Ethnic Groups:
Bengali at least 99%, ethnic groups 1%
(2022) note: Bangladesh's government
recognizes 27 indigenous ethnic groups
under the 2010 Cultural Institution
for Small Anthropological Groups Act;
other sources estimate there are about
75 ethnic groups.
Total Active
Armed Forces: 163,050 (2021) Merchant marine:
558 ships (2023)
1070 - 1203
Part of the
Sena Empire.
1203 -
1576
Part of the Delhi Sultanate
1203 - 1575
Bengal (Bangla) sultanate (at
times independent
from Delhi).
3 Mar 1575
Annexed to the Mughal Empire
(resisted until
12
Jul 1576). 1717
Mughal governor, with the style
Nawab Nazim,
establishes a
quasi-independent state. 21 Aug
1765
British
(East India Company) financial
administration
(diwani
rights) in perpetuity of Bengal
begins (see
under India) with sanction (firman)
of the Mughal
Emperor. 26 May 1793
Remaining governing
authority (nizamat) of Bengal
ruler abolished by the British; Bengal
part of the
Bengal presidency of British India
(see India),
the
ruler becomes a British pensioner. Nov
1853
British declare that the Nawab
had no treaty rights,
and Sep 1854 repealed all the former
privileges
of
the Nazim.
1 Nov
1880
British formally abolish the title
Nawab of Bengal.
15 Aug
1947
Bengal province of British India
divided;
eastern part becomes Pakistan
province of
East Bengal. 14 Oct
1955
Renamed East Pakistan. 7 Oct
1958
Autonomy abolished. 26 Mar 1971 - 16 Dec 1971
Bangladesh war of independence.
26 Mar
1971
Independence proclaimed (People's
Republic
of Bangladesh) by the exile
government. 16 Dec
1971
De facto independence (capitulation of
Pakistan). 22 Feb
1974
Independence recognized by
Pakistan.
Rulers (title Nawab Nazim)[titular from 1793]
1717 - 30 Jun
1727
Murshid Quli Jafar Khan
(b. c.1660 - d. 1727)
(Zamin Ali Quli)
30 Jun 1727 - Aug 1727 Sarfaraz Khan
Bahadur (1st time) (b. bf.1700 - d.
1740)
Aug 1727 - 26 Aug 1739 Shuja-ud-Din
Muhammad Khan (b. c.1670 -
d. 1739)
(in
opposition from 1 Jul 1727) 26 Aug 1739 - 29 Apr 1740 Sarfaraz
Khan Bahadur (2nd time) (s.a.) 29 Apr 1740 - 9 Apr 1756 Muhammad
Alivardi Khan Bahadur (b. 1676 -
d. 1756) 9 Apr 1756 - 23 Jun 1757 Mirza
Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah (b. 1733
- d. 1757) 2 Jul 1757 - 20 Oct 1760 Sayyid Mir
Jafar Ali Khan Bahadur (b. c.1691 - d.
1765)
(1st time) 20 Oct 1760 - 7 Jul 1763 Mir Kasim
Ali Khan Bahadur
(d. 1777) 7 Jul 1763 - 17 Jan 1765 Sayyid Mir
Jafar Ali Khan Bahadur (s.a.) (2nd time) 17 Jan 1765 - 8 May
1766 Najm ud-din Ali Khan
(b. c.1747 - d.
1766) 17 Jan 1765 - 8 May
1766 Syed Muhammad Reza Khan -Regent
(b. 1717? - d. 1791)
22 May 1766 - 10 Mar 1770 Saif ud-Daulah
Sayyid Najabat Ali (b. 1749 - d. 1770)
Khan Bahadur 22 May 1766 - 10 Mar 1770 Munni
Begum (f) -Regent (1st time) (b. 1720 - d.
1813) 10 Mar 1770 - 24 Mar 1770 Sayyid Ashraf Ali
Khan Bahadur (b. bf.1759 - d. 1770) 24 Mar 1770 - 6 Sep 1793 Sayyid Mubarak
Ali
Khan
(b. 1759? - d. 1793)
(Mubarak ud-Daulah) 24 Mar 1770 - 1775
Munni Begum (f)
-Regent (2nd time) (s.a.)
6 Sep 1793 - 28 Apr 1810 Sayyid Babar Ali
Khan Bahadur (b. c.1773 -
d. 1810) 28 Apr 1810 - 6 Aug 1821
Zain-ud-Din Ali
Khan
(b. c.1792 - d. 1821)
6 Aug 1821 - 30 Oct 1824 Ahmad Ali Khan
(b. 1793 - d. 1824)
30 Oct 1824 – 3 Oct 1838 Mubarak Ali Khan II
(b. 1810 - d. 1838)
3 Oct 1838 - 1 Nov 1880 Sayyid Mansur
Ali Khan (b.
