|
|
|
|
|
| Bangladesh | Introduction | Back to Top |
Bangladesh, in full, People's Republic of Bangladesh, republic of southern Asia, in the north-eastern portion of the Indian subcontinent, bordered on the west, north, and east by India, on the south-east by Myanmar (Burma), and on the south by the Bay of Bengal. The area of the country is 143,998 sq km (55,598 sq mi). The capital and largest city of Bangladesh is Dhaka.
Official Name - People's Republic of Bangladesh| Bangladesh | Provinces | Back to Top |
5 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi; note - there may be one additional division named Sylhet
| Bangladesh | People | Back to Top |
population of Bangladesh (2001) was 131,269,860, making Bangladesh one of the ten most populous countries. The overall density, 890 persons per sq km (2,304 persons per sq mi) in 2001, is much higher than that of other countries except for microstates such as Singapore. Bangladesh supports a large rural population, with 21 percent of the Bangladeshi people classified as urban in 1999.
Bangladesh is a melting pot of races. The proto-Australoids, sometimes called Veddas, were one of the earliest groups to enter the area. According to some ethnologists, they were followed by Mediterranean Caucasoids (whites), also known as Aryans. Armenoids (of Indo-European stock) are believed to have entered as well. With the coming of the Muslims in the 8th century AD, new elements were introduced; persons of Arab, Persian, and Turkish origin moved in large numbers to the subcontinent. By the beginning of the 13th century they had entered what is now Bangladesh. The contention that Bengali Muslims are all descended from lower-caste Hindus who were converted to Islam is incorrect
| Bangladesh | History | Back to Top |
The people of East Pakistan Province declared their independence as the nation of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971, while fighting a savage war against the central Pakistani government. The fiscal separation from Pakistan took place, with extensive aid from India, on December 16, 1971. Bangladesh was soon recognized by most other nations, although Pakistan withheld diplomatic recognition until 1974 and China did not recognize the nation until 1976. Bangladesh was admitted to the United Nations in 1974.
As Mughal authority declined, the Suba, or Dominion, of Bengal—including Bihar and Orissa—became semi-independent. The threat to the Muslim rulers of the Suba came first from the east from Arakanese pirates and Portuguese raiders, and in 1608 the capital was moved from Rajmahal to Dhaka. When further invasion threatened from central India from the rising power of the Maratha kingdom, the capital was shifted to Murshidabad in 1704. It was during this period that the English East India Company established its base at Calcutta. From 1757 the British were the dominant political power in Bengal.
independence, Suhrawardy lingered in Calcutta, and Nazimuddin became chief minister of East Pakistan. From the beginning, the link between the two parts of Pakistan was tenuous; indeed, their only common interest was fear of Indian domination. Jinnah and his advisers believed that unification might be achieved through a common language, Urdu, which was used in the army and administration. The Bengalis perceived this as a threat. Their other major grievance was that their export products, jute and tea, provided most of Pakistan's foreign exchange; yet the central government mainly stimulated development in the West.
| Bangladesh | Culture | Back to Top |
The typical household in Bangladesh, particularly in the villages, includes several generations of extended family. Most marriages are arranged by parents or other relatives, but increasing numbers of educated men and women choose their own partners. Custom and religion among Muslims require that a dowry be offered by the husband to the wife, but it is usually claimed only in the event of separation or at the husband's death. Divorce is permissible among Muslims. Hindu marriage is sacramental, but a Hindu can obtain a separation by application to a court of law. Muslim law permits limited polygamy.
Bangladeshi culture is, in many respects, inseparable from that of greater Bengal, and since the early 19th century a majority of the most widely read and admired Bengali writers and artists, Hindu as well as Muslim, worked for a time in the Indian metropolis of Calcutta (now Kolkata). Greatest among these was the Hindu writer, artist, and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore. Classical, light-classical, devotional, and popular music enjoy a wide following in Bangladesh. Classical dancing is of various Indian schools, such as bharata natyam, and indigenous folk genres are being developed.
