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international airport in Dhaka is
well-equipped with facilities to handle
passenger and cargo flights. The national
carrier Bangladesh Biman and a number
of major airlines of the world run
regular services to and from Dhaka.
Biman and a private company fly smaller
aircraft to transport passengers to
different airports within the country.
The Dhaka Sheraton Hotel, the Sonargaon
Pan Pacific Hotel and Purbani Hotel
run their own transfer services to
and from the airport for convenience
of their guests. The Parjatan Corporation
also runs a similar transfer service
with a fleet of comfortable cars and
microbuses. The corporation operates
a large number of hotels, motels,
cottages, restaurants, duty-free shops
and package tours in Dhaka and at
different tourist spots outside.
In the Sunderbans the visitors can
stay in comfortable rest houses, take
boat trips along the creeks and from
observation towers watch tigers, deer,
monkeys, crocodiles and birds. In
Dhaka and elsewhere various kinds
of oriental and western food are served
by the hotels, motels and restaurants.
Bangladehi costumes and handicraft
are attractive in design and quality
and are good value for money. In 1995,
foreign tourists numbering 156, 231
visited the country bringing for the
national exchequer over Tk. 95 million
in foreign exchange.
Climate:
Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon-type
climate, with a hot and rainy summer
and a dry winter. January is the coolest
month with temperatures averaging
near 26 deg C (78 d F) and April the
warmest with temperatures from 33
to 36 deg C (91 to 96 deg F). The
climate is one of the wettest in the
world. Most places receive more than
1,525 mm of rain a year, and areas
near the hills receive 5,080 mm ).
Most rains occur during the monsoon
(June-September) and little in winter
(November-February).
Bangladesh is subject to devastating
cyclones, originating over the Bay
of Bengal, in the periods of April
to May and September to November.
Often accompanied by surging waves,
these storms can cause great damage
and loss of life. The cyclone of November
1970, in which about 500,000 lives
were lost in Bangladesh, was one of
the worst natural disasters of the
country in the 20th century.
Bangladesh has warm temperatures throughout
the year, with relatively little variation
from month to month. January tends
to be the coolest month and May the
warmest. In Dhaka the average January
temperature is about 19°C (about 66°F),
and the average May temperature is
about 29°C (about 84°F).
Required clothing: Lightweight cottons
and linens throughout the year. Warmer
clothes are needed in the evenings
during the cool season. Waterproofs
are necessary during the monsoon season.
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