1830 - d. 1884)
Governors of East Bengal (from 14 Oct 1955, East
Pakistan) 15 Aug 1947 - 5 Apr 1950 Sir
Frederick Chalmers Bourne
(b. 1891 - d. 1977) Non-party 16 Mar 1949 - 25 Apr 1949 A.S.M. Akram
(acting for Bourne) (b. 1888 - d. 1968)
Non-party 5 Apr 1950 - 26 Mar 1953 Malik
Firoz Khan
Noon
(b. 1893 - d. 1970) ML
26 Mar 1953 - 4 Apr 1953 Abdur Rahman
Siddiqui (acting) (b. 1887 - d.
1953) ML
4 Apr 1953 - 30 May 1954 Chaudhry
Khaliquzzaman
(b. 1889 - d. 1973) ML 30 May 1954 - 21 Sep 1954 Iskandar Ali
Mirza
(b. 1899 - d. 1969) Mil 21 Sep 1954 - 22 Dec 1954 Sir Thomas Hobart
Ellis (acting) (b. 1894 - d. 1981)
Non-party 22 Dec 1954 - 14 Jun 1955 Mohammad
Shahabuddin (acting) (b. 1895 -
d. 1971) Non-party 14 Jun 1955 - 9 Mar 1956 Amiruddin
Ahmad (acting) (b.
1895 - d. 1965) Non-party 9 Mar 1956 - 31 Mar 1958 Abul Kashem
Fazlul
Huq
(b. 1873 - d. 1962) KSP 1 Apr 1958 - 3 May 1958
Muhammad Hamid Ali
(acting) (b.
1906 - d. 1972) Non-party 3 May 1958 - 10 Oct 1958 Sultanuddin
Ahmad
(b. 1902 - d. 1977) AL 10 Oct 1958 - 14 Apr 1960 Zakir
Hussain
(b. 1898 - d. 1971) Non-party 15 Apr 1960 - 10 May 1962 Mohammad Azam
Khan
(b. 1908 - d. 1996) Mil 1 Jul 1961 - 5 Aug 1961 Syed
Hashim Raza
(b. 1910 - d. 2003)
Non-party
(acting for Azam Khan) 11 May 1962 - 28 Oct 1962 Ghulam Faruque
(b. 1899 - d. 1992) Non-party 28 Oct 1962 - 23 Mar 1969 Abdul Monem
Khan
(b. 1899 - d. 1971) PML 23 Mar 1969 - 25 Mar 1969 Mirza Nurul
Huda
(b. 1919 - d. 1991) Non-party 25 Mar 1969 - 23 Aug 1969 Muzaffaruddin
(b. 1918? - d. 1997) Mil
(martial law administrator) 23 Aug 1969 - 1 Sep 1969 Sahabzada
Yaqub
Khan
(b. 1920 - d. 2016) Mil
(martial law administrator) 1 Sep 1969 - 7 Mar 1971 Syed
Mohammad
Ahsan
(b. 1920 - d. 1989) Mil 7 Mar 1971 - 31 Aug 1971 Tikka
Khan
(b. 1915 - d. 2002) Mil
(martial law administrator) 31 Aug 1971 - 14 Dec 1971 Abdul Motaleb
Malik
(b. 1905 - d. 1977) Non-party 31 Aug 1971 - 16 Dec 1971 Amir Abdullah
Khan
Niazi
(b. 1915 - d. 2004) Mil
(martial law administrator) Presidents of Bangladesh 17 Apr 1971 - 12 Jan 1972 Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman (1st time) (b. 1920 - d. 1975)
AL
(Pakistani prisoner to 8 Jan 1972) 17 Apr 1971 - 10 Jan 1972 Syed Nazrul
Islam
(b. 1925 - d. 1975) AL
(acting for Mujibur Rahman) 12 Jan 1972 - 24 Dec 1973 Abu Sayeed
Chowdhury
(b. 1921 - d. 1987) Non-party 24 Dec 1973 - 25 Jan 1975 Mohammad
Mohammadullah
(b. 1921 - d. 1999) AL
(acting to 27 Jan 1974) 25 Jan 1975 - 15 Aug 1975 Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman (2nd time)
(s.a.)