The main festivals in Bangladesh are religious. The two most important are 'Id al-Fitr, which comes at the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, and 'Id al-Adha, or the festival of sacrifice, which follows two and a half months later. On both occasions families and friends exchange visits. more formal occasions they dress in a modification of the Western suit. The traditional sherwani and churidar, calf-length tunic and close-fitting trousers, are still seen at weddings, where they are worn along with the turban. The sari is common among women, but girls and younger women, especially students, prefer the shalwar kamiz, a combination of calf-length shirt and baggy silk or cotton trousers gathered at the ankles.
| Bangladesh | Life | Back to Top |
Bangladesh’s inhabitants are Bengalis, who are largely descended from Indo-Aryans who began to migrate into the country from the west thousands of years ago and who mixed within Bengal with indigenous groups of various racial stocks. Ethnic minorities include the Chakma and Mogh, Mongoloid peoples who live in the Chittagong Hill Tracts District; the Santal, mainly descended from migrants from present-day India; and the Biharis, non-Bengali Muslims who migrated from India after the partition.
| Bangladesh | Land | Back to Top |
Bangladesh constitutes the eastern two-thirds of the Ganges-Brahmaputra deltaic plain, which stretches northward from the Bay of Bengal. Except for small higher areas of jungle-covered old alluvium (rising to about 100 feet [30 metres]) in the northwest and north-centre—called, respectively, the Barind and Madhupur tracts—the plain is a flat surface of recent alluvium, having a gentle slope and generally with an elevation of less than 30 feet above sea level. In the northeast and southeast the alluvial plains—called, respectively, the Sylhet and Chittagong hills—give place to ridges, running mainly north-south, that form part of the mountain divide with Myanmar and India. Bangladesh is fringed on the south by the Sundarbans, a huge expanse of marshy deltaic forest.
| Bangladesh | Plants and Animal | Back to Top |
Chittagong Hill Tracts District, portions of the Madhupur Tract, and the Sundarbans (a great tidal mangrove swamp in the southwestern corner of the country), few extensive forests remain in Bangladesh, the forested and wooded area amounting to about one-eighth of the total area. Broadleaf evergreen species characterize the hilly regions, and deciduous trees, such as acacia and banyan, are common in the drier plains areas. Commercially valuable trees in Bangladesh include sundari (hence the name Sundarbans), gewa, sal (mainly growing in the Madhupur Tract), and garyan (in the Chittagong Hill Tracts District). Village groves abound in fruit trees (mango and jackfruit, for instance) and date and areca (betel) palms. The country also has many varieties of bamboo.
| Bangladesh | Economy | Back to Top |
British India and then of Pakistan, the area now constituting Bangladesh suffered from chronic economic neglect. The region produced large quantities of agricultural goods, including most of the world’s jute, but received little investment in such basic items as transportation facilities and industrial plants. Bangladesh’s gross domestic product was estimated at $46 billion in 1999. In 1992 Bangladesh’s budget was estimated to include $2.8 billion in revenues and $4.1 billion in expenditures.
Bangladesh is overwhelmingly agricultural, with some three-fifths of the population engaged in farming. Jute and tea, which are principal sources of foreign exchange, follow rice as the most important agricultural products. The country produces about one-fifth of the world's supply of raw jute. Other important agricultural products are wheat, pulses (leguminous plants, such as peas, beans, and lentils), sweet potatoes, oilseeds of various kinds, sugarcane, tobacco, and fruits such as bananas, mangoes, and pineapples.
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains one of the world's poorest, most densely populated, and least developed nations. 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. Even so, Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA's Awami League government has made some headway improving the climate for foreign investors and liberalizing the capital markets. Progress on other economic reforms has been halting because of opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups.
| Bangladesh | Communications | Back to Top |
totally inadequate for a modern country domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2000)
| Bangladesh | Languages | Back to Top |
The official language is Bangla, sometimes called Bengali. It is the first language of more than 98 percent of the population. It is written in its own script, derived from that of Sanskrit. Urdu is the language of several hundred thousand people.
| Bangladesh | Politics | Back to Top |
Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIAur Rahman]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Azizol HAQ]; Jamaat-E-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]
| Bangladesh | Government | Back to Top |
constitution of 1972 specifies a parliamentary form of government under a prime minister and a president elected by a national assembly, its implementation has been interrupted by coups. In 1975 a military coup led to a regime of martial law, and, though the form of government that obtained thereafter was a mixture of presidential and parliamentary systems, power effectively remained with the army. Following another coup in 1982, the constitution was suspended and the country placed under martial law. In 1986 martial law was lifted and parliamentary elections were held, but in 1987, following a series of strikes and riots, the government dissolved the parliament. A new parliament was elected in 1988.
