1.
[syn: Bangladesh, People's Republic of Bangladesh, Bangla Desh, East Pakistan]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Bangladesh \Bangladesh\ prop. n.
An independent Asian country on teh Bay of Bengal that was
once part of India and then part of Pakistan (called East
Pakistan).
Syn: Bangla Desh, East Pakistan.
[WordNet 1.5]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Bangladesh
n 1: a Muslim republic in southern Asia bordered by India to the
north and west and east and the Bay of Bengal to the south;
formerly part of India and then part of Pakistan; it
achieved independence in 1971 [syn: Bangladesh, People's
Republic of Bangladesh, Bangla Desh, East Pakistan]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Bangladesh
Introduction Bangladesh
-----------------------
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.
Geography Bangladesh
--------------------
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of
Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Iowa
Land boundaries: total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km,
India 4,053 km
Coastline: 580 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 18 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: up to the outer
limits of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
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: 60.7%
permanent crops: 2.61%
other: 36.69% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 38,440 sq km (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
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of
the selected agreements
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
People Bangladesh
-----------------
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.)
Birth rate: 25.12 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 8.47 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -0.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.18 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/
female (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
Total fertility rate: 2.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ 13,000 (1999 est.)
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi
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 Bangladesh
---------------------
Country name: conventional long form: People's
Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
former: East Pakistan
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Dhaka
Administrative divisions: 5 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong,
Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi; note -
there may be one additional division
named 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: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President A. Q. M.
Badruddoza CHOWDHURY (since 12
November 2001); 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; election last held 1 October
2001 (next to be held by NA October
2006); following legislative
elections, the leader of the party
that wins the most seats is usually
appointed prime minister by the
president
election results: A. Q. M.
Badruddoza CHOWDHURY elected
president without opposition;
percent of National Parliament vote
- NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament or
Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by
popular vote from single territorial
constituencies (the constitutional
amendment reserving 30 seats for
women over and above the 300 regular
parliament seats expired in May
2001); members serve five-year terms
elections: last held 1 October 2001
(next to be held before October
2006)
election results: percent of vote by
party - BNP and alliance partners
46%, AL 42%; seats by party - BNP
201, AL 62, JI 18, JP (Ershad
faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Naziur) 1,
other 4; note - the election of
October 2001 brought a majority BNP
government aligned with three other
smaller parties - Jamaat-i-Islami,
Islami Oikya Jote, and Jatiya Party
(Naziur)
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];
Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP
[Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh
Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda
ZIA, chairperson]; 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]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
participation: IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC,
OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG,
UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ahmad
Tariq KARIM
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 244-5366
telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183
chancery: 3510 International Drive
NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the chief of mission: Ambassador Mary
US: Ann PETERS
embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara,
Dhaka
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323,
Dhaka 1000
telephone: [880] (2) 8824700 through
8824722
FAX: [880] (2) 8823744
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 Bangladesh
------------------
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: purchasing power parity - $230
billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,750
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30%
industry: 18%
services: 52% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 35.6% (FY95/96 est.)
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: 3.9%
percentage share: highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini 33.6 (1995-96)
index:
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.8% (2000 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
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 63%, services 26%,
industry 11% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate: 35% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $4.9 billion
expenditures: $6.8 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea
processing, paper newsprint, cement,
chemical fertilizer, light
engineering, sugar
Industrial production growth rate: 6.2% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 13.493 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 92.45%
hydro: 7.55%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 12.548 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane,
potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds,
spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Exports: $6.6 billion (2001)
Exports - commodities: garments, jute and jute goods,
leather, frozen fish and seafood
Exports - partners: US 31.8%, Germany 10.9%, UK 7.9%,
France 5.2%, Netherlands 5.2%, Italy
4.42% (2000)
Imports: $8.7 billion (2001)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals,
iron and steel, textiles, raw
cotton, food, crude oil and
petroleum products, cement
Imports - partners: India 10.5%, EU 9.5%, Japan 9.5%,
Singapore 8.5%, China 7.4% (2000)
Debt - external: $17 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.575 billion (2000 est.)
Currency: taka (BDT)
Currency code: BDT
Exchange rates: taka per US dollar - 57.756 (January
2002), 55.807 (2001), 52.142 (2000),
49.085 (1999), 46.906 (1998), 43.892
(1997)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications Bangladesh
-------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 500,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 283,000 (2000)
Telephone system: 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 (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999)
Radios: 6.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (1999)
Televisions: 770,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bd
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10 (2000)
Internet users: 30,000 (2000)
Transportation Bangladesh
-------------------------
Railways: total: 2,745 km
broad gauge: 923 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge
(2000 est.)
Highways: total: 201,182 km
paved: 19,112 km
unpaved: 182,070 km (1997)
Waterways: up to 8,046 km depending on season
note: includes 3,058 km main cargo
routes
Pipelines: natural gas 1,250 km
Ports and harbors: Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port,
Narayanganj (2001)
Merchant marine: total: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 269,932 GRT/379,271 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 26,
container 3, petroleum tanker 2,
refrigerated cargo 1, includes s
foreign-owned ship registered here
as a flag of convenience: Singapore
5 (2002 est.)
Airports: 18 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 5 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2001)
Military Bangladesh
-------------------
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard,
paramilitary forces (includes
Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh
Ansars, Village Defense Parties,
Armed Police Battalions, National
Cadet Corps)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 37,303,372 (2002
est.)
Military manpower - fit for military males age 15-49: 22,139,736 (2002
service: est.)
Military expenditures - dollar $559 million (FY96/97)
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of 1.8% (FY96/97)
GDP:
Transnational Issues Bangladesh
-------------------------------
Disputes - international: only a small portion of the boundary
with India remains undelimited;
discussions to demarcate the
boundary, exchange 162 miniscule
enclaves, and allocate divided
villages remain stalled; skirmishes,
illegal border trafficking, and
violence along the border continue;
Bangladesh has protested India's
attempts to fence off high traffic
sections of the porous boundary;
Burmese attempts to construct a dam
on the border stream in 2001
prompted an armed response halting
construction; Burmese Muslim
refugees migrate into Bangladesh
straining meager resources
Illicit drugs: transit country for illegal drugs
produced in neighboring countries