With the Bay of Bengal at its south and India wrapped around it, Bangladesh has only approximately 144,000 square kilometers (89,424 square miles) to accommodate its 141 million people (based on a July 2004 estimate). Its literacy rate is 43 percent. Ninety-eight percent of its people are Bengalis. Though the nation was initially ruled for centuries by Hindu and Buddhist leaders, Muslims invaded India and in the thirteenth century gained power in the area that became modern-day Bangladesh. Islam was spread throughout the region, however, not by the rulers but by the mystic Sufi saints. At present, Muslims account for 83 percent of the population. The remaining people of Bangladesh are Hindus, with very small populations of Christians, Buddhists, and other sects. Although located on fertile soil provided by the Ganges delta, these flood-prone lands have resulted in high levels of poverty.

The territory that became Bangladesh was originally part of British colonial India...