People and Society of Bangladesh

The majority of Bangladeshis are farmers who form 68.5% of the total population. 79.5% people live in the 68000 villages. They are simple, courteous and hospitable. They live in joint families where the oldest member of the family is the most honoured. His maintenance is borne by the young members till his death. Bangalee women cover the whole body with the "Saree"- the traditional attire consisting of a long piece of cloth pleated around the body in a skirt like fashion and one end taken over the chest and head. Muslim women have their head and face covered by the end of the saree called the "ghumta" (similar to the Middle Eastern burkha).

The natives speak Bangla here and the Bengali script is derived directly from Gupta Brahmi script that has close affinity to Cambodian and Thai scripts. The origin of this language is usually traced to the 10th century.