Background: Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947 West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955 but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. A military-backed emergency caretaker regime suspended parliamentary elections planned for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption. In contrast to the strikes and violent street rallies that had marked Bangladeshi politics in previous years the parliamentary elections finally held in late December 2008 were mostly peaceful and Sheikh HASINA Wajed was elected prime minister. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season hampering economic development.

Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N 90 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 143,998 km²
Rank: 95
Land: 130,168 km²
Water: 13,830 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Iowa

Land boundaries
Total: 4,246 km
Border countries: (2) Burma 193 km; India 4,053 km

Coastline: 580 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 18 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin

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
Extremes highest point: Keokradong 1230 m

Natural resources: natural gas arable land: timber coal

Land use
Arable land: 55.39%
Permanent crops: 3.08%
Other: 41.53% (2005)

Irrigated land: 50,500 km² (2008)

Total renewable water resources: 1210.6 km³ (1999)

Natural hazards: droughts; cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season

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: 158,570,535 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 7
Growth rate: 1.566% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 76
Below poverty line: 40% (2010 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Bangladeshi
Adjective: Bangladeshi

Ethnic groups: Bengali 98% other 2% (includes tribal groups non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)

Languages: Bangla (official also known as Bengali) English

Religions: Muslim 89.5% Hindu 9.6% other 0.9% (2004)

Age structure
0-14 years: 34.3%
15-64 years: 61.1% (male 45,956,431/female 50,891,519)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 3,616,225/female 3,778,119) (2011 est.)

Median age
Total: 23.3 years
Male: 22.7 years
Female: 23.7 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.566% (2011 est.)
Rank: 76

Birth rate: 22.98 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 72

Death rate: 5.75 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 171

Net migration rate: -1.57 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 158

Urbanization
Urban population: 28% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Environment
Current issues: many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; waterborne 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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 50.73 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 48
Male: 53.23 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 48.13 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 69.75 years
Rank: 148
Male: 67.93 years
Female: 71.65 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 81

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 0.295 physicians/1000 population (2007)
Rank: 139

Hospital bed density: 0.4 beds/1000 population (2005)
Rank: 172

Sanitation facility access:

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 113
People living with hivaids: 6,300 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 116
Deaths: fewer than 200 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 101

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and E and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations
Water contact disease: leptospirosis
Animal contact disease: rabies
Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 41.3% (2007)
Rank: 3

Education expenditures: 2.4% of GDP (2008)
Rank: 148

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 47.9%
Male: 54%
Female: 41.4% (2001 Census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 8 years
Male: 8 years
Female: 8 years (2007)

Country name
Conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
Conventional short form: Bangladesh
Local long form: Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh
Former: East Bengal East Pakistan

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Dhaka
Geographic coordinates: 23 43 N 90 24 E
Time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 7 divisions; Barisal Chittagong Dhaka Khulna Rajshahi Rangpur 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: enacted 4 November 1972; effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982; restored 10 November 1986; amended many times

Legal system: mixed legal system of mostly English common law and Islamic law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Zillur RAHMAN
Head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 6 January 2009)
Cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last election held on 11 February 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
Election results: Zillur RAHMAN declared president-elect by the Election Commission on 11 February 2009 (sworn in on 12 February); he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA

Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats (45 reserved for women) elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms
Elections: last held on 29 December 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
Election results: percent of vote by party - AL 49% BNP 33.2% JP 7% JIB 4.6% other 6.2%; seats by party - AL 230 BNP 30 JP 27 JIB 2 other 11

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]; Communist Party of Bangladesh or CPB [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh or BDB [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [multiple leaders]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Oli AHMED]

International organization participation: ADB ARF BIMSTEC C CICA (observer) CP D-8 FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MINURSO MONUSCO NAM OIC OPCW SAARC SACEP UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL UNISFA UNMIL UNMISS UNMIT UNOCI UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Akramul QADER
In the us chancery: 3,510 International Drive NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183
In the us fax: [1] (202) 244-7,830/2,771
In the us consulate general: Los Angeles New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Dan W. MOZENA
From the us embassy: Madani Avenue Baridhara Dhaka 1212
From the us mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323 Dhaka 1000
From the us telephone: [880] (2) 885-5,500
From the us fax: [880] (2) 882-3,744

Flag description: green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh

National symbols: Bengal tiger

National anthem
Name: 'Amar Shonar Bangla'
Lyricsmusic: Rabindranath TAGORE
Note: adopted 1971; Rabindranath TAGORE a Nobel laureate also wrote India's national anthem

Economy overview: The economy has grown 5-6% per year since 1996 despite political instability poor infrastructure corruption insufficient power supplies and slow implementation of economic reforms. Bangladesh remains a poor overpopulated and inefficiently-governed nation. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector 45% of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector with rice as the single-most-important product. Bangladesh's growth was resilient during the 2008-09 global financial crisis and recession. Garment exports totaling $12.3 billion in FY09 and remittances from overseas Bangladeshis totaling $11 billion in FY10 accounted for almost 25% of GDP.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 45
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 55

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 196
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 18.6%
Industry: 28.5%
Services: 53% (2010 est.)

