial days under the British. At that time it was chosen as a commercial factory for the silk trade, had its own college, and had an industrial school that taught sericulture, silk farming.

These schools led to its second nickname, "Education City". Silk products from the city are called Rajshahi Silk and are considered of the greatest quality. This silk is used especially in the manufacture of saris. The regions sericulture accounts for almost the whole of the country's output of silk.

It is located on the northern banks of the Padma (Ganges).

Answer: Tea

The Sylhet Division is known for its tea gardens and tropical forests. Most of the tea estates are located in a region called Sri Mangal or Srimangal, "The land of two leaves and a bud". The region is the tea capital of the country. The largest tea estate in the world is located in the region. Bangladesh exports vast quantities of high quality tea every year.

The city of Sylhet is located in the Surma Valley through which the Surma River flows. It is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills.

Answer: Rangpur

Rangpur is the largest city in northwestern Bangladesh and the name of the citrus fruit that comes from the region. The administrative division that bears its name was formed in 2010 and was the seventh administrative division created in Bangladesh. The population of the district of the same name was just over 250,000 as of 2006. The Teesta River runs through the region.

Rangpur the fruit is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. It has a very acidic taste but looks like an orange, both peel and flesh. It also goes by other names. In China it is a Canton lemon. In Japan it is a hime lemon. In Brazil it is a cravo lemon. In the United States it is a mandarin-lime.