This book contains a series of chapters that describe various aspects of the megacity of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a low-lying maritime nation in South Asia historically part of Bengal and governed until 1947 as part of the British colonial Indian Empire. When the constituent provinces of the Indian Empire were granted independence in 1947, Bengal was partitioned, with the eastern part becoming part of the new Dominion of Pakistan. Partition of the province caused considerable upheaval as the Dominion of Pakistan was intended as a homeland for Muslims on the Indian subcontinent and in time became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This resulted in a great deal of internal migration within the former provinces. Initially, Pakistan comprised two provinces, East and West Pakistan, but in 1971 East Pakistan obtained its independence as the separate sovereign nation of Bangladesh. Although the population of Bangladesh is predominately Muslim, the country currently has a secular constitution.