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 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
Location
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates
24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references
Asia
Area
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
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
highest point
Keokradong 1,230 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
47,250 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards
droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
Environment - current issues
Environment - 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
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements
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
bacterial 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 among birds in this country or surrounding region; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2007)
Nationality
noun
Bangladeshi(s)
adjective
Bangladeshi
Ethnic groups
Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)
Religions
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Languages
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
43.1%
male
53.9%
female
31.8% (2003 est.)
Country name
conventional long form
People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form
Bangladesh
local long form
Gana Prajatantri Banladesh
local short form
Banladesh
former
East Bengal, East Pakistan
Government type
parliamentary democracy
Capital
name
Dhaka
geographic coordinates
23 43 N, 90 25 E
time difference
UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times
Legal system
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002)
note
the country has a caretaker government until a general election is held; Iajuddin AHMED remains as President and Minister of Defense, and all other Cabinet portfolios are held by Caretaker Advisers (CAs); the Chief CA, Fakhruddin AHMED, is roughly equivalent to a prime minister
elections
president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second 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 NA); 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 president-elect by the Election Commission; he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA
Legislative branch
unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms
elections: last held 1 October 2001 (the scheduled January 2007 election has been postponed)
election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%, other 19%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note - the election of October 2001 brought to power a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)
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]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]
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
Economy - overview
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although more than 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. Reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups also have blocked progress. 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. On an encouraging note, growth has been a steady 5-6% for the past several years.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$336.7 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$69.34 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
6.6% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$2,300 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
19.9%
industry
20.6%
services
59.5% (2006 est.)
Labor force
68 million
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
63%
industry
11%
services
26% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate
2.5% (includes underemployment) (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
45% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
3.9%
highest 10%
28.6% (1995-96 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
31.8 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
7.2% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
24.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$6.389 billion
expenditures
$8.694 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
10 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Comoros 1, Malta 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals
Chittagong, Mongla Port
Military branches
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2006)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2005)
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.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.5% (2006)
Disputes - international
discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh resists India's attempts to fence or wall 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; 21,000 Burmese Rohingya Muslim refugees reside in two camps in Bangladesh
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin)
21,053 (Burma)
IDPs
65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2006)
Illicit drugs
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
