Ten fun facts about Dhaka

Fact 1
The city is known as the 'rickshaw' capital of the world, because it has approximately 400,000 rickshaws or bicycle taxis running each day.

Fact 2
The traffic in the city could almost be considered the world's worst traffic. Traffic can stand still for more than 7 hours a day, according to a 2011 government report.

Fact 3
With a population of over 15 million, Dhaka is the largest city in Bangladesh and one of the biggest cities in the world.

Fact 4
The Buriganga River is important to the city, as it connects it to other parts of the country, but the Department of Environment estimates 22,000 cubic liters of toxic waste are dumped into the river everyday.

Fact 5
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police, established in 1976, started with 6,000 personnel. It now has 26,661 personnel and 49 established police stations.

Fact 6
In 2008, the Gross Municipal Product was registered at $85 billion, but it is projected to be at least $215 billion by 2025, with an annual rate of 6.2%.

Fact 7
The central bank of the city, Grameen Bank and its founder won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

Fact 8
Dhaka is home to the Jamuna Future Park, a shopping mall, and is the 12th largest shopping mall in the world with a total area of 5.45 million sq ft.

Fact 9
The city is big on the sport cricket and is said to have hosted the first official test cricket match in 1954.

Fact 10
The other two types of taxis are yellow and black or blue. The yellow are required to have air conditioning, while the blue or black ones are cheaper but have no air conditioners.