BENGALI People

The people of Bangladesh are predominantly Bengali (Bangalee), sharing a common language and cultural heritage centered on the Bengali language and traditions. Bangladesh is, however, ethnically and culturally diverse.

About 98% of the population belongs to the Bengali ethnic group. This gives the country a high degree of cultural homogeneity. The remaining 2% of the population consists of more than 45 minority ethnic groups. Most of them, such as the Chakma, Marma, or Mro, live in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region and speak languages from the Tibeto-Burman family.

Bengali (or Bangla) is the official language and the unifying bond of the entire nation. English is also widely used in academic and business settings.

The vast majority of the population (90-91%) is Muslim, primarily from the Sunni branch. Bangladesh is the third-largest Muslim-populated country in the world. Hinduism (8-9%), is is the largest religious minority in the country. There are established communities of Buddhists (closely linked to the ethnic groups of the Chittagong Hill Tracts) and Christians.

Rivers are the literal lifeblood of Bengali people, shaping their culture, economy, diet, and history . The Bengal region (spanning Bangladesh and West Bengal, India) sits on the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta , which is the largest river delta in the world.