|
Background:
|
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. A
military-backed caretaker regime suspended planned parliamentary
elections in January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system
and root out corruption; the regime has pledged new democratic
elections by the end of 2008. About a third of this extremely poor
country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering
economic development. |
|
Location:
|
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal,
between Burma and India |
|
Geographic
coordinates:
|
24 00 N, 90 00 E |
|
Map references:
|
Asia |
|
Area:
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total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than Iowa |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km,
India 4,053 km |
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Coastline:
|
580 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 18 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: up to the outer
limits of the continental margin |
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Climate:
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tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot,
humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to
October) |
|
Terrain:
|
mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast |
|
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0
m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m |
|
Natural resources:
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natural gas, arable land, timber, coal |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 55.39%
permanent crops: 3.08%
other: 41.53% (2005) |
|
Irrigated land:
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47,250 sq km (2003) |
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Total renewable water
resources:
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1,210.6 cu km (1999) |
|
Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 79.4 cu km/yr
(3%/1%/96%)
per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
droughts, cyclones; much of the country
routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season |
|
Environment - current
issues:
|
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:
|
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:
|
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 |
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Population:
|
153,546,901 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 33.4% (male
26,364,370/female 24,859,792)
15-64 years: 63.1% (male
49,412,903/female 47,468,013)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male
2,912,321/female 2,529,502) (2008 est.) |
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Median age:
|
total: 22.8 years
male: 22.8 years
female: 22.9 years (2008 est.) |
|
Population growth
rate:
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2.022% (2008 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
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28.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
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Death rate:
|
8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 1.15
male(s)/female
total population: 1.05
male(s)/female (2008 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 57.45 deaths/1,000
live births
male: 58.44 deaths/1,000 live
births
female: 56.41 deaths/1,000 live
births (2008 est.) |
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Life expectancy at
birth:
|
total population: 63.21 years
male: 63.14 years
female: 63.28 years (2008 est.) |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
3.08 children born/woman (2008 est.) |
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Major infectious
diseases:
|
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial and protozoal 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 in this country; it poses a negligible
risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have
close contact with birds (2008) |
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Nationality:
|
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi |
|
Ethnic groups:
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Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups,
non-Bengali Muslims) (1998) |
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Religions:
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Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) |
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Languages:
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Bangla (official, also known as Bengali),
English |
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Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over
can read and write
total population: 43.1%
male: 53.9%
female: 31.8% (2003 est.) |
|
Country name:
|
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:
|
parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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name: Dhaka
geographic coordinates: 23 43 N,
90 24 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours
ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
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Administrative
divisions:
|
6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna,
Rajshahi, Sylhet |
|
Independence:
|
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:
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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 |
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Constitution:
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4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972;
suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986;
amended many times |
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Legal system:
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based on English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President
Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002)
note: the country has a caretaker
government until a general election is held; Iajuddin AHMED remains as
President and Minister of Defense, and all other Cabinet portfolios are
held by Caretaker Advisers (CAs); the Chief CA, Fakhruddin AHMED, is
roughly equivalent to a prime minister
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 NA); 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 president-elect by the Election Commission; he ran unopposed
as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA |
|
Legislative branch:
|
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya
Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial
constituencies; members serve five-year terms; note - parliament not in
session during the extended caretaker regime
elections: last held 1 October
2001 (the scheduled January 2007 election has been postponed till late
2008)
election results: percent of vote
by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%, other 19%; 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 to
power a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller
parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur) |
|
Judicial branch:
|
Supreme Court (the chief justices and other
judges are appointed by the president) |
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Political parties and
leaders:
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Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh
Communist Party or BCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party
or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq
AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur 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] |
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Political pressure
groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International
organization participation:
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ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,
MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO,
UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
|
Diplomatic
representation in the US:
|
chief of mission: Ambassador
M. Humayun KABIR
chancery: 3510 International Drive
NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183
FAX: [1] (202) 244-7830/2771
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles,
New York |
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Diplomatic
representation from the US:
|
chief of mission: Ambassador
James F. MORIARTY
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 |
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Flag description:
|
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 |
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Economy - overview:
|
The economy has grown 5-6% over the past few
years despite inefficient state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting
natural gas resources, insufficient power supplies, and slow
implementation of economic reforms. 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. Garment exports and remittances from
Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and East Asia,
fuel economic growth. |
|
GDP (purchasing power
parity):
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$206.7 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP (official
exchange rate):
|
$72.42 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth
rate:
|
5.6% (2007 est.) |
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GDP - per capita
(PPP):
|
$1,300 (2007 est.) |
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GDP - composition by
sector:
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agriculture: 19%
industry: 28.7%
services: 52.3% (2007 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
69.4 million
note: extensive export of labor to
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers'
remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2007 est.) |
|
Labor force - by
occupation:
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agriculture: 63%
industry: 11%
services: 26% (FY95/96) |
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Unemployment rate:
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1% (includes underemployment) (2007 est.) |
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Population below
poverty line:
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45% (2004 est.) |
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Household income or
consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 27.9% (2000) |
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Distribution of
family income - Gini index:
|
33.4 (2000) |
|
Inflation rate
(consumer prices):
|
8.4% (2007 est.) |
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Investment (gross
fixed):
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26% of GDP (2007 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $6.796 billion
expenditures: $9.794 billion (2007
est.) |
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Public debt:
|
37.4% of GDP (2007 est.) |
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Agriculture -
products:
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rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes,
tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry |
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Industries:
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cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing,
paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar |
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Industrial production
growth rate:
|
9.5% (2007 est.) |
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Electricity -
production:
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21.35 billion kWh (2005) |
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Electricity -
production by source:
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fossil fuel: 93.7%
hydro: 6.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity -
consumption:
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19.49 billion kWh (2005) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2005) |
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Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2005) |
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Oil - production:
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6,746 bbl/day (2005) |
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Oil - consumption:
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86,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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1,100 bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil - imports:
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81,010 bbl/day (2004) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
|
28 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.) |
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Natural gas -
production:
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13.43 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
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Natural gas -
consumption:
|
13.43 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m (2005 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m (2005) |
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Natural gas - proved
reserves:
|
135.8 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
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Current account
balance:
|
$334 million (2007 est.) |
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Exports:
|
$11.75 billion (2007 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen
fish and seafood |
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Exports - partners:
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US 25%, Germany 12.6%, UK 9.8%, France 5% (2006)
|
|
Imports:
|
$16.03 billion (2007 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
|
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and
steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement |
|
Imports - partners:
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China 17.7%, India 12.5%, Kuwait 7.9%, Singapore
5.5%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2006) |
|
Economic aid -
recipient:
|
$1.321 billion (2005) |
|
Reserves of foreign
exchange and gold:
|
$5.515 billion (31 December 2007 est.) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.) |
|
Stock of direct
foreign investment - at home:
|
$4.938 billion (2007 est.) |
|
Stock of direct
foreign investment - abroad:
|
$105 million (2007 est.) |
|
Market value of
publicly traded shares:
|
$3.61 billion (2006) |
|
Currency (code):
|
taka (BDT) |
|
Currency code:
|
BDT |
|
Exchange rates:
|
taka per US dollar - 69.893 (2007), 69.031
(2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
1 July - 30 June |
| Communications |
Bangladesh |
|
Telephones - main
lines in use:
|
1.134 million (2006) |
|
Telephones - mobile
cellular:
|
19.131 million (2006) |
|
Telephone system:
|
general assessment: totally
inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density of less
than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of 13 per 100
persons
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;
landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system
that provides links to Europe, the Middle East and Asia; satellite
earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and
landline service to neighboring countries (2007) |
|
Radio broadcast
stations:
|
AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) |
|
Radios:
|
6.15 million (1997) |
|
Television broadcast
stations:
|
15 (1999) |
|
Televisions:
|
770,000 (1997) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.bd |
|
Internet hosts:
|
376 (2007) |
|
Internet Service
Providers (ISPs):
|
10 (2000) |
|
Internet users:
|
450,000 (2006) |
| Transportation |
Bangladesh |
|
Airports:
|
16 (2007) |
|
Airports - with paved
runways:
|
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 (2007) |
|
Airports - with
unpaved runways:
|
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 2,644 km (2007) |
|
Railways:
|
total: 2,768 km
broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m
gauge (2006) |
|
Roadways:
|
total: 239,226 km
paved: 22,726 km
unpaved: 216,500 km (2003) |
|
Waterways:
|
8,370 km
note: includes up to 3,060 km main
cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2006) |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total: 41 ships (1000 GRT or
over) 328,530 GRT/468,509 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 27,
container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4
foreign-owned: 1 (China 1)
registered in other countries: 9
(Comoros 1, Honduras 1, Malta 3, Panama 1, Singapore 2, St Vincent and
The Grenadines 1) (2007) |
|
Ports and terminals:
|
Chittagong, Mongla Port |
|
Military branches:
|
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army,
Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF)
(2008) |
|
Military service age
and obligation:
|
16 years of age for voluntary military service;
17 years of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription
legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008) |
|
Manpower available
for military service:
|
males age 16-49: 41,199,340
(2008 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for
military service:
|
males age 16-49: 31,968,168
(2008 est.) |
|
Military expenditures
- percent of GDP:
|
1.5% (2006) |
| Transnational Issues |
Bangladesh |
|
Disputes -
international:
|
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:
|
refugees (country of origin):
26,268 (Burma)
IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts,
religious persecution) (2007) |
|
This page was
last updated on 10 June, 2008
|
|
