Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. With its colourful history and rich cultural traditions, Dhaka is known the world over as the city of mosques and muslin. Its fame attracted travelers from far and near throughout the ages. Today it has grown into a megacity of about 8.5 million people, with an area of about 1353 sq. km. becoming the hub of the nation's industrial, commercial, cultural, educational and political activities.

According to recorded history it was founded in 1608 A.D. as the seat of the imperial Mughal viceroy of Bengal. Dhaka has been developing fast as a modern city and is the country's center of industrial, commercial, cultural, educational and political activity. The gap between rich and poor is widening throughout the country but it's at its most glaringly obvious here. Depending on where you start from, a thirty minute rickshaw ride can take you from impossibly crowded shantytowns near Old Dhaka to the glitzy high-class neighborhoods of Gulshan and Banani where a meal costs more than most people make in a week.

Motijheel is the main commercial area of the city. Dhaka's main waterfront, Sadarghat, is on the banks of the river Buriganga in Old Dhaka and is crowded with various ferries, yachts, paddle steamers, fisherman's boats and floating dhabas all bustling with activity.

The weather is tropical - hot and very humid during the monsoon season (April-August) and drier and cooler in the winter (October-March). Visitors from colder countries might want to visit in the winter when temperatures are around 20°C and humidity is low (around 60-70%).

Visa extensions are available at the Immigration and Passport Office on Agargaon Rd in Central Dhaka. Most drivers know where it is. An auto-rickshaw from Old Dhaka will cost about Taka (BDT)50. Su-Th 10AM-1PM receiving applications, 3-5PM delivery.