History
The word Bangladesh means "the land of Bengal". Since the 2nd century BC, the area was part of the Maurya Empire, later of India. In the 12th century, Islam started to spread across the region. Britain gained control of Bengal in 1757. The colonial rule favoured the Hindus, increasing religious tension in the area. In 1905, Bengal was split into two parts, the Hindu western part and the Muslim eastern part. The partition met with resistance and Bengal was reunited in 1915.
After the British Empire left the region in 1947, Bengal was once again partitioned along religious lines, with the Hindu western part going to India and the Muslim eastern part joining the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as a province called East Pakistan, separated from the West Wing by 1,500 km of Indian territory. The 1970 general election was won by the Bangladesh People's League, promoting the independence of Bengal. However, instead of acknowledging the independence, the Pakistani government sent its army to suppress Bengali rebels. A civil war broke out, with East Bengal being supported by India and the USSR, resulting in the declaration of Bangladesh's independence in March 1971. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became the country's first leader.
