Bangladesh

The People's Republic of Bangladesh (গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ Gaṇaprajātantrī Bāṃlādēśa) is a country in South Asia. It shares land borders with India and Myanmar. Nepal, Bhutan and China are located near Bangladesh but do not share a border with it. The country's maritime territory in the Bay of Bengal is roughly equal to the size of its land area. Bangladesh is the world's eighth most populous country. Dhaka is its capital and largest city, followed by Chittagong, which has the country's largest port. Bangladesh forms the largest and easternmost part of the Bengal region. Bangladeshis include people from a range of ethnic groups and religions. Bengalis, who speak the official Bengali language, make up 98% of the population. The politically dominant Bengali Muslims make the nation the world's third largest Muslim-majority country.

As part of British India, the region was influenced by the Bengali renaissance and played an important role in anti-colonial movements. The Partition of British India made East Bengal a part of the Dominion of Pakistan; and renamed it as East Pakistan. The region witnessed the Bengali Language Movement in 1952 and the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. After independence was achieved, a parliamentary republic was established. A presidential government was in place between 1975 and 1990, followed by a return to parliamentary democracy. The country continues to face challenges in the areas of poverty, education, healthcare and corruption. Bangladesh is regarded as a middle power and a developing nation.

Literary comment
As most Harry Turtledove timelines place the relevant Point of Divergence before 1947, Bangladesh is usually still part of India in his writings. A few works are set or have a POD in the 1947-1971 time frame, in which case Bangladesh is still East Pakistan.

Bangladesh in Crosstime Traffic
By 2096, Bangladesh was still a major producer of clothing distributed the world over. Much of American teenager Annette Klein's wardrobe was labeled Made in Bangladesh.