The United States of America consists of 50 states. Among them is New York, which is located in the North-Eastern part of the continent. It is considered the most populated with almost 19 million people, yet it stands at number 27 in terms of land space in America (“52 Interesting Facts,” 2018). Among the states which border it are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and others. On the other hand, Bangladesh is located in the southern part of Asia, with a land space of 148,460 square kilometers. It is considered the ninth most populated country globally, with a capacity of 162 million people (“52 Interesting Facts,” 2018). Therefore, this paper aims to compare the two regions through the social, economic, and political forces that influence them.
It is worth noting that New York’s and Bangladesh’s populations vary by a considerable margin. Bangladesh has 162 million citizens, while New York (NY) has 19 million only (“Bangladesh,” n.d.). However, despite this difference, there is a slight disparity in the land size, with the latter being only 21% smaller than the former (“52 Interesting Facts,” 2018). Since the colonial era, most of New York’s development has resulted from immigration from other states and overseas. Its population comprises people from Russia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Poland, among others (“52 Interesting Facts,” 2018). Therefore, many of the citizens in New York are either born abroad or have foreign-born parents.
Apart from Europe and Canada, many people in New York are from other areas of the world. However, Bangladesh seems to be the only nation on the planet to have been established based on its citizens’ language and ethnicity (“Bangladesh,” n.d.). Bengali is the vast portion of Bangladesh’s inhabitants, which refers to both a linguistic and a cultural group. The cluster is estimated to account for 98 percent of the total population, with the remaining portion coming from smaller indigenous groups such as Myanmar (“Bangladesh,” n.d.). It, therefore, creates a big difference in terms of population composition between the two areas examined.
Another difference lies in the political structures between the two regions. NY State is comprised of three arms, mainly, the executive, legislature, and the judiciary (“52 Interesting Facts,” 2018). The executive is led by a governor responsible for the budget and essential appointments, though several independently elected officials can restrict it. The legislature comprises the Senate, which is headed by the speaker, and an assembly, which generally consists of 150 members, led by the lieutenant governor (“52 Interesting Facts,” 2018). The arm’s primary function is to make the laws that are subject to the governor’s authority to veto a bill. The judiciary defines and implements the law, guarantees equal justice and offers a conflict resolution framework. In addition, the state is mainly governed by two political parties, namely, the Democrats and the Republicans. Therefore, all the above institutions play a key role in ensuring the stability of New York.
On the other hand, Bangladesh is governed by a prime minister due to the political framework of its democracy through parliamentary representation. The country has three main parties: the Bangladesh Awami League, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and Jatiya Party (“Bangladesh,” n.d.). Since the country gained its independence, political dynasties have long been a part of the governing landscape. These are the families which have had economic and political dominance from the past (“Bangladesh,” n.d.). It has led ordinary people to believe that inherited wealth and connections discourage future generations from working hard. Therefore, New York and Bangladesh’s political systems vary, with the latter being dynastic and the other democratic.
In terms of religion, the two regions are similar in dominant denominations. New York State has a unique culture consisting of a large degree of religious diversity. However, almost one-third of citizens identify themselves as Catholic, making a more significant proportion of the national population than non-Catholics (“52 Interesting Facts,” 2018). Although Black Protestants and Jewish Americans form the remaining percentage of the state’s population, some are recognized as evangelical and mainline Protestants. The fact that Bangladesh is dominated by one religion creates a similarity with New York. Islamic Ascetics and Sufis won converts among lower-caste Hindus, which was the key reason behind the rise in the Muslim population (“Bangladesh,” n.d.). The Muslims are categorized into Sunnis and Shi’is, with the latter bearing a smaller percentage. Hindus contribute to a small minority, while the least share of the population belongs to Buddhism and the Roman Catholic Church. Therefore, the two regions are similar in terms of religious composition, hence a diversity in spiritual beliefs.
In addition, the economic factors of New York and Bangladesh influence their similarities. The former is ranked among the best financial hubs globally and contributes much to the US’s gross domestic product (“52 Interesting Facts,” 2018). Its fiscal strategy has strengthened the economic environment by promoting the development and advancement of corporate facilities, thereby increasing the number of new jobs (“52 Interesting Facts,” 2018). The service sector mostly enhances the economic prosperity of this state with less support from manufacturing. Its residential and industrial electrical sources are vast, including conventional oil-fired thermal power plants, hydroelectricity, and substantial nuclear energy (“52 Interesting Facts,” 2018). Therefore, New York appears to have reduced unemployment rates compared to the rest of the world due to its economic structure and a firm reliance on non-manufacturing industries.
In comparison, Bangladesh’s economic strength has always been majorly from agriculture. For instance, almost 50% of the population is estimated to be farmers (“Bangladesh,” n.d.). The prevalent agricultural commodity is rice, but jute and tea, both of which are the leading foreign exchange sources, have also been significant. However, the country sometimes experiences adverse weather conditions, leading to a poor harvest; hence, a threat of famine (“Bangladesh,” n.d.). To counter this, Bangladesh has created many irrigation schemes. Bangladesh’s rivers are also good for breeding and raising fish. Thus, aquaculture accounts for over two-fifths of the region’s marine production (“Bangladesh,” n.d.). However, natural water bodies do not have enough fish and marine food to sustain the large population. The two regions are therefore economically stable, primarily through the availability of natural resources.
In conclusion, the variances and similarities between the two regions are indisputable. Considering the diversity in the population and social composition of the areas, there exist some differences. Bangladesh is dominated by one ethnic group instead of New York, which is diversified due to constant immigration. The resources found in NY make it have a high employment rate, similar to Bangladesh, which leads to stability. Finally, due to the origins of the Bengalis, most of the population comprises Muslims, which compares to New York’s, dominated by Roman Catholics. The role of religion is similar in that both states have a dominant faith, contributing to unity among the citizens.
References
Bangladesh. (n.d.). One World Nations Online.
52 interesting facts about New York State. (2018). The Fact File.