Bangladesh is the second stop on the journey of the Queen’s Baton Relay around the 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.
The baton will spend a few days in the capital Dhaka before moving on to Pakistan.
If you would like to know more about Bangladesh, visit the BBC’s country profile page.
Baton Weather in Bangladesh
After missing Cyclone Phailin in New Delhi, Peter Gibbs forecasts the weather for those hoping to welcome the baton in Dhaka.
Bangladesh Facts
As the team touch down in Bangladesh, here are some interesting facts about the country.
- The first Asian to swim across the English Channel was a Bangladeshi called Brojen Das. He crossed the Channel six times, once held the world record time of ten hours and 35 minutes for the feat, and was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965.
- Bangladesh won one medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi – a bronze for Abdullah Hel Baki and Md Asif Hossain Khan in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Pairs.
- One of the most popular pastimes in Bangladesh is kabaddi, a wrestling sport reminiscent of rugby (without the ball) where two teams try to raid the opposition’s half to score points while chanting the word ‘kabaddi’.
- Over 152 million people live in Bangladesh. That is the eighth largest in the world and more than Russia and Japan. However, the country just makes it into the top 100 in terms of size, making Bangladesh one of the most densely populated areas on the planet.
- The Sundarbans National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that crosses the border into India, is the world’s largest area of mangrove forests and is home to a large variety of endangered species including the largest surviving single population of tigers in the world.
Presenter Mark Beaumont is following the baton around the Commonwealth. You can follow his journey on this blog, on Twitter @BBCMarkBeaumont and on our Facebook page.
Source: BBC News
