Bangladeshis

Bangladeshis (Bengali: বাংলাদেশী ; formerly known as Bangalees) are the citizens of Bangladesh. The country is named after the historical region of Bengal, of which it constitutes the largest and easternmost part. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the permanent residents of the former East Pakistan were transformed into citizens of a new republic. Bangladesh is the world's eighth most populous nation. Vast majority of Bangladeshis are ethnolingustically Asian Indo-Aryan people who speak Bengali language and follow the Islamic religion. The population of Bangladesh is concentrated in the fertile Bengal delta, which has been the center of urban and agrarian civilizations for millennia. The country's highlands, including the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Sylhet Division, are home to various tribal minorities. Bengali Muslims are the predominant ethnoreligious group of Bangladesh with a population of 146 million, which makes up majority of the country's population. Chittagonian people, Rangpuri people and Sylhetis form the majority in Chittagong, Rangpur and Sylhet regions respectively. The minority Bengali Hindu population in Bangladesh is over 16,238,167 which makes up 12.07% of the total country population. Non-Bengali Muslims make up the largest immigrant community; while the Tibeto-Burman Chakmas, who speak the Indo-Aryan Chakma language, are the largest indigenous ethnic group after Indo-Aryan Bengali peoples. The Austroasiatic Santhals are the largest aboriginal community. The Bangladeshi diaspora is concentrated in the Middle East, North America and the United Kingdom. Several hundred thousand Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) have dual citizenship in Commonwealth countries like the UK and Canada.