AP PHOTOS: Bangladesh’s turbulent half-century, from coups to climate shocks

DHAKA, Bangladesh — DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh It has had a turbulent existence since gaining independence in 1971 following a war with Pakistan.

Its first blow came in 1975, when President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated. Two more coups that year ended Ziaur Rahman’s seizure of power. In 1981, Rahman was assassinated by rebels who stormed a government guest house. In 1982, his successor Abdus Sattar was overthrown in a coup led by Hussain Muhammad Ershad, who later assumed the presidency.

Power then passed into the hands of two formidable women, Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. Hasina was overthrown this week by a student-led uprising. Her archrival Zia was released from house arrest this week.

The South Asian nation is densely populated with 170 million people and has been marked by climate and humanitarian crises. Bangladesh lies north of the Bay of Bengal and is a river-fringed delta nation. The location, topography and tropical climate lead to frequent flooding caused by cyclones and monsoon rains. The 1974 famine was one of the worst of the 20th century, killing hundreds of thousands of people.