| Background |
Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development. |
| Location |
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and
India |
| Area |
total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km |
| Area - comparative |
slightly smaller than Iowa |
| 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: 61%
permanent crops: 3%
other: 36% (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards |
droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season |
| Environment - current 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 |
| Geography - note |
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 |
| Population |
133,376,684 (July 2002 est.) |
| Age structure |
0-14 years: 33.8% (male 23,069,242; female 21,995,457)
15-64 years: 62.8% (male 42,924,778; female 40,873,077)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 2,444,314; female 2,069,816) (2002 est.) |
| Population growth rate |
1.59% (2002 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate |
68.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth |
total population: 60.92 years
female: 60.74 years (2002 est.)
male: 61.08 years |
| Ethnic groups |
Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998) |
| Religions |
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) |
| Languages |
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English |
| Literacy |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56%
male: 63%
female: 49% (2000 est.) |
| Government type |
parliamentary democracy |
| Capital |
Dhaka |
| 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 |
| Legal system |
based on English common law |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
| Flag description |
green with a large red disk slightly
to the hoist side of center; the red sun of freedom represents
the blood shed to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes
the lush countryside, and secondarily, the traditional color
of Islam
|
| Economy - overview |
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and ill-governed nation. Although more than 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. Economic 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 newly-elected BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has the parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms, but the party's level of political will to do so remains undetermined. |
| GDP - per capita |
purchasing power parity - $1,750 (2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line |
35.6% (FY95/96 est.) |
| Labor force |
64.1 million (1998)
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 |
| Unemployment rate |
35% (2001 est.) |
| Industries |
cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar |
| Agriculture - products |
rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry |
| Exports - commodities |
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood |
| Imports - commodities |
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, raw cotton, food, crude oil and petroleum products, cement |
