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| Geography |
| 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 |
| Location: | Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India |
| Geographic coordinates: | 24 00 N, 90 00 E |
| Area: | total: 143,998 sq km land: 130,168 sq km water: 13,830 sq km
Size comparison: slightly smaller than Iowa |
| Land Boundaries: | total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km |
| Coastline: | 580 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin |
| 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 resources: | natural gas, arable land, timber, coal |
| Land use: | arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 50,500 sq km (2008) |
| Natural hazards: | droughts; cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season |
| Current Environment Issues: | many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; waterborne 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 |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
|
| People |
| Population: | 158,570,535 (July 2011 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 34.3% (male 27,551,594/female 26,776,647) 15-64 years: 61.1% (male 45,956,431/female 50,891,519) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 3,616,225/female 3,778,119) (2011 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 23.3 years male: 22.7 years female: 23.7 years (2011 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.566% (2011 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 22.98 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Death rate: | 5.75 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 50.73 deaths/1,000 live births male: 53.23 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 69.75 years male: 67.93 years female: 71.65 years (2011 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.6 children born/woman (2011 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 6,300 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 200 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi |
| Ethnic groups: | Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998) |
| Religions: | Muslim 89.5%, Hindu 9.6%, other 0.9% (2004) |
| Languages: | Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47.9% male: 54% female: 41.4% (2001 Census) |
|
| Government |
| Country name: | conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh local long form: Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh local short form: former: East Bengal, East Pakistan |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: | name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 7 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet |
| Independence: | 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh |
| 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 |
| Constitution: | 4 November 1972; effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982; restored 10 November 1986; amended many times |
| Legal system: | mixed legal system of mostly English common law and Islamic law |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Zillur RAHMAN (since 12 February 2009) head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 6 January 2009) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last election held on 11 February 2009 (next to be held in 2014) election results: Zillur RAHMAN declared president-elect by the Election Commission on 11 February 2009 (sworn in on 12 February); he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats (45 reserved for women) elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms elections: last held on 29 December 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - AL 49%, BNP 33.2%, JP 7%, JIB 4.6%, other 6.2%; seats by party - AL 230, BNP 30, JP 27, JIB 2, other 11 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Communist Party of Bangladesh or CPB [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh or BDB [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [multiple leaders]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Oli AHMED] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs) other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders |
| International organization participation: | ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CICA (observer), CP, D-8, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Akramul QADER chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183 FAX: [1] (202) 244-7830/2771 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212 mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500 FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744 |
|
| Economy |
| The economy has grown 5-6% per year since 1996 despite political instability, poor infrastructure, corruption, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, 45% of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Bangladesh's growth was resilient during the 2008-09 global financial crisis and recession. Garment exports, totaling $12.3 billion in FY09 and remittances from overseas Bangladeshis, totaling $11 billion in FY10, accounted for almost 25% of GDP. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $258.6 billion (2010 est.) $243.9 billion (2009 est.) $230.6 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $104.9 billion (2010 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 6% (2010 est.) 5.8% (2009 est.) 6% (2008 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,700 (2010 est.) $1,600 (2009 est.) $1,500 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 18.8% industry: 28.5% services: 52.6% (2010 est.) |
| Labor force: | 73.86 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances were $10.9 billion in FY09/10 (2010 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 45% industry: 30% services: 25% (2008) |
| Unemployment rate: | 5.1% (2010 est.) 5.1% (2009 est.) note: about 40% of the population is underemployed; many participants in the labor force work only a few hours a week, at low wages |
| Population below poverty line: | 40% (2010 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: 26.6% (2008 est.) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 33.2 (2005) 33.6 (1996) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.1% (2010 est.) 5.4% (2009 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 23.8% of GDP (2010 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $11.41 billion expenditures: $15.87 billion (2010 est.) |
| Public debt: | 35.2% of GDP (2010 est.) 35.4% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry |
| Industries: | cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 7% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 25.62 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 23.94 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 5,724 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 98,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 2,770 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 77,340 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 28 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 19.75 billion cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 20.1 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 195.4 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $3.734 billion (2010 est.) $2.416 billion (2009 est.) |
| Exports: | $15.97 billion (2010 est.) $15.07 billion (2009 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | garments, frozen fish and seafood, jute and jute goods, leather |
| Exports - partners: | US 22.1%, Germany 14.1%, UK 8.5%, France 6.8%, Netherlands 6.1% (2010) |
| Imports: | $21.34 billion (2010 est.) $19.76 billion (2009 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement |
| Imports - partners: | China 18.9%, India 12.7%, Singapore 6%, Malaysia 4.7%, Japan 4% (2010) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $11.18 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $10.34 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $24.41 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $23.82 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $5.939 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $5.139 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $92 million (31 December 2010 est.) $91 million (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $47 billion (31 December 2010) $7.068 billion (31 December 2009) $6.671 billion (31 December 2008) |
| Exchange rates: | taka (BDT) per US dollar - 70.59 (2010) 69.04 (2009) 68.554 (2008) 69.893 (2007) 69.031 (2006) |
|
| Communications |
| Telephones in use: | 1.522 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 64 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 50.4 million (2009) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities domestic: fixed-line teledensity remains only about 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and now exceeds 30 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2009) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .bd |
| Internet hosts: | 68,224 (2010) |
| Internet users: | 617,300 (2009) |
|
| Transportation |
| Airports: | 17 (2010) country comparison to the world: 142 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 15 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2010) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2010) |
| Pipelines: | gas 2,714 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 2,622 km broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,676 km 1.000-m gauge (2010) |
| Roadways: | total: 239,226 km paved: 22,726 km unpaved: 216,500 km (2003) |
| Waterways: | 8,370 km (includes up to 3,060 km of main cargo routes; the network is reduced to 5,200 km in the dry season) (2007) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 50 by type: bulk carrier 16, cargo 25, container 5, petroleum tanker 4 foreign-owned: 4 (China 1, Singapore 3) registered in other countries: 9 (Comoros 1, Malta 1, Panama 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 2) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Chittagong, Mongla Port |
|
| Military |
|
| Military branches: | Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army (Sena Bahini), Bangladesh Navy (Noh Bahini, BN), Bangladesh Air Force (Biman Bahini, BAF) (2010) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 16 years of age for voluntary enlisted military service (Air Force); 17 years of age (Army and Navy); conscription is by law possible in times of emergency, but has never been implemented (2010) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 36,520,491 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 30,486,086 females age 16-49: 35,616,093 (2010 est.) |
