Bangladesh

Airports

16 total, 12 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

15 major transport aircraft

Highways

7,240 km total (1985); 3,840 km paved, 3,400 km unpaved

Inland waterways

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

Merchant marine

44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 328,382 GRT/479,985 DWT; includes 36 cargo, 2 petroleum tanker, 3 refrigerated cargo, 3 bulk

Pipelines

natural gas 1,220 km

Ports

Chittagong, Chalna

Railroads

2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km 1.000 meter gauge, 978 km 1.676 meter broad gauge

Telecommunications

adequate international radio communications and landline service; fair domestic wire and microwave service; fair broadcast service; 241,250 telephones; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 6 FM, 11 TV; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth stations

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $339 million, 1.5% of GDP (FY92 budget)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 29,891,224; 17,745,343 fit for military service

Agriculture

accounts for about 40% of GDP, 70% of employment, and one-third of exports; imports 10% of food grain requirements; world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products - jute, rice, wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages include wheat, vegetable oils and cotton; fish catch 778,000 metric tons in 1986

Budget

revenues $2.24 billion; expenditures $3.7 billion (FY91)

Currency

taka (plural - taka); 1 taka (Tk) = 100 paise

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $11.65 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6.52 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $1.5 billion

Electricity

1,990,000 kW capacity; 5,700 million kWh produced, 50 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates

taka (Tk) per US$1 - 38.800 (January 1992), 36.596 (1991), 34.569 (1990), 32.270 (1989), 31.733 (1988), 30.950 (1987)

Exports

$1.7 billion (FY91 est.) commodities: garments, jute and jute goods, leather, shrimp partners: US 32%, Italy 8.1%, UK 6.2% (FY90)

External debt

$11.1 billion (FY91 est.)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $23.1 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 3.2% (FY91)

Imports

$3.5 billion (FY91 est.) commodities: capital goods, petroleum, food, textiles partners: Japan 9.2%, India 6.2%, Singapore 5.9%, US 5.7%

Industrial production

growth rate 1% (FY91 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP

Industries

jute manufacturing, cotton textiles, food processing, steel, fertilizer

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.9% (FY91 est.)

Overview

Bangladesh is one of the poorest nations in the world. The economy is based on the output of a narrow range of agricultural products, such as jute, which is the main cash crop and major source of export earnings, and rice. Bangladesh is hampered by a relative lack of natural resources, population growth of more than 2% a year, large-scale unemployment, and a limited infrastructure; furthermore, it is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. Despite these constraints, real GDP growth averaged about 3.5% annually during 1985-89. A strong agricultural performance in FY90 pushed the growth rate up to 6.2%, and FY91 saw further, though smaller, increases in output. Alleviation of poverty remains the cornerstone of the government's development strategy.

Unemployment rate

30%, including underemployment (FY90 est.)

Climate

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

Coastline

580 km

Comparative area

slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Disputes

a portion of the boundary with India is in dispute; water sharing problems with upstream riparian India over the Ganges

Environment

vulnerable to droughts; much of country routinely flooded during summer monsoon season; overpopulation; deforestation

Land area

133,910 km2

Land boundaries

4,246 km total; Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Land use

arable land 67%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and woodland 16%; other 11%; includes irrigated 14%

Maritime claims

Contiguous zone: 18 nm Continental shelf: up to outer limits of continental margin Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

natural gas, uranium, arable land, timber

Note

almost completely surrounded by India

Terrain

mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Total area

144,000 km2

Administrative divisions

64 districts (zillagulo, singular - zilla); Bagerhat, Bandarban, Barguna, Barisal, Bhola, Bogra, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Chapai Nawabganj, Chattagram, Chuadanga, Comilla, Cox's Bazar, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Faridpur, Feni, Gaibandha, Gazipur, Gopalganj, Habiganj, Jaipurhat, Jamalpur, Jessore, Jhalakati, Jhenaidah, Khagrachari, Khulna, Kishorganj, Kurigram, Kushtia, Laksmipur, Lalmonirhat, Madaripur, Magura, Manikganj, Meherpur, Moulavibazar, Munshiganj, Mymensingh, Naogaon, Narail, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Nator, Netrakona, Nilphamari, Noakhali, Pabna, Panchagar, Parbattya Chattagram, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Rajbari, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Satkhira, Shariyatpur, Sherpur, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Sylhet, Tangail, Thakurgaon

Capital

Dhaka

Communists

5,000 members (1987 est.)

Constitution

4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended NA March 1991

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Abul AHSAN; Chancery at 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone (202) 342-8372 through 8376; there is a Bangladesh Consulate General in New York US: Ambassador William B. MILAM; Embassy at Diplomatic Enclave, Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka (mailing address is G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1212); telephone [880] (2) 884700-22; FAX [880] (2) 883648

Elections

National Parliament: last held 27 February 1991 (next to be held NA February 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (330 total, 300 elected and 30 seats reserved for women) BNP 168, AL 93, JP 35, JI 20, CBP 5, National Awami Party (Muzaffar) 1, Workers Party 1, SIRAJ 1, Ganotantri Party 1, Islami Oikya Jote 1, NDP 1, independents 3 President: last held 8 October 1991 (next to be held by NA October 1996); results - Abdur Rahman BISWAS received 52.1% of parliamentary vote

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Cabinet

Flag

green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center; green is the traditional color of Islam

Independence

16 December 1971 (from Pakistan; formerly East Pakistan)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State: President Abdur Rahman BISWAS (since 8 October 1991) Head of Government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIAUR Rahman (since 20 March 1991)

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral National Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad)

Long-form name

People's Republic of Bangladesh

Member of

AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WHO, WFTU, WIPO, WCL, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 March (1971)

Political parties and leaders

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda ZIAUR Rahman; Awami League (AL), Sheikh Hasina WAZED; Jatiyo Party (JP), Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD; Jamaat-E-Islami (JI), Ali KHAN; Bangladesh Communist Party (BCP), Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK; National Awami Party (Muzaffar); Workers Party, leader NA; Jatiyo Samajtantik Dal (National Socialist Party - SIRAJ), M. A. JALIL; Ganotantri Party, leader NA; Islami Oikya Jote, leader NA; National Democratic Party (NDP), leader NA; Muslim League, Khan A. SABUR; Democratic League, Khondakar MUSHTAQUE Ahmed; United People's Party, Kazi ZAFAR Ahmed

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

republic

Birth rate

36 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

12 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

112 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

35,100,000; agriculture 74%, services 15%, industry and commerce 11% (FY86); extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman (1991)

Languages

Bangla (official), English widely used

Life expectancy at birth

55 years male, 54 years female (1992)

Literacy

35% (male 47%, female 22%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Bangladeshi(s); adjective - Bangladesh

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

3% of labor force belongs to 2,614 registered unions (1986 est.)

Population

119,411,711 (July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992)

Religions

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

Total fertility rate

4.6 children born/woman (1992)