Banghdzl \ban-'ga-ze\ or Benghazi \ben-'ga-ze\ Coastal city (pop., 1995 est.: 650,000), northeastern Libya. Located on the Gulf of Sidra, it is Libya’s second largest city and was once its capital. Founded by Greeks as Hesperides, it received from Ptolemy III the additional name Berenice in honour of his wife. After the 3rd century ad it superseded Cyrene and Barce as the chief city of the region. After its importance waned, it remained a small town until it was extensively developed during the Ital¬ ian occupation of Libya (1912-42). In World War II it suffered consid¬ erable damage before being captured by the British in 1942. It is now an administrative and commercial centre and the site of one of the world’s largest desalinization plants.
Bangka or Banka Island, Bangka-Belitung province, west-central Indonesia. Located off the eastern coast of Sumatra across the Bangka Strait, it is separated from Billiton (Belitung) island by Gaspar Strait. Its
area is 4,375 sq mi (11,330 sq km); the chief town is Pangkalpinang. The sultan of Palembang ceded Bangka to the British in 1812; they in turn exchanged it with the Dutch in 1814 for property in India. Occupied by Japan during World War II, it became part of Indonesia in 1949. Bangka is one of the world’s chief tin-producing centres.
Bangkok Thai Krung Thep Vkrurj-'tepX City (pop., 2000: metro, area, 6,355,144), capital of Thailand. Lying 25 mi (40 km) above the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, it is the country’s major port and also its cultural, financial, and educational centre. It was established as the capital of Siam (Thailand) in 1782 by King Rama I. Seized by the Japanese in World War II, it subsequently suffered heavy Allied bombing. In 1971-72 it incor¬ porated several outlying districts to form a single province-level metropo¬ lis and has since experienced phenomenal growth. Throughout the city, walled Buddhist temples and monasteries serve as focal points for its reli¬ gious life.
Bangladesh officially People's Republic of Bangladesh
Country, south-central Asia. Area: 56,977 sq mi (147,570 sq km). Popu¬ lation (2002 est.): 133,377,000. Capitaclass="underline" Dhaka. The vast majority of the
population are Bengali. Language: Bengali (official). Religions: Islam (official; mainly Sunni); also Hinduism. Currency: taka. Bangladesh is generally flat, its highest point reaching over 1,000 ft (305 m) above sea level. The landscape is characterized by alluvial plains dissected by numerous connecting rivers. The southern part consists of the eastern sec¬ tor of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. The chief rivers are the Ganges (there known as the Padma) and the Brahmaputra (or Jamuna), which unite as the Padma. Though primarily agricultural, the country often is not self- sufficient in food production. The monsoonal rains that occur from May to October produce extreme flooding over much of Bangladesh, often caus¬ ing severe crop damage and great loss of life. Cyclones in 1970 and 1991 killed some 300,000 and 140,000 Bengalis, respectively. Bangladesh is a republic with one legislative house; its chief of state is the president and its head of government the prime minister. In its early years Bangladesh was known as Bengal. When the British left the subcontinent in 1947, the area that was East Bengal became the part of Pakistan called East Pakistan. Bengali nationalist sentiment increased after the creation of an indepen¬ dent Pakistan. In 1971 violence erupted; some one million Bengalis were killed, and millions more fled to India, which finally entered the war on the side of the Bengalis, ensuring West Pakistan’s defeat. East Pakistan became the independent country of Bangladesh. Little of the devastation caused by the war has been repaired, and political instability, including the assassination of two presidents, has continued.
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162 I Bangor ► Banks
Bangor Town (pop., 1991: 52,437), seat of North Down district. North¬ ern Ireland. It lies on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, 12 mi (19 km) northeast of Belfast. St. Comgall founded a monastery at Bangor c. 555, which became a celebrated seat of learning. The town was sacked by the Danes in the 9th century; it was partially rebuilt by St. Malachy in the 12th century. It is now a seaside resort.
Bangui Vbaq-ge\ City (pop., 1995: 553,000), capital of the Central Afri¬ can Republic. A major port on the Ubangi River, it is connected by an extended 1,100-mi (1,800-km) river and rail transport system with the Congolese cities of Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville. Chiefly a commercial and administrative centre, Bangui is also the site of a university and research institutes.
Bangweulu V.baq-gwa-'u-luV Lake Lake, northern Zambia. Located southeast of Lake Mweru and southwest of Lake Tanganyika at an eleva¬ tion of 3,740 ft (1,140 m), it is about 45 mi (72 km) long and, with its adjacent swamps, covers an area of 3,800 sq mi (9,840 sq km). Its outlet is the Luapula, a headstream of the Congo. It has three inhabited islands. David Livingstone, the first European to visit the lake, died there in 1873.
Banja Luka \'ban-ya-Tu-ka\ City (pop., 1997 est.: 160,000), northeast¬ ern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was an important military centre under the Turks and the seat (1583-1639) of the Bosnian territory governed by a pasha. A battlefield between the Austrians and Turks in the 16th-18th centuries, it played an important part in the 19th-century Bosnian upris¬ ings against Turkey as well as in the revolts of the Serbs. It was a hub of resistance in the Axis-dominated country of Croatia during World War II. In 1992 it became the capital of the autonomous Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was the site of much fighting during the Bos¬ nian CONFLICT.
banjo Plucked stringed musical instrument of African origin. It has a tambourine-like body, four or five strings, and a long fretted neck. The fifth string (if present) is pegged at the fifth fret and acts primarily as a drone plucked by the thumb. In its original form, the banjo had only four strings and lacked frets. Slaves introduced the instrument to the U.S., where it was popularized in 19th-century minstrel shows and thence exported to Europe. It has been an important American folk instrument, especially in bluegrass, and it was used in early jazz.
Banjul \'ban-Jul\ formerly (1816-1973) Bathurst Seaport ( pop., 1993: urban agglomeration, 270,540), capital of The Gambia. Located on the Island of St. Mary in the Gambia River, it is the country’s largest city. Founded by the British in 1816 to suppress the slave trade, it subsequently became the capital of the British colony of Gambia. With The Gambia’s independence in 1965, it became the national capital. Tourism is of increasing importance, and Banjul serves as a transportation centre with connections to the interior and to Senegal.
bank Institution that deals in money and its substitutes and provides other financial services. Banks accept deposits and make loans and derive a profit from the difference in the interest paid to lenders (depositors) and charged to borrowers, respectively. They also profit from fees charged for services. The three major classes of banks are commercial banks, investment banks, and central banks. Banking depends entirely on public confidence in the system’s soundness; no bank could pay all its depositors should they simultaneously demand cash, as may happen in a panic. See also credit union; Federal Reserve System; savings and loan association; savings bank.
Bank of Canada Canada’s central bank, established under the Bank of Canada Act (1934). It was founded during the Great Depression to regulate credit and currency. The Bank acts as the Canadian government’s fiscal agent and has the sole right to issue paper money. It is directed by the Canadian Ministry of Finance; all profits go to the Receiver General of Canada.
Bank of England Central bank of Britain, headquartered in London. Incorporated by act of Parliament in 1694, it soon became the largest and most prestigious financial institution in England. It did not assume the responsibilities of a central bank until the 19th century, and it was pri¬ vately owned until 1946, when it was nationalized.