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 Introduction
 Geography
 People
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 Economy
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 Transnational Issues

This page was last updated on 8 March, 2007


Map of Bangladesh



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Bangladesh Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
   Geography    Bangladesh Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Asia
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than Iowa
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
580 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 55.39%
permanent crops: 3.08%
other: 41.53% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
47,250 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal
   People    Bangladesh Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
147,365,352 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 32.9% (male 24,957,997/female 23,533,894)
15-64 years: 63.6% (male 47,862,774/female 45,917,674)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,731,578/female 2,361,435) (2006 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 22.2 years
male: 22.2 years
female: 22.2 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
2.09% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
29.8 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 60.83 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 61.87 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 59.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 62.46 years
male: 62.47 years
female: 62.45 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.11 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
650 (2001 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
Definition Field Listing
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: leptospirosis
animal contact disease: rabies
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 43.1%
male: 53.9%
female: 31.8% (2003 est.)
   Government    Bangladesh Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh
local short form: Banladesh
former: East Bengal, East Pakistan
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Dhaka
geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 25 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on English common law
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002); note - the president's duties are normally ceremonial, but with the 13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker Government Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times when Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed - at presidential direction - to supervise the elections
head of government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president
elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election to be held by 2007); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president
election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared by the Election Commission elected unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies (the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members serve five-year terms
elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held no later than January 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note - the election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
NA
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ARF, AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Shamsher Mobin CHOWDHURY
chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183
FAX: [1] (202) 244-5366
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia A. BUTENIS
embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500
FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh
   Economy    Bangladesh Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups. The BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms, but the party's political will to do so has been lacking in key areas. On an encouraging note, growth has been a steady 5-6% for the past several years.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$330.8 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$69.02 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.1% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2,200 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 19.9%
industry: 20.6%
services: 59.5% (2006 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
68 million
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 63%
industry: 11%
services: 26% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.5% (includes underemployment) (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
45% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
31.8 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.2% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
24.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $6.389 billion
expenditures: $8.694 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
46.7% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.2% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
18.09 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
16.82 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6,813 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
85,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
28.45 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
300.2 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$339 million (2006 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$11.17 billion (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood (2001)
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
US 23.6%, Germany 13.5%, UK 9.4%, France 6.4% (2005)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$13.77 billion (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000)
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
India 14.1%, China 13.5%, Kuwait 8.5%, Singapore 6.2%, Japan 4.1%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.278 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$22.55 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$1.575 billion (2000 est.)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
taka (BDT)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
taka per US dollar - 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
1 July - 30 June
   Communications    Bangladesh Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.07 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9 million (2005)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: totally inadequate for a modern country
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities
international: country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2005)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
15 (1999)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.bd
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
469 (2006)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
300,000 (2005)
   Transportation    Bangladesh Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
16 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
gas 2,604 km (2006)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 2,768 km
broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 239,226 km
paved: 22,726 km
unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8,372 km
note: includes 5,635 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2005)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 42 ships (1000 GRT or over) 341,733 GRT/485,840 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 29, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3
foreign-owned: 1 (China 1)
registered in other countries: 10 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Comoros 1, Malta 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Chittagong, Mongla Port
   Military    Bangladesh Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2005)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 35,170,019 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 26,841,255 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.6% (2006 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Bangladesh Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh resists India's attempts to fence or wall off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary inspection in 2005 revealed 92 pillars are missing; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; 21,000 Burmese Rohingya Muslim refugees reside in two camps in Bangladesh
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Definition Field Listing
refugees (country of origin): 21,053 (Burma)
IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2006)
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries

This page was last updated on 8 March, 2007


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