Bangladesh

Geography

Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India

Map references: Asia

Area:
total area: 144,000 sq km
land area: 133,910 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Land boundaries: total 4,246 km, Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Coastline: 580 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: a portion of the boundary with India is in dispute; water-sharing problems with upstream riparian India over the Ganges

Climate: tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October)

Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber

Land use:
arable land: 67%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 4%
forest and woodland: 16%
other: 11%

Irrigated land: 27,380 sq km (1989)

Environment:
current issues: many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; limited access to potable water; water-borne diseases prevalent; water pollution especially of fishing areas results from the use of commercial pesticides; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation; deforestation; severe overpopulation
natural hazards: droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely flooded during the summer monsoon season
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea

People

Population: 128,094,948 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (female 25,195,262; male 26,352,299)
15-64 years: 57% (female 34,862,105; male 37,867,705)
65 years and over: 3% (female 1,761,336; male 2,056,241) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.32% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 34.62 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 11.43 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 104.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 55.46 years
male: 55.69 years
female: 55.22 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.39 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladesh

Ethnic divisions: Bengali 98%, Biharis 250,000, tribals less than 1 million

Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, Buddhist, Christian, other

Languages: Bangla (official), English

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population: 35%
male: 47%
female: 22%

Labor force: 50.1 million
by occupation: agriculture 65%, services 21%, industry and mining 14% (1989)
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman (1991)

Government

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

Digraph: BG

Type: republic

Capital: Dhaka

Administrative divisions: 4 divisions; Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi

Independence: 16 December 1971 (from Pakistan)

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 March (1971)

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

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdur Rahman BISWAS (since 8 October 1991); election last held 8 October 1991 (next to be held by NA October 1996); results - Abdur Rahman BISWAS received 52.1% of parliamentary vote
head of government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIAur RAHMAN (since 20 March 1991)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: unicameral
National Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad): elections last held 27 February 1991 (next to be held by February 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (330 total, 300 elected and 30 seats reserved for women) BNP 168, AL 93, JP 35, JI 20, BCP 5, National Awami Party (Muzaffar) 1, Workers Party 1, JSD 1, Ganotantri Party 1, Islami Oikya Jote 1, NDP 1, independents 3

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda ZIAur RAHMAN; Awami League (AL), Sheikh Hasina WAJED; Jatiyo Party (JP), Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD (in jail); Jamaat-E-Islami (JI), Ali KHAN; Bangladesh Communist Party (BCP), Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK; National Awami Party (Muzaffar); Workers Party, leader NA; Jatiyo Samajtantik Dal (JSD), Serajul ALAM KHAN; Ganotantri Party, leader NA; Islami Oikya Jote, leader NA; National Democratic Party (NDP), leader NA; Muslim League, Khan A. SABUR; Democratic League, Khondakar MUSHTAQUE Ahmed; Democratic League, Khondakar MUSHTAQUE Ahmed; United People's Party, Kazi ZAFAR Ahmed

Member of: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNOMIL, UNOMOZ, UNOMUR, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Humayun KABIR
chancery: 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 342-8372 through 8376
consulate(s) general: New York

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador David N. MERRILL
embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1212
telephone: [880] (2) 884700 through 884722
FAX: [880] (2) 883-744

Flag: green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center; green is the traditional color of Islam

Economy

Overview: Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains one of the world's poorest, most densely populated, and least developed nations. Its economy is overwhelmingly agricultural, with the cultivation of rice the single most important activity in the economy. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, the inefficiency of state-owned enterprises, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas), and inadequate power supplies. Excellent rice crops and expansion of the export garment industry led to real growth of 4% in 1992 and again in 1993. Policy measures intended to reduce government regulation of private industry, to curb population growth, and to expand employment opportunities have had only partial success given the serious nature of Bangladesh's basic problems.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $130.1 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: 4.5% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $1,040 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $2.8 billion
expenditures: $4.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (FY92/93)

Exports: $2.38 billion (1993)
commodities: garments, jute and jute goods, leather, shrimp
partners: US 33%, Western Europe 39% (Germany 8.4%, Italy 6%) (FY91/92 est.)

Imports: $3.99 billion (1993)
commodities: capital goods, petroleum, food, textiles
partners: Hong Kong 7.5%, Singapore 7.4%, China 7.4%, Japan 7.1% (FY91/92 est.)

External debt: $13.5 billion (June 1993)

Industrial production: growth rate 6.9% (FY92/93 est.); accounts for 9.4% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 2,740,000 kW
production: 9.2 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 70 kWh (1993)

Industries: jute manufacturing, cotton textiles, food processing, steel, fertilizer

Agriculture: accounts for 33% of GDP, 65% of employment, and one-fifth of exports; world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products - jute, rice, wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages include wheat, vegetable oils, cotton

Illicit drugs: transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries

Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $11.65 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6.52 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $1.5 billion

Currency: 1 taka (Tk) = 100 poiska

Exchange rates: taka (Tk) per US$1 - 40.250 (January 1995), 40.212 (1994), 39.567 (1993), 38.951 (1992), 36.596 (1991), 34.569 (1990)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Transportation

Railroads:
total: 2,892 km
broad gauge: 978 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,914 km 1.000-m gauge (1992)

Highways:
total: 7,240 km
paved: 3,840 km
unpaved: 3,400 km (1985)

Inland waterways: 5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km main cargo routes)

Pipelines: natural gas 1,220 km

Ports: Barisal, Chandpur, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Dacca, Khulna, Mongla (includes Chalna), Narayanganj

Merchant marine:
total: 38 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 293,304 GRT/428,013 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 31, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 3

Airports:
total: 16
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 7

Communications

Telephone system: 241,250 telephones; 1 telephone/522 persons; poor domestic telephone service
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 2 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth stations; adequate international radio communications and landline service

Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 0
radios: NA

Television:
broadcast stations: 11
televisions: NA

Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
paramilitary forces: Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Village Defense Parties, National Cadet Corps

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 33,039,035; males fit for military service 19,607,817 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $448 million, 1.7% of GDP (FY93/94)