Bengali

Asiaintensive agriculturalists
Map
expand_more Description

The Bengali people speak the Bengali language, live in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent in both Bangladesh and India (West Bengal). The Bengali language belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European family. Most Bengali live in rural areas and most engage in agriculture, wet rice being the staple. Specialized artisan caste groups (weavers, potters, blacksmiths, and carpenters) provide non-agricultural goods throughout the Bengal region. Urban Bengali elite culture has produced one of South Asia's finest literary traditions and some of India's best classical musicians and greatest exponents of the dance have been Bengalis.

Identifier
Region
  • Asia
Subregion
  • South Asia
Subsistence Type
  • intensive agriculturalists
Samples
Countries
  • Bangladesh
  • India
External Links