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Flag of Bangladesh
Map of Bangladesh
Introduction Bangladesh
Geography Bangladesh
Geographic coordinates:
24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references:
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
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
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:
Environment - current issues:
Environment - international agreements:
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
People Bangladesh
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
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/AIDS:
13,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,000 (1999 est.)
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi
Ethnic groups:
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
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
Administrative divisions:
5 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi; note - there may be one additional division named Sylhet
National holiday:
Legal system:
based on English common law
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 Sepember 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
Legislative branch:
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:
Political parties and leaders:
Political pressure groups and leaders:
International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Syed Hasan AHMAD
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 US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Ann PETERS
embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
telephone: [880] (2) 8824700 through 8824722
FAX: [880] (2) 8823744
Flag description:
Economy Bangladesh
Economy - overview:
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:
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 29%
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34 (1995-96 )
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
64.1 million (1998)
Labor force - by occupation:
Unemployment rate:
35% (2001 est.)
revenues: $4.9 billion
expenditures: $6.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)
Industrial production growth rate:
6.2% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:
13.493 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 92%
hydro: 8%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
12.548 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products:
$6.6 billion (2001)
Exports - commodities:
Exports - partners:
US 31.8%, Germany 10.9%, UK 7.9%, France 5.2%, Netherlands 5.2%, Italy 4.42% (2000)
$8.7 billion (2001)
Imports - commodities:
Imports - partners:
India 10.5%, EU 9.5%, Japan 9.5%, Singapore 8.5%, China 7.4% (2000)
Debt - external:
$17 billion (2000) (2000)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.575 billion
taka (BDT)
Currency code:
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
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999)
6.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
15 (1999)
770,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
10 (2000)
Internet users:
150,000 (2002)
Transportation Bangladesh
total: 2,745 km
broad gauge: 923 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2000 est.)
total: 201,182 km
paved: 19,112 km
unpaved: 182,070 km (1997)
up to 8,046 km depending on season
note: includes 3,058 km main cargo routes
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.)
18 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 6 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2002)
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 service:
males age 15-49: 22,139,736 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$559 million (FY96/97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (FY96/97)
Transnational Issues Bangladesh
Disputes - international:
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries

This page was last updated on 19 March 2003