Bangladesh

People's Republic of Bangladesh

republicIndependence 16 December 1971 (from Pakistan)

Bangladesh as the 1999 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 103 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalDhaka

Position24 00 N, 90 00 E

Area144,000 sq km

LocationSouthern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between

Populationas each edition published it

127.12 million July 1999 est. · 118.43m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.59% 1999 est. · 2.35% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 21.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

60.6 years 1999 est. · 54.7 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.86 children per woman 1999 est. · 5.7 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

69.68 deaths per 1,000 live births 1999 est. · 136 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,380 1998 est. · $200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

4% 1998 est. · 3.8% in 1993

Geography

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

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Land useshare of 144,000 sq km

arable land 73%permanent crops 2%permanent pastures 5%forests and woodland 15%other 5% (1993 est.)irrigated 31,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Area

144,000sq km

land: 133,910 sq kmwater: 10,090 sq kmslightly smaller than Wisconsin

Coastline

580km

contiguous zone: 18 nmcontinental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

1,230m

Keokradonglowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Land boundaries

4,246km

border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Location

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

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 hazards

droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely flooded during the summer monsoon season

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

Environment--international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:: Law of the Sea

People

15 fields

Population

127,117,967

(July 1999 est.)growth rate: 1.59% (1999 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1999 est.)

Birth

25.2Death

8.5Net migration

-0.79

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1999 est.)60.6

60.73 · 60.46

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)38.1%

49.4% · 26.1%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Religions

Muslim 88.3%Hindu 10.5%other 1.2%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 38% (male 24,516,722; female 23,346,904)
15-64 years:: 59% (male 38,441,064; female 36,586,743)
65 years and over:: 3% (male 2,303,613; female 1,922,921) (1999 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 1.2 male(s)/female
total population:: 1.06 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

69.68 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective:: Bangladesh

Ethnic groups

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

Government

Republic; President Shahabuddin AHMED (since 9 October 1996); Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 23 June 1996)

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Legislature, 330 seats, elected 12 June 1996seats by party

-AL 178BNP 113JP 33JI 3other 2election still to be held 1

Country name

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

Administrative divisions

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

Constitution

4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended many times

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Shahabuddin AHMED (since 9 October 1996);
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 Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 23 June 1996)
cabinet:: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president
elections:: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term;
election last held 24 July 1996 (next to be held by NA October 2001);
following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president
election results:: Shahabuddin AHMED elected president without opposition; percent of National Parliament vote--NA

Legislative branch

unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad (330 seats; 300 elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies, 30 seats reserved for women; members serve five-year terms)

elections:: last held 12 June 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results:: percent of vote by party--AL 33.87%, BNP 30.87%;
seats by party--AL 178, BNP 113, JP 33, JI 3, other 2, election still to be held 1;
note--the elections of 12 June 1996 brought to power an Awami League government for the first time in twenty-one years;
held under a neutral, caretaker administration, the elections were characterized by a peaceful, orderly process and massive voter turnout, ending a bitter two-year impasse between the former BNP and opposition parties that had paralyzed National Parliament and led to widespread street violence

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, the Chief Justices and other judges are appointed by the president

International organization participation

AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNOMIL, UNPREDEP, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Khwaja Mohammad SHEHABUDDIN
chancery:: 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general:: Los Angeles and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador John C. HOLZMAN
embassy:: Diplomatic Enclave, Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
mailing address:: G.P.O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000

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

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.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$1,380

purchasing power parity? · (1998 est.)

Real growth rate

(1998 est.)industrial production growth: 3.6% (1997)

Inflation, consumer prices

(1998)

Unemployment rate

35.2%

(1996)

GDP--composition by sector(1997)

agriculture 30%industry 17%services 53% (1997)

Budget

Revenues

$3.8 billionExpenditures

$5.5 billion (1997)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

fossil fuel 97.35%hydro 2.65%nuclear 0% · other 0%

Electricity production

11.5 billion (1997)Electricity consumption

11.3 billion (1996)

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. The economy is largely 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), inadequate power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms.

Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed's Awami League government has made some headway improving the climate for foreign investors and liberalizing the capital markets; for example, it has negotiated with foreign firms for oil and gas exploration, better countrywide distribution of cooking gas, and the construction of natural gas pipelines and power plants.

Progress on other economic reforms has been halting because of opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups. Severe floods, lasting from July to October 1998, endangered the livelihoods of more than 20 million people. Foodgrain production fell by 4 million tons, forcing Dhaka to triple its normal foodgrain imports and placing severe pressure on Bangladesh's balance of payments.

The floods increased the country's reliance on large-scale international aid. So far the East Asian financial crisis has not had major impact on the economy.

GDP

purchasing power parity--$175.5 billion (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line

35.6% (1995-96 est.)

Labor force

56 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, and Oman (1996)

Labor force--by occupation

agriculture 65%, services 25%, industry and mining 10% (1996)

Industries

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

Agriculture--products

rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes; beef, milk, poultry

Exports

$4.4 billion (1997)

Exports--commodities

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

Exports--partners

Western Europe 42%, US 30%, Hong Kong 4%, Japan 3% (FY95/96 est.)

Imports

$7.1 billion (1997)

Imports--commodities

capital goods, textiles, food, petroleum products

Imports--partners

India 21%, China 10%, Western Europe 8%, Hong Kong 7%, Singapore 6% (FY95/96 est.)

Debt--external

$16.7 billion (1997)

Economic aid--recipient

$1.475 billion (FY96/97)

Currency

1 taka (Tk) = 100 poisha

Exchange rates

taka (Tk) per US$1--48.500 (January 1999), 46.906 (1998), 43.892 (1997), 41.794 (1996), 40.278 (1995), 40.212 (1994)

Fiscal year

1 July--30 June

Communications

6 fields

Fixed lines

249,800

(1994 est.)

Telephone system

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

Radio broadcast stations

AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (one of Bangladesh's two shortwave stations, Bangladesh Betar or Radio Bangladesh, transmits its programs to the world in six languages on four frequencies) (1998)

Radios

Television broadcast stations

11 (1997)

Televisions

350,000 (1993 est.)

Transportation

9 fields

Merchant marine, 40 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1998 est.)

bulk 2cargo 33oil tanker 2refrigerated cargo 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 2

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m

over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

over 3,047 m

Networkskm

Highways

204,022Railways

2,745

Highways: paved: 25,095 km · unpaved: 178,927 km (1996 est.) · Railways: broad gauge: 923 km 1.676-m gauge · narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (1998 est.)