Bangladesh

Airports

total: 16 usable: 12 with permanent-surface runways: 12 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 6

Highways

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

Inland waterways

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

Merchant marine

41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 312,172 GRT/458,131 DWT, bulk 3, cargo 33, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 3

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; poor domestic telephone service; 241.250 telephones - only one telephone for each 522 persons; fair broadcast service; 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, Defense Parties, National Cadet Corps

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $355 million, 1.5% of GDP (FY92/93)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 31,955,948; fit for military service 18,967,602

Agriculture

accounts for 33% of GDP, 65% of employment, and one-fifth of exports; world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products - jute, rice, wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages include wheat, vegetable oils, cotton

Budget

revenues: $2.5 billion expenditures: $3.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)

Currency

1 taka (Tk) = 100 poiska

Economic aid

recipient: 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

capacity: 2,400,000 kW production: 9 billion kWh consumption per capita: 75 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates

taka (Tk) per US$1 - 40.064 (January 1994), 39.567 (1993), 38.951 (1992), 36.596 (1991), 34.569 (1990), 32.270 (1989)

Exports

$2.1 billion (FY93) commodities: garments, jute and jute goods, leather, shrimp partners: US 33%, Western Europe 39% (Germany 8.4%, Italy 6%) (FY92 est.)

External debt

$13.5 billion (June 1993)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Illicit drugs

transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries

Imports

$3.5 billion (FY93) commodities: capital goods, petroleum, food, textiles partners: Hong Kong 7.5%, Singapore 7.4%, China 7.4%, Japan 7.1% (FY92 est.)

Industrial production

growth rate 6.9% (FY93 est.); accounts for 9.4% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.4% (FY93)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $122 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$1,000 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

4.3% (FY93)

Overview

Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest, most densely populated, and least developed nations. Its economy is overwhelmingly agricultural, with the cultivation of rice the single most important activity in the economy. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, government interference with the economy, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, a low level of industrialization, failure to fully exploit energy resources (natural gas), and inefficient and inadequate power supplies. Excellent rice crops and expansion of the export garment industry helped growth in FY92 and FY93. Policy reforms intended to reduce government regulation of private industry and promote public-sector efficiency have been announced but are being implemented only slowly.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 144,000 sq km land area: 133,910 sq km comparative area: 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

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 natural hazards: vulnerable to droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely flooded during the summer monsoon season international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

International disputes

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

Irrigated land

27,380 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries

total 4,246 km, 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%

Location

Southern Asia, at the head of the Bay of Bengal, almost completely surrounded by India

Map references

Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

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, arable land, timber

Terrain

mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

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

Constitution

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

Digraph

BG

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Abul AHSAN chancery: 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: (202) 342-8372 through 8376 consulate(s) general: New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Abdur Rahman BISWAS (since 8 October 1991); election last held 8 October 1991 (next to be held by NA October 1996); results - Abdur Rahman BISWAS received 52.1% of parliamentary vote head of government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIAur RAHMAN (since 20 March 1991) cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president

FAX

[880] (2) 883-744

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)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral

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, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNOMOZ, UNOMUR, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WFTU, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh former: East Pakistan

National Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad)

elections 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, BCP 5, National Awami Party (Muzaffar) 1, Workers Party 1, JSD 1, Ganotantri Party 1, Islami Oikya Jote 1, NDP 1, independents 3

National holiday

Independence Day, 26 March (1971)

Political parties and leaders

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda ZIAur RAHMAN; Awami League (AL), Sheikh Hasina WAJED; Jatiyo Party (JP), Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD (in jail); Jamaat-E-Islami (JI), Ali KHAN; Bangladesh Communist Party (BCP), Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK; National Awami Party (Muzaffar); Workers Party, leader NA; Jatiyo Samajtantik Dal (JSD), Serajul ALAM KHAN; 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; Democratic League, Khondakar MUSHTAQUE Ahmed; United People's Party, Kazi ZAFAR Ahmed

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador David MERRILL embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1212 telephone: [880] (2) 884700-22

Birth rate

35.02 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

11.68 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

106.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

50.1 million by occupation: agriculture 65%, services 21%, industry and mining 14% (1989) note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman (1991)

Languages

Bangla (official), English

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 55.08 years male: 55.35 years female: 54.8 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

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

Nationality

noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladesh

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

125,149,469 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.33% (1994 est.)

Religions

Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, Buddhist, Christian, other

Total fertility rate

4.47 children born/woman (1994 est.)