Country name conventional long form: People"s Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
former: East Pakistan Background 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.Location Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India Area total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km Area - comparative slightly smaller than Iowa Coastline 580 km Climate tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) Terrain mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m 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 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 Population 138,448,210 (July 2003 est.) Age structure 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.) Median age total: 21.2 years
male: 21.2 years
female: 21.1 years (2002) 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: 1.17 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2003 est.) Nationality noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi Ethnic groups Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998) Religions Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) Languages Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English Internet country code .bd Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 43.1%
male: 53.9%
female: 31.8% (2003 est.) Government type parliamentary democracy 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 Legal system based on English common law International organization participation AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Economy - overview Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and ill-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. Economic 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. Exports - partners US 27.6%, Germany 10.4%, UK 9.8%, France 5.7%, Italy 4% (2002) Currency taka (BDT) Currency code BDT Exchange rates taka per US dollar - 57.89 (2002), 55.81 (2001), 52.14 (2000), 49.09 (1999), 46.91 (1998) Airports 18 (2002) Airports - with paved runways total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 6 (2002) Airports - with unpaved runways total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2002) Disputes - international 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 |