BAL 15 Aug 1975 - 6 Nov 1975 Khandker
Mustaque Ahmad
(b. 1918 - d. 1996) BAL 6 Nov 1975 - 21 Apr 1977 Abu Sadat
Mohammad
Sayem
(b. 1916 - d. 1997) Non-party
(also chief martial law administrator
24 Aug - 4 Nov 1975 and 7 Nov 1975 - 29 Nov 1976) 21 Apr 1977 - 30 May 1981 Ziaur
Rahman
(b. 1936 - d. 1981) Mil;1979 BJD
(also chief martial law administrator
29 Nov 1976 - 6 Apr 1979) 30 May 1981 - 24 Mar 1982 Abdus
Sattar
(b. 1906 - d. 1985) BJD
(acting to 20 Nov 1981) 24 Mar 1982 - 27 Mar 1982 Hussain Muhammad
Ershad (1st time) (b. 1930 - d. 2019) Mil
(chief martial law administrator 24 Mar 1982 - 30 Mar
1984) 27 Mar 1982 - 11 Dec 1983 Abul Fazal
Mohammad Ahsanuddin (b. 1915 -
d. 2001) Non-party
(A.F.M.) Choudhury 11 Dec 1983 - 6 Dec 1990 Hussain
Muhammad Ershad (2nd time)
(s.a.)
Mil;Sep 1986 JD 6 Dec 1990 - 9 Oct 1991
Shahabuddin Ahmed (1st
time) (b. 1930 - d.
2022) Non-party
(acting) 9 Oct 1991 - 9 Oct 1996 Abdur
Rahman Biswas
(b. 1926 - d. 2017) BJD 9 Oct 1996 - 14 Nov 2001 Shahabuddin
Ahmed (2nd time)
(s.a.)
Non-party 14 Nov 2001 - 21 Jun 2002 Abdul Qasim
Mohammad Badruddoza (b. 1932 - d.
2024) BJD
(A.Q.M.)
Chowdhury 21 Jun 2002 - 6 Sep 2002 Mohammad
Jamiruddin Sircar (acting)(b.
1931)
Non-party 6 Sep 2002 - 12 Feb 2009 Iajuddin
Ahmed
(b. 1931 - d. 2012) Non-party 12 Feb 2009 - 20 Mar 2013 Mohammad Zillur
Rahman
(b. 1929 - d. 2013) BAL
14 Mar 2013 - 24 Apr 2023 Mohammad Abdul
Hamid
(b. 1944)
BAL
(acting [for Rahman to 20 Mar] to 24 Apr 2013)
24 Apr 2023 -
Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu
(b.
1949)
Non-party
Naib Nizams(chief
ministers)
1765 - 1772
Syed Muhammad Reza Khan
(1st time) (s.a.)
(also Naib Diwan, appointed by
the British)
1772 - 1775
Raja
Gurudas
(d. 1792)
(Dewan for Munni Begum)
1775 - 1778
Syed Muhammad Reza Khan
(2nd time) (s.a.)
1778 - 1779
Sadr-ul-Haq
Khan
(d.
1779)
1779 - 1790
Syed Muhammad Reza Khan
(3rd time) (s.a.) Chief ministers of East Bengal (from 14 Oct 1955,
East Pakistan) 15 Aug 1947 - 14 Sep 1948 Khawaja
Nazimuddin
(b. 1894 - d.
1964) ML 14 Sep 1948 - 3 Apr 1954 Nurul
Amin
(b. 1893 - d. 1974) ML 3 Apr 1954 - 29 May 1954 Abul Kashem
Fazlul
Huq
(s.a.)
KSP+UF 29 May 1954 - 20 Jun 1955 Governor's
rule 20 Jun 1955 - 31 Aug 1956 Abu Hussain
Sarkar (1st time) (b. 1894
- d. 1969) KSP
(suspended 26 May - 1 Jun 1956)
1 Sep 1956 - 31 Mar 1958 Ataur Rahman Khan
(1st time) (b. 1907
- d. 1991) AL 31 Mar
1958
Abu Hussain Sarkar (2nd
time)
(s.a.)
KSP 1 Apr 1958 - 18 Jun 1958 Ataur
Rahman Khan (2nd
time)
(s.a.)
AL 18 Jun 1958 - 22 Jun 1958 Abu Hussain
Sarkar (3rd time)
(s.a.)
KSP 22 Jun 1958 - 25 Aug 1958 Governor's
rule 25 Aug 1958 - 7 Oct 1958 Ataur Rahman
Khan (3rd time)
(s.a.)
AL 7 Oct 1958 - 30 Jun 1970 Post
abolished 1 Jul 1970 - 16 Dec 1971 Martial
law
Prime ministers of Bangladesh
11 Apr 1971 - 12 Jan 1972 Tajuddin
Ahmed
(b. 1925 - d. 1975) BAL 12 Jan 1972 - 26 Jan 1975 Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman
(s.a.)
