The national flag of Bangladesh was adopted officially on 17 January 1972. It consists of a red circle on top of a dark green banner. The red circle is offset slightly toward the hoist so that it appears centered when the flag is flying. While there are many interpretations, the green on the flag represents the lushness of landscape and the red circle symbolizes blood of martyrs.
Dhaka University campus, where a flag representing Bangladesh for the first time was raised on 2 March 1971
Children holding the flag of Bangladesh.
East Pakistan was the eastern provincial exclave of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, covering the territory of the modern country Bangladesh. The province was restructured and renamed from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, with a coastline on the Bay of Bengal. East Pakistanis were popularly known as "Pakistani Bengalis"; to distinguish this region from India's state West Bengal, East Pakistan was known as "Pakistani Bengal". In 1971, East Pakistan became the newly independent state Bangladesh, which means "country of Bengal" or "country of Bengalis" in Bengali language.
Suhrawardy (middle) with US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
Elizabeth II, seen here visiting Chittagong in 1961, was Pakistan's Queen until 1956.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announcing the Six Points
Surrender of Pakistan in December 1971
