Bangladesh Genealogy

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Getting started with Bangladesh research
Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh.

Most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.

Jurisdictions
Bangladesh is divided into six administrative divisions, each named after their respective divisional headquarters

Divisions are subdivided into districts (zila). There are 64 districts in Bangladesh, each further subdivided into upazila (subdistricts) or thana ("police stations").

Research Tools
Useful websites:


 * http://www.kindredtrails.com/bangladesh.html
 * http://www.rootsweb.com/~bgdwgw/
 * http://www.lawresearch.com/v2/global/zbd.htm
 * http://www.nanl.gov.bd - National Archives of Bangladesh
 * http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/BGD/BANGLADESH.html - Bangladesh Mailing list
 * http://www.cyndislist.com/ - website for Family History and Genealogy links
 * http://www.cyndislist.com/asia/mailing-lists/ - Asia mailing lists

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