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Bangladesh
Physical. Bangladesh is located in Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of
Bengal, between Burma and India. It covers an area slightly smaller than Iowa.
The country's climate is tropical with cool, dry winters and hot, humid summers
(March to June) with a warm, rainy monsoon (June to October). Its terrain is
mostly a flat alluvial plain with hills in the southeast. Bangladesh's primary
natural resources include natural gas, arable land, timber and coal.
People. Over 147 million people reside in Bangladesh. Bangla is their
official language though many inhabitants speak English. Ethnically, the
population is largely Bengali (98%) with a small population of Biharis and
tribal descendants. The major religions practiced are: Muslim (83%), Hindu
(16%), and other (1%).
Government. The country is officially known as the People's Republic
of Bangladesh and is divided into four administrative divisions. It won its
independence from Pakistan in 1971 but it has reverted to martial law several
times since then. Its constitution was put into effect on December 16, 1972. In
the October 2001 elections a pro-Islamic and isolationist platform won a
landslide victory for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP over the more
liberal Awami Leagues government, which had been in power.
Economy. Despite continued international aid, Bangladesh is one of the
world's poorest, least developed and most densely populated countries. The
economy is largely agricultural and depends heavily on the cultivation of rice.
Frequent cyclones and floods (affecting about one-third of the country),
inadequate power supplies inefficient state-owned enterprises, a labor force
that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources
(natural gas), and slow implementation of economic reforms make it hard for the
economy to prosper. Reform is stalled by political infighting, corruption and by
opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest
groups.
Areas of Concern. Burmese refugees, a large population living on land that
floods regularly, water pollution, water-borne diseases, water shortages, soil
degradation and erosion, deforestation, and severe overpopulation are the
largest environmental concerns in Bangladesh. Stalled economic reform will not
be instituted with the corruption, political infighting and vested interest
groups that currently limit any change to the status quo in Bangladesh.
For more information on Bangladesh you may write to the chancery at 3510
International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008; check the U.S. State Department or
World Factbook country sites; or type in the country's name on the Internet
using a broad-based World Wide Web search engine.
Bangladesh statistics
Geography
Area: 144,000 sq km
Capital: Dhaka (12.56 million)
Environmental concerns: number of people cultivating flood-prone land leading to
water-borne diseases; water pollution (especially of fishing areas);
intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables; soil degradation
and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation
Geographical features: mostly flat alluvial plain although hilly in southeast
Climate: tropical; mild winter (October to March) with hot, humid summer (March
to June) and a humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
People
147,365,000 (July 2006 est.) Bengali (98%)
Annual growth rate: 2.09% (2006 est.)
Major languages are Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Religions: Muslim (83%), Hindu (16%), other (1%) (1998)
Health and social issues
Life expectancies: male 62; female 62
Infant mortality: 60.83 deaths/1,000 live births
Population below the poverty line: 45% (2004 est.)
1 physician to 4,759 people (2004)
HIV/AIDS Rate in Adults: less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
43% of adults are literate
Compulsory education (Ages): 6-11; free
Communication and transportation
831,000 (2004) main telephone lines in use
300,000 (2005) Internet users
239,226 km of roadways
2,706 km railroads
16 (2005) airports
227,000 motor vehicles (2004)
Government
Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy.
The chief of state is President Iajuddin Ahmed (since 6 September 2002). The
head of the government is Prime Minister Khaleda Zia (since 10 October 2001).
Universal suffrage 18 years of age
Military
Military expenditures as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is
1.8% (2005 est.).
Current disputes: various boundary and border disputes with India and the burden
of the care of Burmese Muslim refugees.
Economy
Currency: taka
Per capita GDP: $2,100 (2005 est.)
GDP: $304.3 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 5.7% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 6.7% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture (63%), industry (11%) services (25%) (FY95/96)
Resources and industry
Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Agriculture: rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses,
oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Industry: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint,
cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Exports: $9.372 billion (2005 est.)
Imports: $12.97 billion (2005 est.)
Suggested web sites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bangladesh
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/bdtoc.html
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