Bangladesh

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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.

Table of contents

1 Geography 2 People 3 Government 4 Economy 5 Communications 6 Transportation 7 Transnational Issues

Geography

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

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

Natural resources 

natural gas, arable land, timber, coal

Land use 

arable land: 60.7%
permanent crops: 2.61%
other: 36.69% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

38,440 sq km (1998 est.)

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

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

People

Population 

133,376,684 (July 2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

1.59% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

25.12 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

8.47 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

68.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 60.92 years
female: 60.74 years (2002 est.)
male: 61.08 years

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 

0.02% (1999 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi

Ethnic groups 

Bengali 98%, 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: 56%
male: 63%
female: 49% (2000 est.)

Government

Country name 

conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
former: East Pakistan

Government type 

parliamentary democracy

Capital 

Dhaka

Administrative divisions 

5 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi; note - there may be one additional division named 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

Suffrage 

18 years of age; universal

Flag description 

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

Economy

Economy - overview 

Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and ill-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. 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 level of political will to do so has been lacking.

Population below poverty line 

36%

Labor force 

64.1 million (1998)
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 (1998)

Labor force - by occupation 

agriculture 63%, services 26%, industry 11% (FY95/96)

Unemployment rate 

35% (2001 est.)

Industries 

cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar

Electricity - production 

13.493 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 92%
hydro: 8%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Agriculture - products 

rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry

Exports - commodities 

garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood

Imports - commodities 

machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, raw cotton, food, crude oil and petroleum products, cement

Currency 

taka (BDT)

Currency code 

BDT

Exchange rates 

taka per US dollar - 57.756 (January 2002), 55.807 (2001), 52.142 (2000), 49.085 (1999), 46.906 (1998), 43.892 (1997)

Fiscal year 

1 July - 30 June

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

500,000 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

283,000 (2000)

Telephone system 

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: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2000)

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999)

Radios 

6.15 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

15 (1999)

Televisions 

770,000 (1997)

Internet country code 

.bd

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

10 (2000)

Internet users 

150,000 (2002)

Transportation

Railways 

total: 2,745 km
broad gauge: 923 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2000 est.)

Highways 

total: 201,182 km
paved: 19,112 km
unpaved: 182,070 km (1997)

Waterways 

up to 8,046 km depending on season
note: includes 3,058 km main cargo routes

Pipelines 

natural gas 1,250 km

Ports and harbors 

Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port, Narayanganj (2001)

Airports 

18 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

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 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

only a small portion of the boundary with India remains undelimited; discussions to demarcate the boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves, and allocate divided villages remain stalled; skirmishes, illegal border trafficking, and violence along the border continue; Bangladesh has protested India's attempts to fence off high traffic sections of the porous boundary; Burmese attempts to construct a dam on the border stream in 2001 prompted an armed response halting construction; Burmese Muslim refugees migrate into Bangladesh straining meager resources

Illicit drugs 

transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries