Bangladesh
People's Republic of BangladeshGana Prajatantri Banladesh
parliamentary democracyIndependence 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan)
Bangladesh as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 128 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
Geography
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
18 fieldsLand useshare of 144,000 sq km
Climate
- tropical;
- mild winter (October to March);
- hot, humid summer (March to June);
- humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
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, 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
People
20 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)
Male · female
Religions(1998)
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:
- 1.16 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- high
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial 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 (2005)
Government
Parliamentary democracy; President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002); Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October 2001)
18 fieldsLegislature, 300 seats, elected 1 October 2001one dot, one seat
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
Capital
- name:
- Dhaka
- geographic coordinates:
- 23 43 N, 90 25 E
- time difference:
- UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
Executive branch
- 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 (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 to be held by 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
Legislative branch
- 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 no later than January 2007)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%;
- 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 a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)
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 [Motiur 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]
International organization participation
ARF, AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Shamsher Mobin CHOWDHURY
- chancery:
- 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 244-0183
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 244-5366
- consulate(s) general:
- Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Patricia A. BUTENIS
- 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
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation.
46 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2004 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although 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.
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 political will to do so has been lacking in key areas. One encouraging note: growth has been a steady 5% for the past several years.
Labor force
66.6 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products
rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Industries
cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Imports - commodities
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000)
Exchange rates
taka per US dollar - 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002), 55.807 (2001)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone 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:
- country code - 880;
- satellite earth stations - 6;
- international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2005)
Transportation
9 fieldsMerchant marine, 42 ships by typeone square, one ship · ships (1000 GRT or over) 341,733 GRT/485,840 DWT
Airports by runway lengthpaved only
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
Waterways
8,372 km note: includes 5,635 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2005)
Military
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2006)
5 fieldsMilitary branches
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2006)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2005)
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - international
- discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries, 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;
- Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources
Refugees and internally displaced persons
- refugees (country of origin):
- 20,402 (Burma)
- IDPs:
- 61,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2005)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Bangladesh.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/bangladesh/2006.