Bangladesh: From Basket Case to Showcase–An Essay on the Geography of Development

Abstract

This article examines various geographic aspects of contemporary socio-economic development and its environmental impact in Bangladesh. The author outlines the political and economic geography of Bangladesh from the perspective of geography of space within the framework of neo-classical economics. The study outlines the spatial pattern of economic activities that correspond to a particular configuration of state, society, and economy between the colonial past and the present structural changes in Bangladesh's economy. An analysis of the geography of development identifies seven interrelated aspects of geography that affect the socio-economic development of a country: location, climate, population, resource base, access to the sea, agricultural productivity, and prevalence of disease. The remainder of the paper illustrates the interaction of these criteria in the context of development/underdevelopment in Bangladesh. A description of the physical geography of Bangladesh in terms of location, fertile land, ...