| Bangladesh | Legal | Back to Top |
Legal system: based on English common law Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Shahabuddin AHMED (since 9 October 1996); 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 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 last held 24 July 1996 (next to be held by NA October 2001); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Shahabuddin AHMED elected president without opposition; percent of National Parliament vote - NA% Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad (330 seats; 300 elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies, 30 seats reserved for women; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 12 June 1996 (next to be held before 13 October 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - AL 33.87%, BNP 30.87%; seats by party - AL 178, BNP 113, JP 33, JI 3, other 3; note - the elections of 12 June 1996 brought to power an Awami League government for the first time in twenty-one years; held under a neutral, caretaker administration, the elections were characterized by a peaceful, orderly process and massive voter turnout, ending a bitter two-year impasse between the former BNP and opposition parties that had paralyzed National Parliament and led to widespread street violence Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)
| Bangladesh | organization | Back to Top |
AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
| Bangladesh | Education | Back to Top |
Bangladesh generally follows the model established by the British prior to 1947. Elementary education is free, and 84 percent of all primary school-aged children are enrolled in schools. Secondary schools enrolled just 19 percent. Poor school attendance earlier is a major reason for a literacy rate of only 51 percent for Bangladeshis aged 15 and older.
| Bangladesh | Defence | Back to Top |
Military branches: Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, paramilitary forces (includes Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Village Defense Parties, National Cadet Corps), Armed Police battalions
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 36,005,553 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 21,362,279 (2001 est.)
| Bangladesh | International Disputes | Back to Top |
a portion of the boundary with India is indefinite; exchange of 151 enclaves along border with India subject to ratification by Indian parliament; dispute with India over South Talpatty/New Moore Island
Write your own experience on Europe Travel includes each countries and cities, map, car rental, airfare, attractions, and hotels.
| FreeGK | Map4Travel | USA | Hotel | ATM | Mapzones | Webmaster | Actress | Map | Kids |
| Bangladesh | Time | Back to Top |
| Bangladesh | Currency and General Information | Back to Top |
| Bangladesh Taka | United States Dollars |
| 1.00 BDT | 0.0174672 USD |
| 57.2500 BDT | 1 USD |
| Countries Currency Unit | USD/Unit | Units/USD | |
| DZD | Algeria Dinars | 0.0129554 | 77.1877 |
| USD | United States Dollars | 1.00000 | 1.00000 |
| ARS | Argentina Pesos | 0.341293 | 2.93004 |
| AUD | Australia Dollars | 0.533413 | 1.87472 |
| ATS | Austria Schillings ** | 0.0632609 | 15.8076 |
| BSD | Bahamas Dollars | 1.00000 | 1.00000 |
| BBD | Barbados Dollars | 0.502513 | 1.99000 |
| BEF | Belgium Francs ** | 0.0215788 | 46.3417 |
| BMD | Bermuda Dollars | 1.00000 | 1.00000 |
| BRL | Brazil Reals | 0.430318 | 2.32386 |
| GBP | United Kingdom Pounds | 1.42399 | 0.702251 |
| BGL | Bulgaria Leva | 0.447293 | 2.23567 |
| CAD | Canada Dollars | 0.627606 | 1.59336 |
| CLP | Chile Pesos | 0.00152392 | 656.202 |
| CNY | China Yuan Renminbi | 0.120813 | 8.27726 |
| CYP | Cyprus Pounds | 1.49883 | 0.667186 |
| CZK | Czech Republic Koruny | 0.0281883 | 35.4758 |
| DKK | Denmark Kroner | 0.117155 | 8.53568 |
| XCD | East Caribbean Dollars | 0.370370 | 2.70000 |
| EGP | Egypt Pounds | 0.217271 | 4.60255 |
| EUR | Euro | 0.870489 | 1.14878 |
| FJD | Fiji Dollars | 0.447227 | 2.23600 |
| FIM | Finland Markkaa ** | 0.146406 | 6.83034 |
