Beggars on a ferry outside Barisal, Bangladesh share some sweets.
Beggars in Barisal District, Bangladesh share some candy floss on a ferry crossing. Bangladesh has been subjected to frequent natural disasters in recent years and the City of Barisal in Barisal District has been the headquarters for many aid agencies in their attempts to restore people’s lives . The citizens of these areas of Southern Bangladesh are resilient in the face of constant threat from nature and these portraits reflect the determination of the people to continue living their lives as they have done for generations. The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947, when the region became the eastern wing of the newly formed Pakistan. However, it was separated from the western wing by 1,600 km (994 mi) across India. Political and linguistic discrimination as well as economic neglect led to popular agitations against West Pakistan, which led to the war for independence in 1971 and the establishment of Bangladesh. After independence the new state endured famines, natural disasters and widespread poverty, as well as political turmoil and military coups. The restoration of democracy in 1991 has been followed by relative calm and economic progress. Bangladesh is the seventh most populous country and is among the most densely populated countries in the world with a high poverty rate. However, per-capita (inflation-adjusted) GDP has more than doubled since 1975, and the poverty rate has fallen by 20% since the early 1990s. The country is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies. Dhaka, the capital, and other urban centers have been the driving force behind this growth. Recent (2005–2007) estimates of Bangladesh's population range from 142 to 159 million, making it the 7th most populous nation in the world. With a land area of 144,000 square kilometers, ranked 94th, the population density is remarkable. A striking comparison is offered by the fact that Russia's population is slightly smaller even though Russia
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Photo credit: © Graham Crouch / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: bangladesh, barisal, beggars, cyclone, dhaka, ferry, limbs, muslim, poor, poverty, sidr, sweets, workers
