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Background:
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Bangladesh
came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East
Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan.
About a third of this extremely poor country floods
annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering
economic development. |
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Location:
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Southern
Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and
India |
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Geographic coordinates:
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24 00
N, 90 00 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
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total:
144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Iowa |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053
km |
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Coastline:
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580 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial
sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: up to the outer limits of
the continental margin
contiguous zone: 18 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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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) |
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Terrain:
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mostly
flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m |
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Natural resources:
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natural
gas, arable land, timber, coal |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 62.11%
permanent crops: 3.07%
other: 34.82% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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38,440
sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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droughts,
cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated
during the summer monsoon season |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the
selected agreements |
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Geography - note:
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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:
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141,340,476
(July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 33.5% (male 24,359,149; female
23,013,811)
15-64 years: 63.1% (male 45,557,963; female
43,626,950)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 2,575,519;
female 2,207,084) (2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
21.5 years
male: 21.5 years
female: 21.5 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.08%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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30.03
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.52
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.71
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 1.17 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004
est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
64.32 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 63.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2004
est.)
male: 65.41 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 61.71 years
male: 61.8 years
female: 61.61 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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3.15
children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less
than 0.1% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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13,000
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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650
(2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi |
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Ethnic groups:
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Bengali
98%, 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:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 43.1%
male: 53.9%
female: 31.8% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
former: East Pakistan |
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Government type:
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parliamentary
democracy |
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Capital:
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Dhaka |
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Administrative divisions:
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6
divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna,
Rajshahi, and Sylhet |
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Independence:
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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 |
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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 |
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Suffrage:
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18
years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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; 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 NA 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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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 before October 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party -
BNP and alliance partners 46%, AL 42%; seats by
party - BNP 191, AL 62, JI 18, JP (Ershad faction)
14, IOJ 2, JP (Naziur) 4, other 9; note - the
election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP
government aligned with three other smaller parties
- Jamaat-i-Islami, Islami Oikya Jote, and Jatiya
Party (Manzur) |
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Judicial branch:
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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 [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh
Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA, chairperson];
Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI];
Jamaat-e-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya
Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad
ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur
Rahman MANZUR] |
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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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AsDB,
C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL,
UNMISET, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Syed Hasan AHMAD
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New
York
FAX: [1] (202) 244-5366
telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183
chancery: 3510 International Drive NW,
Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Harry K. THOMAS, Jr.
embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
telephone: [880] (2) 8824700 through 8824722
FAX: [880] (2) 8823744 |
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Flag description:
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green
with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of
center; the red sun of freedom represents the blood
shed to achieve independence; the green field
symbolizes the lush countryside, and secondarily,
the traditional color of Islam
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Economy - overview:
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Despite
sustained domestic and international efforts to
improve economic and demographic prospects,
Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and
ill-governed nation. Although 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. Economic 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. One encouraging note: growth has been a
steady 5% for the past several years. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $258.8 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.3%
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $1,900 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
21.7%
industry: 26.6%
services: 51.7% (2003 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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23.2%
of GDP (2003) |
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Population below poverty line:
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35.6%
(FY95/96 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
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lowest
10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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33.6
(FY95/96) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5.6%
(2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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64.02
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 (2003) |
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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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40%
(includes underemployment) (2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$5.352 billion
expenditures: $7.55 billion, including
capital expenditures of NA (2003) |
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Public debt:
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43.3%
of GDP (2003) |
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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:
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1.9%
(2003 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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15.33
billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 93.7%
hydro: 6.3%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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14.25
billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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3,581
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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71,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA
(2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA
(2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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28.45
million bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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9.9
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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9.9
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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150.3
billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Current account balance:
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$393
million (2003) |
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Exports:
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$6.713
billion (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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garments,
jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and
seafood (2001) |
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Exports - partners:
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US
23.8%, Germany 13.7%, UK 10%, France 5.8% (2003
est.) |
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Imports:
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$9.459
billion (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery
and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles,
foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000) |
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Imports - partners:
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India
15.6%, China 13.6%, Singapore 9.5%, Japan 6%, Hong
Kong 4.9% (2003 est.) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$2.624
billion (2003) |
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Debt - external:
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$18.06
billion (2003) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$1.575
billion (2000 est.) |
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Currency:
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taka (BDT) |
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Currency code:
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BDT |
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Exchange rates:
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taka
per US dollar - 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002), 55.8067
(2001), 52.1417 (2000), 49.0854 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 July
- 30 June
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| Communications |
Bangladesh |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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740,000
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1.365
million (2003) |
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Telephone system:
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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 - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean);
international radiotelephone communications and
landline service to neighboring countries (2000) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 12,
FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999) |
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Radios:
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6.15
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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15
(1999) |
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Televisions:
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770,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.bd |
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Internet hosts:
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1
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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10
(2000) |
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Internet users:
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243,000
(2003)
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| Transportation |
Bangladesh |
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Railways:
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total:
2,706 km
broad gauge: 884 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
207,486 km
paved: 19,773 km
unpaved: 187,713 km (1999) |
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Waterways:
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8,372
km
note: includes 2,575 km main cargo routes
(2004) |
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Pipelines:
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gas
2,016 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Chittagong,
Dhaka, Mongla Port, Narayanganj |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 319,897 GRT/440,575 DWT
by type: bulk 2, cargo 24, container 10,
passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo
1
foreign-owned: China 1, Singapore 9
registered in other countries: 10 (2003 est.) |
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Airports:
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16
(2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 6 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2003 est.)
|
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Military branches:
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Army,
Navy, Air Force |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 15-49: 39,523,128 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 15-49: 23,441,482 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$606.8
million (2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
1.2%
(2003)
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| Transnational
Issues |
Bangladesh |
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Disputes - international:
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discussions
with India remain stalled to delimit a small section
of river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves
in both countries, allocate divided villages, and
stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, and
violence; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to
fence off high-traffic sections of the porous
boundary; dispute with India over New Moore/South
Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters
maritime boundary delimitation; Burmese Muslim
refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources |
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Illicit drugs:
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transit
country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring
countries
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