| FRF | France Francs ** | 0.132705 | 7.53550 |
| DEM | Germany Deutsche Marks ** | 0.445074 | 2.24682 |
| XAU | Gold Ounces | 301.977 | 0.00331151 |
| GRD | Greece Drachmae ** | 0.00255463 | 391.447 |
| HKD | Hong Kong Dollars | 0.128215 | 7.79939 |
| HUF | Hungary Forint | 0.00358416 | 279.006 |
| ISK | Iceland Kronur | 0.00999868 | 100.013 |
| INR | India Rupees | 0.0205205 | 48.7319 |
| IDR | Indonesia Rupiahs | 0.000102055 | 9,798.61 |
| IEP | Ireland Pounds ** | 1.10529 | 0.904738 |
| ILS | Israel New Shekels | 0.212386 | 4.70841 |
| ITL | Italy Lire ** | 0.000449570 | 2,224.35 |
| JMD | Jamaica Dollars | 0.0210041 | 47.6099 |
| JPY | Japan Yen | 0.00754183 | 132.594 |
| JOD | Jordan Dinars | 1.41057 | 0.708931 |
| LBP | Lebanon Pounds | 0.000660937 | 1,513.00 |
| LUF | Luxembourg Francs ** | 0.0215788 | 46.3417 |
| MYR | Malaysia Ringgits | 0.263330 | 3.79751 |
| MXN | Mexico Pesos | 0.111007 | 9.00848 |
| NZD | New Zealand Dollars | 0.440474 | 2.27028 |
| NOK | Norway Kroner | 0.113022 | 8.84780 |
| NLG | Netherlands Guilders ** | 0.395011 | 2.53158 |
| PKR | Pakistan Rupees | 0.0166945 | 59.9000 |
| PHP | Philippines Pesos | 0.0196386 | 50.9202 |
| XPT | Platinum Ounces | 510.962 | 0.00195709 |
| PLN | Poland Zlotych | 0.243488 | 4.10699 |
| PTE | Portugal Escudos ** | 0.00434198 | 230.310 |
| ROL | Romania Lei | 0.0000303433 | 32,956.21 |
| RUR | Russia Rubles | 0.0321342 | 31.1195 |
| SAR | Saudi Arabia Riyals | 0.266668 | 3.74998 |
| XAG | Silver Ounces | 4.65692 | 0.214734 |
| SGD | Singapore Dollars | 0.542540 | 1.84318 |
| SKK | Slovakia Koruny | 0.0208441 | 47.9751 |
| ZAR | South Africa Rand | 0.0883340 | 11.3207 |
| KRW | South Korea Won | 0.000759354 | 1,316.91 |
| ESP | Spain Pesetas ** | 0.00523174 | 191.141 |
| XDR | IMF Special Drawing Rights | 1.24862 | 0.800882 |
| SDD | Sudan Dinars | 0.00384615 | 260.000 |
| SEK | Sweden Kronor | 0.0964189 | 10.3714 |
| CHF | Switzerland Francs | 0.593789 | 1.68410 |
| TWD | Taiwan New Dollars | 0.0286531 | 34.9002 |
| THB | Thailand Baht | 0.0230087 | 43.4619 |
| TTD | Trinidad and Tobago Dollars | 0.163399 | 6.12000 |
| TRL | Turkey Liras | 0.000000763622 | 1,309,549.07 |
| VEB | Venezuela Bolivares | 0.00108696 | 920.000 |
| ZMK | Zambia Kwacha | 0.000239866 | 4,169.00 |
| Bangladesh : Geographic coordinates | 24 00 N, 90 00 E |
| Bangladesh : Population growth rate | 1.59% |
| Bangladesh : Birth rate | 25.3 births/1,000 population |
| Bangladesh : Death rate | 8.6 deaths/1,000 population |
| Bangladesh : People living with HIV/AIDS | 13,000 |
| Bangladesh : Independence | 16 December 1971 |
| Bangladesh : National holiday | 26 March |
| Bangladesh : Constitution | 4 November 1972 |
| Bangladesh : GDP | purchasing power parity - $203 billion |
| Bangladesh : GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,570 |
| Bangladesh : Electricity - consumption | 11.216 billion kWh |
| Bangladesh : Exports | $5.9 billion garments, jute and jute goods. |
| Bangladesh : Imports | $8.1 billion machinery and equipment, chemicals. |
| Bangladesh : Telephones | 500,000 |
| Bangladesh : Mobile cellular | 283,000 |
| Bangladesh : Radio broadcast stations | AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 |
| Bangladesh : Radios | 6.15 million |
| Bangladesh : Television broadcast stations | 15 |
| Bangladesh : Televisions | 770,000 |
| Bangladesh : Internet country code | .bd |
| Bangladesh : Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 10 |
| Bangladesh : Internet users | 30,000 |
| Bangladesh : Railways | 2,745 km |
| Bangladesh : Highways | 201,182 km |
| Bangladesh : Waterways | 8,046 km |
| Bangladesh : Pipelines | natural gas 1,250 km |
| Bangladesh : Ports and harbors | Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port, Narayanganj |
| Bangladesh : Merchant marine | 35 ships |
| Bangladesh : Airports | 18 |
| Bangladesh : Heliports | N/A |
| Bangladesh : Military branches | Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, paramilitary forces |
| Bangladesh : Military expenditures | $559 million |