Bengalis

Bengalis (বাঙালি Bangali) are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group native to the region of Bengal. They speak the Bengali language. Today, they are natively concentrated in Bangladesh and in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley. In India, there are also a number of Bengali communities scattered across Assam, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and other Indian states. In addition, there is a significant Bengali diaspora beyond South Asia, numbering in the millions, a majority of whom are living as foreign workers. Some of the largest established Bengali communities are in Pakistan, the Middle East, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Italy, Canada, United Kingdom and United States. Dhaka and Kolkata are two of the largest mega-cities of the world, and inhabited mostly by the Bengalis.

History

Ancient history

Remnants of civilisation in the greater Bengal region date back 4,000 years, when the region was settled by Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman and Austroasiatic peoples. The origin of the word Bangla ~ Bengal is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang that settled in the area around the year 1000 BCE.