Agriculture products: rice jute tea wheat sugarcane potatoes tobacco pulses oilseeds spices fruit; beef milk poultry

Industries: cotton textiles jute garments tea processing paper newsprint cement chemical fertilizer light engineering sugar

Industrial production growth rate: 7% (2010 est.)
Rank: 57

Labor force: 73.86 million
Rank: 8
Note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia Kuwait UAE Oman Qatar and Malaysia; workers' remittances were $10.9 billion in FY09/10 (2010 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 45%
By occupation industry: 30%
By occupation services: 25% (2008)

Unemployment rate: 5.1% (2009 est.)
Rank: 46
Note: about 40% of the population is underemployed; many participants in the labor force work only a few hours a week at low wages

Population below poverty line: 40% (2010 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: 26.6% (2008 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 33.6 (1996)
Rank: 100

Budget
Revenues: $11.41 billion
Expenditures: $15.87 billion (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -4.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 127

Taxes and other revenues: 10.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
Rank: 203

Public debt: 35.4% of GDP (2009 est.)
Rank: 79

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.4% (2009 est.)
Rank: 190

Central bank discount rate: 5% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 74

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 14.6% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 60

Stock of narrow money: $10.88 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 68

Stock of broad money: $47.38 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 65

Stock of domestic credit: $53.59 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 60

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 74

Current account balance: $3.556 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 40

Exports: $15.07 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 71
Commodities: garments frozen fish and seafood jute and jute goods leather
Partners: US 22.1% Germany 14.1% UK 8.5% France 6.8% Netherlands 6.1% (2010)

Imports: $19.68 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 65
Commodities: machinery and equipment chemicals iron and steel textiles foodstuffs petroleum products cement
Partners: China 18.9% India 12.7% Singapore 6% Malaysia 4.7% Japan 4% (2010)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $10.34 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 69

Debt external: $23.82 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 71

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $5.139 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 85

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $91 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 81

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 25.62 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 65
Consumption: 23.94 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 65
Exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 19.75 billion m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 31
Consumption: 20.1 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 34
Exports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 60
Imports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 87
Proven reserves: 195.4 billion m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 46

Telephones
Main lines in use: 900,000 (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 83
Mobile cellular: 68.65 million (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 18

Telephone system
General assessment: inadequate for a modern country; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links and some fiber-optic cable in cities
Domestic: fixed-line teledensity remains only about 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and now exceeds 40 telephones per 100 persons
International: country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe the Middle East and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2009)

Broadcast media: state-owned broadcaster (BTV) operates 1 terrestrial TV station 3 radio networks and about 10 local stations; 8 private satellite TV stations and 3 private radio stations also broadcasting; foreign satellite TV stations are gaining audience share in the large cities; several international radio broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .bd
Hosts: 68,224 (2010)
Hosts rank: 81
Users: 617,300 (2009)
Users rank: 112

Military expenditures: 1.3% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 116

Military service age and obligation: 16 years of age for voluntary enlisted military service (Air Force); 17 years of age (Army and Navy); conscription is by law possible in times of emergency but has never been implemented (2010)

Airports: 17 (2010)
Rank: 142
With paved runways total: 15
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 6
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 4 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2010)

Pipelines: gas 2,714 km (2010)

Railways
Total: 2,622 km
Rank: 63
Broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 1676 km 1.000-m gauge (2010)

Roadways
Total: 239,226 km
Rank: 21
Paved: 22,726 km
Unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)

Waterways: 8,370 km (includes up to 3,060 km of main cargo routes; the network is reduced to 5,200 km in the dry season) (2007)
Rank: 17

Merchant marine
Total: 50
Rank: 70
By type: bulk carrier 16 cargo 25 container 5 petroleum tanker 4
Foreign owned: 4 (China 1 Singapore 3)
Registered in other countries: 9 (Comoros 1 Malta 1 Panama 3 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 Sierra Leone 1 Singapore 2) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Chittagong Mongla Port

Disputes international: Bangladesh referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea; Prime Minister Singh's September 2011 visit to Bangladesh resulted in the signing of a Protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh which had called for the settlement of longstanding boundary disputes over undemarcated areas and the exchange of territorial enclaves but which had never been implemented; Bangladesh struggles to accommodate 29,000 Rohingya Burmese Muslim minority from Arakan State living as refugees in Cox's Bazar; Burmese border authorities are constructing a 200 km (124 mi) wire fence designed to deter illegal cross-border transit and tensions from the military build-up along border

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 26,268 (Burma)
Idps: 65,000 (land conflicts religious persecution) (2007)

Illicit drugs: transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries