Forum Pakistan

A historic geographic region in the northeast of South Asia. Bengal occupies the main part of the *Bengali plains-the excessively humid delta of the Rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and their tributaries. In the areas close to the sea the average height above sea level is as little as 1 to 3 metres; in the north and northwest, 20 to 40 metres. Area: about 230,000 sq.krn.; population: over 200 million (1990 estimate). More than 90 per cent of the people speak Bengali.
Bengal is one of the most densely populated areas of the globe. Fertile soils and a favourable climate yield two or three crops a year. The main cultivated plants are rice, wheat, jute and tea.

The first state structures on Bengali territory, Wanga and Pundra, emerged in the middle of the first millennium Be. From the 4th to the 2nd centuries Be, Bengal was ruled by the *Maurya dynasty. After the disintegration of the latter several small independent states (Tamralipta, Suhma, Radha, Samatata, and others) emerged here. Early in the 4th century all of them were incorporated into the *Gupta Empire. In the 6th century, after the fall of the Gupta Empire, a vast state arose in Bengal. This was successively ruled by the dynasties of the Gauda (6th-7th centuries), Pal a (8th-11th centuries), and Sena (lIth-early 13th centuries). In the 13th century, Bengal was conquered by the generals of the Delhi sultans.

This promoted the spread of Islam there. In 1576 Bengal was conquered and added to the Great *Mughal Empire by the Emperor Akbar. After the Battle of Plassey, in 1757, Bengal came under the rule of the British East India Company. In August 1947 during the division of *British India, the greater (eastern) part of Bengal (141,000 sq.km.) was included in Pakistan. Since 1971 this has been the People's Republic of Bangladesh. West Bengal (88,000 sq.km.) became part of India and is known as the State of West Bengal. The largest cities are Calcutta (Kolkatta) in India; Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh.