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Background
People's Republic of Bangladesh is one of the Few Countries in South Asia. Bangladesh is Bordered on the West, North, and East By India, on the Southeast By Myanmar (Formerly Known as Burma), and on the South By the Bay of Bengal. The area of the Country is 147,570 sq kms (56,980 sq miles) Geographic Coordinates: 24 00 N, 90 00 E, Official Languages: Bangla, Currency: Taka, Time Zone: UTC+6, Calling Code: +880 The Capital and Largest City of Bangladesh is Dhaka.While Having a Long and Rich Historical Tradition, Bangladesh is a Remarkably Young Country, Founded in 1971 after a Bloody Liberation Struggle. It's a Land of Enormous Beauty, Hundreds of Serpentine Rivers, Crystal Clear Water Lakes Surrounded By Ever Green Hills, Luxuriant Tropical Rain Forests, Beautiful Cascades of Green Tea Gardens, World's Largest Mangrove Forest Preserved as World Heritage, Home of the Royal Bengal Tiger and the Wild Lives, Warbling of Birds in Green Trees, Wind in the Paddy Fields, Abundance of Sunshine, World's Longest Natural Sea Beach, Rich Cultural Heritage, Relics of Ancient Buddhist Civilizations and Colorful tribal lives, Bangladesh Creates an Unforgettable Impression of a Land of Peace.
GeographyMost 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
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 90 00 E Area: total: 143,998 sq km land: 130,168 sq km water: 13,830 sq km Size comparison: slightly smaller than Iowa Land Boundaries: total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 k Coastline: 580 km Maritime claims: 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: 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:lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal Land use: arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005) Irrigated land: 47,250 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: droughts; cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season Current Environment Issues: many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; waterborne 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 International Environment 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 People
Population: 156,050,883 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 7
Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.6% (male 27,065,625/female 26,913,961) 15-64 years: 61.4% (male 45,222,182/female 50,537,052) 65 years and over: 4% (male 3,057,255/female 3,254,808) (2009 est.) Median age: total: 23.3 years male: 22.9 years female: 23.5 years (2009 est.) Population growth rate: 1.292% (2009 est.) Birth rate: 24.68 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) Death rate: 9.23 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) Net migration rate: -2.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2009 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 59.02 deaths/1,000 live births male: 66.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 51.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.25 years male: 57.57 years female: 63.03 years (2009 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.74 children born/woman (2009 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2007 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: fewer than 500 (2007 est.) Nationality: noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47.9% male: 54% female: 41.4% (2001 Census) Government
Country name: 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 Capital: name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) 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: 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: 4 November 1972; effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982; restored 10 November 1986; amended many times Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Zillur RAHMAN (since 12 February 2009) head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 6 January 2009) 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); last election held on 11 February 2009 (next scheduled election to be held in 2014) election results: Zillur RAHMAN declared president-elect by the Election Commission on 11 February 2009 (sworn in on 12 February); he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - N Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms elections: last held 29 December 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - AL 49%, BNP 33.2%, JP 7%, JIB 4.6%, other 6.2%; seats by party - AL 230, BNP 30, JP 27, JIB 2, other 11 Political parties and leaders: 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] Political pressure groups and leaders: Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs) other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders International organization participation: 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, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Akramul QADER 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 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 ECONOMY
The economy has grown 56% per year since 1996 despite political instability, poor infrastructure, corruption, 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. Bangladesh's growth was resilient during the 2008 09 global financial crises and recession. Garment exports, totaling $12.3 billion in FY09 and remittances from overseas Bangladeshis totaling $9.7 billion in FY09 accounted for almost 25% of GDP.
GDP (purchasing power parity) GDP (purchasing power parity): $242.2 billion (2009 est.) $229.1 billion (2008 est.) $216.6 billion (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate): GDP (official exchange rate): $92.12 billion 2009 GDP - real growth rate: 5.7% (2009 est.) 5.8% (2008 est.) 6.2% (2007 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,600 (2009 est.) $1,500 (2008 est.) $1,400 (2007 est.) note: data are in 2009 US dollars GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 18.7% industry: 28.7% services: 52.6%-2009 Labor force: 72.5 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. (2009 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 45% industry: 30% services: 25% (FY95/96) Unemployment rate: 2.5% (2009 est.) 2.5% (2008 est.) Population below poverty line: 36.3% (2004 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 8.8% highest 10%: 26.6% (2005 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33.2 (2005) 33.6 (1996) Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.1% 2009 Investment (gross fixed): Investment (gross fixed): 23.7% of GDP (2009 est.) Budget: revenues: $11.4 billion expenditures: $16.3 billion (2009 est.) Public debt: 38.2% of GDP (2009 est.) 39.4% of GDP (2008 est.) Agriculture: rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, products-spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar Industrial production growth rate: 5.9% (2009 est.) Electricity - production: 22.99 billion kWh (2007 est.) Electricity - consumption: 21.38 billion kWh (2007 est.) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.) Oil - production: 6,426 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil - consumption: 95,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil - exports: 2,612 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil - imports: 87,660 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil - proved reserves: 28 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Natural gas - production: 17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.) Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2008 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Current account balance:$2.808 billion (2009 est.) $1.032 billion (2008 est.) Exports: $15.91 billion (2009 est.) $15.44 billion (2008 est.) Exports - commodities: garments, frozen fish, seafood, jute and jute goods, leather Exports - partners: US 21%, Germany 13.2%, UK 8.6%, France 6.3%, Netherlands 4.7% Imports: $20.22 billion (2009 est.) $21.51 billion (2008 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement Imports - partners: China 14.7%, India 14.7%, Kuwait 7.5%, Singapore 7.1%, Japan 4.1% (2008) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $9.213 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $5.789 billion (31 December 2008 est.) Debt - external: $23.22 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $22.83 billion - 2008 Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: $7.235 billion (31 December 2009 est.) $5.971 billion (31 December 2008 est.) Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: $98 million (31 December 2009 est.) $97 million (31 December 2008 est.) Market value of publicly traded shares: $6.671 billion (31 December 2008) $6.793 billion (31 December 2007) $3.61 billion (31 December 2006) Exchange rates: taka (BDT) per US dollar - 69.047 (2009), 68.554 (2008), 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005) Communications Telephones in use: 1.39 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 67
Cellular Phones in use: 45.75 million (2009) Telephone system: general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and has reached 30 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 (2008) Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 19, shortwave 2 (2009) Television broadcast stations: 17 (2009) Internet country code: .bd Internet hosts: 4,209 (2009) Internet users: 956,000 (2009) Transportation Airports: 17 (2009) country comparison to the world: 139
Airports (paved runways): total: 15 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2009) Airports (unpaved runways): total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2009) Pipelines: gas 2,597 km (2008) Railways: total: 2,768 km broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2008) 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 (2007) Merchant marine: total: 40 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 27, container 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4 foreign-owned: 1 (China 1) registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 2, Honduras 1, Malta 2, Panama 2, Singapore 2, Togo 1) Ports and terminals: Chittagong Port , Mongla Port Military Military branches: Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army (Sena Bahini), Bangladesh Navy (Noh Bahini, BN), Bangladesh Air Force (Biman Bahini, BAF) (2009)
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 Manpower fit for military service:males age 16-49: 24,946,041 females age 16-49: 31,409,069 (2009 est.) |