Dhaka, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and the largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the largest city in the Bengal region. It is the tenth-largest and the fourth-most densely populous city in the world with, as of 2011, a population of 8.9 million residents within the city limits, and a population of over 21 million residents in the Greater Dhaka Area. Dhaka is the economic, political, and cultural center of Bangladesh, and is one of the major cities in South Asia, the largest city in Eastern South Asia and among the Bay of Bengal countries; and one of the largest cities among OIC countries. As part of the Bengal plain, the city is bounded by the Buriganga River, Turag River, Dhaleshwari River and Shitalakshya River.
The area of Dhaka has been inhabited since the first millennium. The city rose to prominence in the 17th century as a provincial capital and commercial center of the Mughal Empire. Dhaka was the capital of the proto-industrialised Mughal Bengal for 75 years. As the center of the muslin trade in Bengal, it was one of the most prosperous cities in the world.