BAL 26 Jan 1975 - 15 Aug 1975 Mohammad Mansoor
Ali
(b. 1919 - d. 1975) BAL 29 Jun 1978 - 12 Mar 1979 Mashiur Rahman
(senior minister) (b. 1924 - d. 1979)
BJD 15 Apr 1979 - 24 Mar 1982 Shah Azizur
Rahman
(b. 1925 - d. 1988) BJD 30 Mar 1984 - 9 Jul 1986 Ataur Rahman
Khan
(s.a.)
JD 9 Jul 1986 - 27 Mar 1988 Mizanur
Rahman
Chowdhury
(b. 1928 - d. 2006) JD 27 Mar 1988 - 12 Aug 1989 Moudud
Ahmed
(b. 1940 - d. 2021) JD 12 Aug 1989 - 6 Dec 1990 Kazi Zafar
Ahmed
(b. 1940 - d. 2015) JD 20 Mar 1991 - 30 Mar 1996 Khaleda Zia (f)
(1st
time)
(b.
1945)
BJD 30 Mar 1996 - 23 Jun 1996 Mohammad Habibur
Rahman
(b. 1930 - d. 2014) Non-party
(chief adviser) 23 Jun 1996 - 15 Jul 2001 Sheikh Hasina
Wajed (f)(1st time) (b.
1947)
BAL 15 Jul 2001 - 10 Oct 2001 Latifur Rahman
(chief adviser) (b. 1936 - d.
2017) Non-party 10 Oct 2001 - 29 Oct 2006 Khaleda Zia (f)
(2nd
time)
(s.a.)
BJD 29 Oct 2006 - 11 Jan 2007 Iajuddin Ahmed
(chief adviser)
(s.a.)
Non-party
11 Jan 2007 - 12 Jan 2007
Fazlul Haque
(b. 1938)
Non-party
(acting chief adviser)
12 Jan 2007 - 6 Jan 2009 Fakhruddin Ahmed
(chief adviser) (b. 1940)
Non-party
6 Jan 2009 - 5 Aug 2024 Sheikh Hasina
Wajed (f)(2nd time) (s.a.)
BAL
(fled country 5 Aug 2024)
8 Aug 2024
-
Mohammad Yunus (chief adviser)
(b.
1940)
Non-party
British East India Company Residents in
Murshidabad 1765 - 1770
Francis
Sykes
(b. 1730 - d. 1804) 1770 - 1772
Richard
Becher
(b. 1721 - d.
1782) 1772 - 1774
Samuel
Middleton
(d. 1775) 1774 - 1780
William Byam
Martin
(b. 1746 - d. 1806) 1780 - 1785
Sir John Hadley
D'Oyly
(b. 1754 - d. 1818) 1785 - 1787
Robert
Pott
(b. 1756 - d. 1795) 1787 - 1789
Peter
Speke
(b. 1745 - d. 1811)
Territorial Disputes: Bangladesh
referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and
India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the
Sea; Indian Prime Minister Singh's September 2011 visit
to Bangladesh resulted in the signing of a Protocol to
the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement between India and
Bangladesh, which had called for the settlement of
longstanding boundary disputes over un-demarcated areas
and the exchange of territorial enclaves, but which had
never been implemented; Bangladesh struggles to
accommodate 912,000 Rohingya, Burmese Muslim minority
from Rakhine State, living as refugees in Cox's Bazar;
Burmese border authorities are constructing a 200 km
(124 mi) wire fence designed to deter illegal
cross-border transit and tensions from the military
build-up along border.
Party abbreviations: BAL
= Bangladesh Awami League
(Bangladesh People's League, nationalist,
social-democratic, secular, as Bangladesh
Krishak Sramik Awami League Jun-Aug 1975, only
legal party Jan-Aug 1975, former AL, est.1975); BJD
= Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Dal
(Bengal Nationalist Party, center-right, moderate
islamist, est.1978); JD =
Jatiya Dal (National Party, authoritarian, pro-Ershad,
est.1986); Mil = Military; - Former parties:AL = Awami Muslim League
(People's Muslim League, pro-East Pakistan autonomy,
Bangala nationalist, 1949-1975, then BAL); KSP
= Krishak Sramik Party (Worker's and Peasant's
Party, socialist, 1953-1975); ML
= Muslim League (formerly All India Muslim
League, Dec 1947-Oct 1958); UF
= United Front ("Jukto Front," AL & KSP coalition
supported by Jamaat, 1953-1954); PP = Jana Dal
(People's Party, 1983-85, part of National Front
1985-1986, from 1986-90 part of JD)