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.
Geography
Bangladesh
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the
Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates:
24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
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
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 m
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
total: 22.8 years
male: 22.8 years female: 22.9 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.022% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
28.86 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (2008
est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.65 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
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.)
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.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
13,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
650 (2001 est.)
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)
Nationality:
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi
Ethnic groups:
Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes
tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)
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: 43.1%
male: 53.9% female: 31.8% (2003 est.)
Government
Bangladesh
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
Capital:
name: Dhaka
geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E time
difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
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 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)
Political parties and leaders:
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 [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]
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
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Geeta PASI 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:
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
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.
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.)
garments, jute and jute goods,
leather, frozen fish and seafood
Exports - partners:
US 24.9%, Germany 12.8%, UK
9.8%, France 5% (2006)
Imports:
$14.91 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment,
chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products,
cement
Imports - partners:
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:
$5.293 billion (31 December
2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$20.25 billion (31 December
2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$4.208 billion (2006 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$105 million (2006 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
Bangladesh
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)
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal
drugs produced in neighboring countries
