In the northeast and east of the country the landscape rises to form forested hills. To the southeast, along the Burmese and Indian borders, the land is hilly and wooded. About a seventh of the country's area is underwater and flooding occurs regularly. Gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. English is widely spoken especially in government and commercial circles.
Religion is the main influence on attitudes and behaviour.
Since 1988 Islam has been the official state religion. Telegrams may be sent from main post offices and there are three charge rates. Post boxes are blue for airmail and red for surface mail. There are eight daily English-language papers, the most popular being the Bangladesh Observer , followed by the Daily Star , the Independent , the Financial Express and the Daily New Nation. The main English-language weeklies are Holiday , the Dhaka Courier and the Bangladesh Gazette .