1985 Edition

Agriculture

large-scale subsistence farming, heavily dependent on monsoon rainfall; main crops are jute and rice; shortages grain, cotton, and oilseed

main products — -sugarcane, subsistence foods

Aid

economic — bilateral commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-82), from US, $10 million; ODA and OOF commitments from other Western countries (1970-82), $84 million; no military aid

Airfields

18 total, 13 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways 2,4403,659 m, 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m

Branches

Army, Naval Wing, Air Wing

constitution (currently suspended) provides for unicameral legislature (Parliament), strong President; independent judiciary; President has substantial control over the judiciary

Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary forces — Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Coastal Police

bicameral legislature (Parliament— 21-member appointed Senate and 27-member elected House of Assembly); Cabinet headed by Prime Minister

Barbados Defense Force, Royal Barbados Police Force

Budget

(FY83) current expenditures, $800 million; capital expenditures, $1.1 billion

(1983) revenues, $242 million; expenditures, $247.3 million

Capital

Dhaka

Bridgetown

Civil air

15 major transport aircraft

2 major transport aircraft

Coastline

580 km People

97 km People

Communists

2,500 members (est.)

negligible

Elections

some local elections held in December 1983; higher local elections scheduled for December 1984 postponed; presidential and parliamentary elections may be held in 1985 Political parties and leaders: Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Begum Ziaur Rahman; Awami League, Sheikh Hasina Wazed; United People's Party, Kazi Zafar Ahmed; Bangladesh (continued) Barbados Democratic League, Khondakar Mushtaque Ahmed; Muslim League, Khan A. Sabur; Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (National Socialist Party), M. A. Jalil; Bangladesh Communist Party (pro-Soviet), Mohammad Farhad; numerous small parties; political activity banned following March 1982 coup; ban lifted in March 1984

House of Assembly members have terms no longer than five years; last general election held 18 June 1981 Political parties and leaders: Barbados Labor Party (BLP; leader not yet named [former leader was Prime Minister Tom Adams, who died in March 1985]); Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Errol Barrow

Electric power

1,025,000 kW capacity (1984); 3.86 billion kWh produced (1984), 39 kWh per capita

146,000 kW capacity (1984); 339 million kWh produced (1984), 1,345 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

98% Bengali; 250,000 "Biharis" and fewer than one million tribals

80% African, 16% mixed, 4% European

Exports

$650 million (f.o.b., FY83); raw and manufactured jute, leather, tea

$358.7 million (f.o.b., 1983); sugar and sugarcane byproducts, electrical parts, clothing

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June Communications

1 April-31 March Communications

Fishing

catch 426,000 metric tons (1982)

GDP

$997.5 million (1982), $3,977 per capita; real GDP growth rate -2.7% (1982)

GNP

$11.6 billion (FY83, current prices), $121 per capita; real growth, 5.1% (FY83)

Government leaders

Lt. Gen. Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD, President and Chief Martial Law Administrator (since March 1982)

Bernard St. John, Acting Prime Minister; Sir Hugh SPRINGER, Governor General (since 1984)

Highways

45,633 km total; 4,076 km paved, 2,693 km gravel, 38,864 km earth •

1 ,533 km total; 1 ,476 km paved, 7 km unpaved, 3 km four-lane highways under construction, 96 km gravel and earth

Imports

$2.3 billion (c.i.f., FY83); foodgrains, fuels, raw cotton, fertilizer, manufactured products

$572 million (f.o.b., 1983); food stuffs, consumer durables, machinery, fuels

Inland waterways

7,000 km; river steamers navigate main waterways

Labor force

32.4 million (FY83); extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Kuwait; 74% of labor force is in agriculture, 15% services, 11% industry and commerce (FY8 1/82) Government

103,900(1982); 65.6% services and government, 24.6% industry and commerce, 9.8% agriculture; 11% unemployment (1979)

