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Background: Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
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Common Name: Bangladesh
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Local Official Name: Bangladesh
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Abbreviated Name: People's Republic of Bangladesh
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Official Name: Bangladesh
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Official Script Name: Bangladesh
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Local Common Name: Bangladesh
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Former Name: East Bengal, East Pakistan
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Iajuddin AHMED
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Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
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Independence: 1971 December 16 (from West Pakistan)
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Constitution: 1972 November 4 (effective 16 December 1972, suspended
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 26 March
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International Organization Participation: AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
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Administrative Divisions: 6 Divisions: Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: Based on English common law.
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Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
Chief of State: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002); note - the president's duties are normally ceremonial, but with the 13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker Government Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times when Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed - at presidential direction - to supervise the elections
Head of Government: Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October 2001)
Cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president
Elections: President elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term). Election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate. He was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election to be held by 2007). Following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president.
Election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared by the Election Commission elected unopposed as president.
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Party Leaders: Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]
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International Disputes: Discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh resists India's attempts to fence or wall off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary inspection in 2005 revealed 92 pillars are missing; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources
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Illicit Drugs: Transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
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Location of Bangladesh: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
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Continent: Asia
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Land Area Total: 144,000 sq km
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Region: South East Asia |
Land Area Land: 133,910 sq km
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Capitol City: Dhaka
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Land Area Water: 10,090 sq km
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Current: +6
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Latitude: 024 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 4,246 km
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Longitude: 090 00 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 580 km
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Arable Land: 55.39 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 3.08 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 1,230 m
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Location: Keokradong
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Indian Ocean
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Largest City in Bangladesh: Dhaka
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Dhaka Largest City Population: 11,726,000
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Threatened Species: 85
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Environmental 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.
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands.
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Irrigated Land: 38,440
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Bordering Countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
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Natural Resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
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Geographical Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
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Comparative Area of Bangladesh: Slightly smaller than Iowa
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Bangladesh's Geography: Most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas. The Ganga unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Bangladesh.
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General Climate: tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
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Natural Hazards: droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
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Economic Overview: Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-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. 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. One encouraging note: growth has been a steady 5% for the past several years.
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GDP: $304,300,000,000 USD
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Currency: taka
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GDP per Capita: $2,100 USD
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Currency Code: BDT
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GDP Growth Rate: 5.70 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% BDT
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Currency Exchange Rate History: taka per US dollar - 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002), 55.807
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GDP of Agriculture: 19.90 %
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GDP of Industry: 19.80 %
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GDP of Services: 60.30 % |
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Inflation Rate: 7.00 % |
Population in Poverty: 45.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 2.50 %
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Tourism: 173,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 3.90 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $5,993,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 28.60 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $8,598,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 17,420,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 16,200,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 92.45%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 7.55%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 6,825 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 11,900,000,000 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 84,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 11,900,000,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 28,450,000,000 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 300,200,000,000 cu m
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External Debt: $20,630,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $1,575,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
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Primary Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
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Industrial Growth Rate: 6.70 %
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Import Amount in USD: $12,970,000,000 USD - machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, raw cotton, food, crude oil and petroleum products, cement
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Import Partners: India 14.1%, China 13.5%, Kuwait 8.5%, Singapore 6.2%, Japan 4.1%, Hong Kong 4.1%
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Export Amount in USD: $9,372,000,000 USD - garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
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Export Partners: US 23.6%, Germany 13.5%, UK 9.4%, France 6.4%
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GINI Index: 31.80%
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Labor Force Number of People: 66,600,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture 63%, services 26%, industry 11%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 28 |
Number of People with Radios: 6,150,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 15 |
Number of People with Televisions: 770,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 1,070,000 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 2,781,600 |
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Internet Service Providers: 266 |
Internet Users: 300,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .bd |
Newspapers: 9 |
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Two Letter Country Code: BD |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 880 |
Electricity Voltage: Volts |
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Telephone Systems: General Assessment: Totally inadequate for a modern country
Domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF Microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities
International: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries
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Highways: 22,726 km |
Railways: 2,768 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 2,012 km |
Waterways: 8,372 km
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Airports: 15 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 2 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 24,487,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 0.07 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: Total: 42 ships (1000 GRT or over) 341,733 GRT/485,840 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 29, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3
foreign-owned: 1 (China 1)
Registered in other countries: 10 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Comoros 1, Malta 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 1) (2006)
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Ports and Harbors: Chittagong, Mongla Port
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Population: 147,365,352 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 29.80 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 1,019.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 8.27 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 2.09% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 3.11 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 24,957,997 |
Population Female 0-14: 23,533,894 |
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Population Male 15-64: 47,862,774 |
Population Female 15-64: 45,917,674 |
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Population Male 65+: 2,731,578 |
Population Female 65+: 2,361,435 |
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Population 0-14: 32.90% |
Literacy Rate: 43.10% |
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Population 15-64: 63.60% |
Literacy rate of Males: 53.90% |
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Population 65+: 3.50% |
Literacy rate of Females: 31.80% |
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Population that is Male: 52.50
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Population that is Female: 47.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 62.46 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 60.83 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 62.47 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 62.45 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.10%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 13,000
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 650 |
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Disease Risk: High
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Diseases: Food or Waterborne Diseases: Cacterial Diarrhea, Hepatitis A and E, and Typhoid Fever
Vectorborne Diseases: Dengue fever and Malaria are high risks in some locations
Water contact Disease: Leptospirosis
Animal contact Disease: Rabies
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -0.68
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Nationality: BANGLADESHI
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Ethnic Groups: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims
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Primary Language: Bangla
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Other Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
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Primary Religion: Muslim
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Other Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1%
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Branches: Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 0 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 0 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 0 People per year
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Expenditures: $1,010,000,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 1.80
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Bangladesh Spa and Resort Directory
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Bangladesh City Information Game Earn Real Money
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