Bangladesh-
conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh-
Capital:
Type of Government: -
Administrative Divisions: -
Age Structure: -
Agriculture:
Airports: 16 (2004 est.)-
With Paved Runways:
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: total: 144,000 sq km.
slightly smaller than Iowa
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.-
Birth rate: -
Budget: -
Coastline: 580 km-
Climate: tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Communications: -
Constitution:
Currency: -
Current account balance: -
Death rate: -
Debt - external: -
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas: -
Diplomatic representation from the US: -
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Disputes - international: discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary inspection in 2005 revealed 92 pillars are missing; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources
Distribution of family income: 31.8 (2000)-
Economic aid - donor: -
Economic aid - recipient:
Economy - overview: 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.-
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
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Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
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 Agreements: -
Ethnic groups: -
Exchange rates: -
Executive branch: -
Exports: -
Exports - partners: -
Fiscal year:
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-
GDP (official exchange rate): -
GDP (purchasing power parity): -
GDP - composition by sector: -
GDP - per capita: -
GDP - real growth rate:
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 90 00 E
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-
Government - note: -
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: -
HIV/AIDS - deaths: -
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: -
Heliports: -
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Illicit drugs: transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries-
Imports: -
Imports - partners: -
Independence: -
Industrial production growth rate: -
Industries: -
Infant mortality rate: -
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -
International organization participation: -
Internet country code: -
Internet hosts: -
Internet users: -
Investment (gross fixed):
Irrigated land: 38,440 sq km (1998 est.)-
Judicial branch: -
Labor force: -
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries: total: 4,246 km
Land use: arable land: 62.11%-
Languages:
Legal system: based on English common law-
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: -
Literacy:
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India-
Major infectious diseases:
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 35,170,019 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 26,841,255 (2005 est.)-
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Map references: Asia
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm-
Median age: -
Merchant marine: -
Military - note: -
Military branches: -
Military expenditures - dollar figure: -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: -
Military service age and obligation: -
National holiday: -
Nationality:
Natural gas - consumption: 9.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production: 9.9 billion cu m (2001 est.)-
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Natural hazards: droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal-
Net migration rate: -
Oil - consumption: -
Oil - exports: -
Oil - imports: -
Oil - production: -
Oil - proved reserves: -
People - note:
Political parties and leaders: -
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Population: 144,319,628 (July 2005 est.)-
Population below poverty line: -
Population growth rate:
Ports and terminals: Chittagong, Mongla Port-
Public debt: -
Radio broadcast stations:
Railways: total: 2,706 km-
Refugees and internally displaced persons: -
Religions: -
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: -
Roadways: -
Sex ratio:
Suffrage: -
Telephone system: -
Telephones - main lines in use: -
Telephones - mobile cellular: -
Television broadcast stations:
Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast-
Total fertility rate: -
Transportation - note: -
Unemployment rate:
Waterways: 8,372 km