Land boundaries

2,535 km Water

Language

Bangla (official), English widely used

English

Legal system

martial law currently prevails and civilian legal system suspended; traditionally based on English common law; constitution adopted December 1972; amended January 1975 to more authoritarian presidential system; changed by proclamation in April 1977 to reflect Islamiccharacter of nation; further change, by proclamation in December 1978, to provide for the appointments of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, as well as other ministers of Cabinet rank, and to further define the powers of the President

English common law; constitution came into effect upon independence in 1966; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

12 nm (economic including fishing 200 nm)

12 nm (economic including fishing 200 nm)

Literacy

25%

99%

Major ground units

Defense Force

Major industries

jute manufactures, food processing, and cotton textiles

tourism, sugar milling, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Major trade partners

exports — US 10%, Mozambique 7%, Iran 6.1%, Pakistan 5%, Sudan 5%; imports — Western Europe 16%, Japan 12%, US 6% (FY83)

exports — 36% US, 27% CARICOM, UK; imports— 34% US, 18% CARICOM, UK, Canada (1980)

Member of

ADB, AfroAsian People's Solidarity Organization, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IRC, ITU, NAM, QIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WFTU, WMO, WTO Economy

CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, IDB — Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 30 June 1985, $279 million; about 10% of central government budget North Atlantic Ocean 5 fcm The Crane Land 430 km2; about half the size of New Yojk City; 60% crop; 30% unused, built on, or waste; 10% meadow Water

Military manpower

males 15-49, 121,000; 71,000 fit for military service

males 15-49, 23,961,000; 14,738,000 fit for military service

males 15-49, 67,000; 48,000 fit for military service; no conscription

Monetary conversion rate

25.65 takas= US$1 (October 1984)

1.989 Barbados dollars=US$l (November 1984)

National holiday

National Day, 26 March

Independence Day, 30 November

Nationality

noun — Bangladeshi(s); adjective— Bangladesh

noun — Barbadian(s); adjective— Barbadian

Official name

People's Republic of Bangladesh

Barbados

Organized labor

32% Government

Other political or pressure groups

Movement for National Liberation (MONALI), Ricky Parris; People's Progressive Movement, Bobby Clarke; People's Pressure Movement, Eric Sealy

Pipelines

610 km natural gas

Political subdivisions

21 districts, to be revised to approximately 370 thanas (rural townships), consisting of 4,470 unions (village groupings)

1 1 parishes and city of Bridgetown

Population

101 ,408,000 (July 1985), average annual growth rate 2.8%

252,000 (July 1985), average annual growth rate 0.3%

Ports

1 major (Chittagong), 2 minor

1 major (Bridgetown), 2 minor

Railroads

4,085 km total (1980); 2,198 km 1.000-meter gauge, 1,852km 1.676-meter broad gauge, 35 km 0.762-meter narrow gauge, 300 km double track; government owned

none

Religion

83% Muslim, about 16% Hindu, less than 1% Buddhist, Christian, and other

70% Anglican, 9% Methodist, 4% Roman Catholic, 17% other, including Moravian

Suffrage

universal over age 18

universal over age 18

Supply

from several West European countries, especially France and UK Bay of Bengal Land 143,998 km2; slightly smaller than Wisconsin; 66% arable (including cultivated and fallow); 18% uncultivated (not available); 16% forest

Telecommunications

adequate international radio communications and landline service; fair domestic wire and microwave service; fair broadcast service; 100,000 (est.) telephones (0. 1 per 100 popl.); 9 AM, 6 FM, 7 TV stations, and 1 ground satellite station Defense Forces

islandwide automatic telephone system with 72,850 telephones (27.9 per 100 popl.); tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and St. Lucia; UHF/VHF links to St. Vincent and St. Lucia; 2 AM stations, 1 FM station, 1 TV station; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station Defense Forces

Type

republic; under martial law since 24 March 1982

independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth recognizing Elizabeth II as Chief of State

Voting strength

(1981 election) BLP, 52.4%; DLP, 46.8%; independent, negligible; House of Assembly seats— BLP 17, DLP 10