CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Bangladesh


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!| 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.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 3.07% other: 34.82% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements !| Geography - note:
 * Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
 * 24 00 N, 90 00 E
 * Asia
 * total: 144,000 sq km
 * slightly smaller than Iowa
 * total: 4,246 km
 * 580 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
 * mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
 * lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
 * natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
 * arable land: 62.11%
 * 38,440 sq km (1998 est.)
 * droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
 * 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
 * party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
 * 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
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 63.1% (male 45,557,963; female 43,626,950) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 2,575,519; female 2,207,084) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 21.5 years female: 21.5 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 63.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 65.41 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 61.8 years female: 61.61 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Bangladeshi !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 43.1% male: 53.9% female: 31.8% (2003 est.)
 * 141,340,476 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 33.5% (male 24,359,149; female 23,013,811)
 * total: 21.5 years
 * 2.08% (2004 est.)
 * 30.03 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 8.52 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * -0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
 * total: 64.32 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 61.71 years
 * 3.15 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
 * 13,000 (2001 est.)
 * 650 (2001 est.)
 * noun: Bangladeshi(s)
 * Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)
 * Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
 * Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
 * definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Bangladesh former: East Pakistan !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: 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 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 NA 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; percent of National Parliament vote - NA !| Legislative branch: elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held before October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 47%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 195, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 3, JP (Naziur) 4, other 9; 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 (Manzur) !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: 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: 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 !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
 * parliamentary democracy
 * Dhaka
 * 6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet
 * 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
 * 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
 * 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended many times
 * based on English common law
 * 18 years of age; universal
 * 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
 * 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
 * Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)
 * 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]
 * NA
 * AsDB, 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, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Syed Hasan AHMAD
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Harry K. THOMAS, Jr.
 * 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 26.6% services: 51.7% (2003 est.) !| Investment (gross fixed): !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.) !| Distribution of family income - Gini index: !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 (2003) !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $7.55 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003) !| Public debt: !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Oil - proved reserves: !| Natural gas - production: !| Natural gas - consumption: !| Natural gas - exports: !| Natural gas - imports: !| Natural gas - proved reserves: !| Current account balance: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and ill-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. 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 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.
 * purchasing power parity - $258.8 billion (2003 est.)
 * 5.3% (2003 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2003 est.)
 * agriculture: 21.7%
 * 23.2% of GDP (2003)
 * 35.6% (FY95/96 est.)
 * lowest 10%: 3.9%
 * 33.6 (FY95/96)
 * 5.6% (2003 est.)
 * 64.02 million
 * agriculture 63%, industry 11%, services 26% (FY95/96)
 * 40% (includes underemployment) (2002 est.)
 * revenues: $5.352 billion
 * 43.3% of GDP (2003)
 * rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
 * cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
 * 1.9% (2003 est.)
 * 15.33 billion kWh (2001)
 * 14.25 billion kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 3,581 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 71,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * 28.45 million bbl (1 January 2002)
 * 9.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 9.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 0 cu m (2001 est.)
 * 150.3 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
 * $393 million (2003)
 * $6.713 billion (2003 est.)
 * garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood (2001)
 * US 23.9%, Germany 13.6%, UK 9.7%, France 5.9% (2003)
 * $9.459 billion (2003 est.)
 * machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000)
 * India 15.4%, China 11.3%, Singapore 10.8%, Japan 5.9%, Hong Kong 4.5% (2003)
 * $2.624 billion (2003)
 * $18.06 billion (2003)
 * $1.575 billion (2000 est.)
 * taka (BDT)
 * BDT
 * taka per US dollar - 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002), 55.8067 (2001), 52.1417 (2000), 49.0854 (1999)
 * 1 July - 30 June
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities international: country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2000) !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 740,000 (2003)
 * 1.365 million (2003)
 * general assessment: totally inadequate for a modern country
 * AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999)
 * 6.15 million (1997)
 * 15 (1999)
 * 770,000 (1997)
 * .bd
 * 1 (2003)
 * 10 (2000)
 * 243,000 (2003)
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!| Railways: broad gauge: 884 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2003) !| Highways: paved: 19,773 km unpaved: 187,713 km (1999) !| Waterways: note: includes 2,575 km main cargo routes (2004) !| Pipelines: !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: by type: bulk 2, cargo 24, container 10, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: China 1, Singapore 9 registered in other countries: 10 (2004 est.) !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 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 (2004 est.) !| Airports - with unpaved runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
 * total: 2,706 km
 * total: 207,486 km
 * 8,372 km
 * gas 2,012 km (2004)
 * Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port, Narayanganj
 * total: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 319,897 GRT/440,575 DWT
 * 16 (2003 est.)
 * total: 15
 * total: 1
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!| Military branches: !| Military manpower - military age and obligation: !| Military manpower - availability: !| Military manpower - fit for military service: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Army, Navy, Air Force
 * 16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
 * males age 15-49: 39,523,128 (2004 est.)
 * males age 15-49: 23,441,482 (2004 est.)
 * $606.8 million (2003)
 * 1.2% (2003)
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