2000 Edition

Background

Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. A third of this desperately poor country annually floods during the monsoon rainy season, hampering normal economic development.

Area

land

133,910 sq km

total

144,000 sq km

water

10,090 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Climate

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

Coastline

580 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Keokradong 1,230 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

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

Geographic coordinates

24 00 N, 90 00 E

Irrigated land

31,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

total

4,246 km

Land use

arable land

73%

forests and woodland

15%

other

5% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

2%

permanent pastures

5%

Location

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

Map references

Asia

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

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

natural gas, arable land, timber

Terrain

mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Age structure

0-14 years: 36% (male 24,055,675; female 22,918,354) 15-64 years: 60% (male 39,924,040; female 37,992,459) 65 years and over: 4% (male 2,342,134; female 1,961,562) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

25.44 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

8.73 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

71.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Bangla (official), English

Life expectancy at birth

female

59.91 years (2000 est.)

male

60.4 years

total population

60.16 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

26.1% (1995 est.)

male

49.4%

total population

38.1%

Nationality

adjective

Bangladesh

noun

Bangladeshi(s)

Net migration rate

-0.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

129,194,224 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

1.59% (2000 est.)

Religions

Muslim 88.3%, Hindu 10.5%, other 1.2%

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: 1.19 male(s)/female

total population

1.05 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.85 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

5 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi

note

there may be one additional division named Sylhet

Capital

Dhaka

Constitution

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

Country name

conventional long form

People's Republic of Bangladesh

conventional short form

Bangladesh

former

East Pakistan

Data code

BG

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

telephone

(2) 884700 through 884722

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador Khwaja Mohammad SHEHABUDDIN

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles and New York

telephone

(202) 342-8372

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president

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

election results

Shahabuddin AHMED elected president without opposition; percent of National Parliament vote - NA

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

head of government

Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 23 June 1996)

FAX

(2) 883744

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

Government type

republic

Independence

16 December 1971 (from Pakistan)

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, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

based on English common law

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)

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 for 1 seat; 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

elections

last held 12 June 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 March (1971)

Political parties and leaders

Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA Wajed]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP ; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP ; Jamaat-E-Islami or JI ; Jatiyo Party or JP

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes; beef, milk, poultry, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit

Budget

expenditures

$6.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)

revenues

$4.3 billion

Currency

1 taka (Tk) = 100 poisha

Debt - external

$16.5 billion (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$1.475 billion (FY96/97)

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. The especially severe floods of 1998 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.

Electricity - consumption

11.039 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - production

12.5 billion kWh (1999 est.)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

98%

hydro

2%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1999)

Exchange rates

taka (Tk) per US$1 - 51.000 (January 2000), 49.085 (1999), 46.906 (1998), 43.892 (1997), 41.794 (1996), 40.278 (1995)

Exports

$5.1 billion (1998)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

US 33%, Germany 10%, UK 9%, France 6%, Italy 5% (1997)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP

purchasing power parity - $187 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

30%

industry

17%

services

53% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $1,470 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.2% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4.1% highest 10%: 23.7% (1992)

Imports

$8.01 billion (1998)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, raw cotton, food, crude oil and petroleum products, cement

Imports - partners

India 12%, China 9%, Japan 7%, Hong Kong 6%, South Korea 6% (1997)

Industrial production growth rate

2.5% (1997 est.)

Industries

cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9% (FY98/99 est.)

Labor force

56 million (1995-96)

note

extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Malaysia, and Singapore

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 63%, services 26%, industry 11% (FY95/96)

Population below poverty line

35.6% (FY95/96 est.)

Unemployment rate

35.2% (1996)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

6 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999)

Radios

6.15 million (1997)

Telephone system

domestic

modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave, and some fiber-optic cable in cities

international

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

Telephones - main lines in use

470,000 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular

41,000 (1998)

Television broadcast stations

15 (1999)

Televisions

770,000 (1997)

Airports

16 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

16 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 6 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

19,112 km

total

201,182 km

unpaved

182,070 km (1997 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 2, cargo 28, container 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off 2 (1999 est.)

total

36 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 284,489 GRT/405,845 DWT

Pipelines

natural gas 1,220 km

Ports and harbors

Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port

Railways

broad gauge

923 km 1.676-m gauge

narrow gauge

1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (1998 est.)

total

2,745 km

Waterways

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

Military branches

Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, paramilitary forces (includes Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Village Defense Parties, National Cadet Corps), Armed Police battalions

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$559 million (FY96/97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.8% (FY96/97)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 34,683,414 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 20,565,193 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

a portion of the boundary with India is indefinite; dispute with India over South Talpatty/New Moore Island

Illicit drugs

transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries

BARBADOS