Bangladesh

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.

• tropical;
• mild winter (October to March);
• hot, humid summer (March to June);
• humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

• 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

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

0-14 years:

34.1% (male 24,255,300; female 23,007,632)

15-64 years:

62.5% (male 44,261,739; female 42,281,331)

65 years and over:

3.4% (male 2,506,606; female 2,135,602) (2003 est.)

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:

1.17 male(s)/female

total population:

1.05 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Bangladeshi(s)

adjective:

Bangladeshi

conventional long form:

People's Republic of Bangladesh

conventional short form:

Bangladesh

former:

East Pakistan

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

chief of state:

• President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002);
• 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 Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October 2001)

cabinet:

Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president

elections:

• president elected by National Parliament for a five-year 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 to be held by NA 2007);
• 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 by the Election Commission elected unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA%

• unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad;
• 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies (the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001);
• members serve five-year terms

elections:

last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held before October 2006)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 46%, AL 42%;
• seats by party - BNP 191, AL 62, JI 18, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Naziur) 4, other 9;
• note - the election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - Jamaat-i-Islami, Islami Oikya Jote, and Jatiya Party (Naziur)

• Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA];
• Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK];
• Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA, chairperson];
• Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI];
• Jamaat-E-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI];
• Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD];
• Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Syed Hasan AHMAD

consulate(s) general:

Los Angeles and New York

FAX:

[1] (202) 244-5366

telephone:

[1] (202) 244-0183

chancery:

3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mary Ann PETERS

embassy:

Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212

mailing address:

G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000

telephone:

[880] (2) 8824700 through 8824722

FAX:

[880] (2) 8823744

• 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

lowest 10%:

3.9%

highest 10%:

28.6% (1995-96 est.)

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)

total:

2,706 km

broad gauge:

884 km 1.676-m gauge

narrow gauge:

1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)

total:

207,486 km

paved:

19,773 km

unpaved:

187,713 km (1999)

total:

40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 314,437 GRT/436,465 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 2, cargo 23, container 11, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2002 est.)

• discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, demarcate and fence the porous land boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade and violence;
• Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary;
• dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty Island in the Bay of Bengal prevents maritime boundary delimitation;
• Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources