Map of Bangladesh | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. A third of this desperately poor country annually floods during the monsoon rainy season hampering normal economic development.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 144,000 km²
Land: 133,910 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Land boundaries: 4,246 km total; Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Coastline: 580 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 18 nm
Continental shelf: up to outer limits of continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: a portion of the boundary with India is in dispute; water sharing problems with upstream riparian India over the Ganges

Climate: tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March; hot, humid summer (March to June; cool, rainy monsoon (June to October)

Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Elevation

Natural resources: natural gas, uranium, arable land, timber

Land use: arable land: 67%; permanent crops: 2%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and woodland 16%; other 11%; includes irrigated 14%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 119,411,711 (July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992)

Nationality: noun - Bangladeshi(s; adjective - Bangladesh

Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, Biharis 250,000, and tribals less than 1 million

Languages: Bangla (official), English widely used

Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, Buddhist, Christian, and other less than 1%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 36 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 12 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: vulnerable to droughts; much of country routinely flooded during summer monsoon season; overpopulation; deforestation
Current issues note: almost completely surrounded by India

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 112 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 55 years male, 54 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 4.6 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 35% (male 47%, female 22%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh

Government type: republic

Capital: Dhaka

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 16 December 1971 (from Pakistan; formerly East Pakistan)

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 March (1971)

Constitution: 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended NA March 1991

Legal system: based on English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18
National Parliament:
President: last held 8 October 1991 (next to be held by NA October 1996); results - Abdur Rahman BISWAS received 52.1% of parliamentary vote
Communists: 5,000 members (1987 est.)

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:
Diplomatic representation:
US:

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center; green is the traditional color of Islam

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Bangladesh is one of the poorest nations in the world. The economy is based on the output of a narrow range of agricultural products, such as jute, which is the main cash crop and major source of export earnings, and rice. Bangladesh is hampered by a relative lack of natural resources, population growth of more than 2% a year, large-scale unemployment, and a limited infrastructure; furthermore, it is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. Despite these constraints, real GDP growth averaged about 3.5% annually during 1985-89. A strong agricultural performance in FY90 pushed the growth rate up to 6.2%, and FY91 saw further, though smaller, increases in output. Alleviation of poverty remains the cornerstone of the government's development strategy.
GDP: exchange rate conversion - $23.1 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 3.2% (FY91)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for about 40% of GDP, 70% of employment, and one-third of exports; imports 10% of food grain requirements; world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products - jute, rice, wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages include wheat, vegetable oils and cotton; fish catch 778,000 metric tons in 1986

Industries: jute manufacturing, cotton textiles, food processing, steel, fertilizer

Industrial production growth rate:

Labor force: 35,100,000
Agriculture: 74%
Services: 15%
Industry and commerce:
Organized labor: 3% of labor force belongs to 2,614 registered unions (1986 est.)

Unemployment rate: 30%, including underemployment (FY90 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $2.24 billion; expenditures $3.7 billion (FY91)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $1.7 billion (FY91 est.)
Commodoties: garments, jute and jute goods, leather, shrimp
Partners: US 32%, Italy 8.1%, UK 6.2% (FY90)

Imports: $3.5 billion (FY91 est.)
Commodoties: capital goods, petroleum, food, textiles
Partners: Japan 9.2%, India 6.2%, Singapore 5.9%, US 5.7%

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: taka (Tk) per US$1 - 38.800 (January 1992), 36.596 (1991), 34.569 (1990), 32.270 (1989), 31.733 (1988), 30.950 (1987)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 1,990,000 kW capacity; 5,700 million kWh produced, 50 kWh per capita (1990)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp:

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports:

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: natural gas 1,220 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km main cargo routes)

Merchant marine:
Civil air: 15 major transport aircraft

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs