Rivers are the most important geographical features in Bangladesh, and it is the rivers that created the vast alluvial delta.
In the sixteenth century Christianity brought to the historic region of Bengal (now divided between Bangladesh and India) by Portuguese traders and missionaries. Aside from Bengali Christians, a significant number of the population in Bangladesh are Christians.
Islam, the state religion, is the faith of 88 percent of the population, almost all of whom adhere to the Sunni branch. Hindus make up most of the remainder, and the country has small communities of Buddhists, Christians, and animists.