Part 24
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$21.18 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 65 $28.13 billion (31 December 2007)
$21.12 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish
Industries:
petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
6.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 35
Electricity - production:
10.25 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 90
Electricity - consumption:
10.1 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 84
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
48,520 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Oil - consumption:
38,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Oil - exports:
238,300 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Oil - imports:
228,400 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Oil - proved reserves:
124.6 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Natural gas - production:
12.64 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Natural gas - consumption:
12.64 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 44
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 45
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Natural gas - proved reserves:
92.03 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Current account balance:
$2.257 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 $2.907 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$17.49 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 75 $13.79 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles
Exports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 3.4%, India 2.7%, UAE 2.2% (2008)
Imports:
$14.25 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 85 $10.93 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
crude oil, machinery, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 26.7%, Japan 8.9%, US 7.8%, China 6.2%, Germany 4.8%, South Korea 4.7%, UK 4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.803 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 88 $4.101 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$10.33 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 86 $7.858 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$15.01 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 $13.31 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$9.34 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $7.72 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Bahraini dinars (BHD) per US dollar - 0.376 (2008 est.), 0.376 (2007), 0.376 (2006), 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004)
Communications ::Bahrain
Telephones - main lines in use:
220,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 123
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.4 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 135
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern system
domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones
international: country code - 973; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth station - 1 (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (1997)
Internet country code:
.bh
Internet hosts:
51,489 (2009) country comparison to the world: 82
Internet users:
402,900 (2008) country comparison to the world: 112
Transportation ::Bahrain
Airports:
3 (2009) country comparison to the world: 191
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
Heliports:
1 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 20 km; oil 32 km (2008)
Roadways:
total: 3,498 km country comparison to the world: 161 paved: 2,768 km
unpaved: 730 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
total: 9 country comparison to the world: 114 by type: bulk carrier 4, container 4, petroleum tanker 1
foreign-owned: 6 (Kuwait 5, UAE 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Mina' Salman, Sitrah
Military ::Bahrain
Military branches:
Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense), Naval Force, Air Force, National Guard
Military service age and obligation:
17 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of age for NCOs, technicians, and cadets; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 210,938
females age 16-49: 170,471 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 171,004
females age 16-49: 144,555 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 6,612
female: 6,499 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
4.5% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 22
Transnational Issues ::Bahrain
Disputes - international:
none
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Bahrain is a destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work as laborers or domestic servants where some face conditions of involuntary servitude such as unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on movements, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse; women from Thailand, Morocco, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia are trafficked to Bahrain for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to show evidence of increased efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly efforts that enforce laws against trafficking in persons, and that prevent the punishment of victims of trafficking; during 2007, Bahrain passed a comprehensive law prohibiting all forms of trafficking in persons; the government also established a specialized anti-trafficking unit within the Ministry of Interior to investigate trafficking crimes; however, the government did not report any prosecutions or convictions for trafficking offenses during 2007, despite reports of a substantial problem of involuntary servitude and sex trafficking (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Bangladesh (South Asia)
Introduction ::Bangladesh
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 1,600 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. Sheikh HASINA Wajed was reappointed prime minister. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
Geography ::Bangladesh
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: 143,998 sq km country comparison to the world: 94 land: 130,168 sq km
water: 13,830 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)
Total renewable water resources:
1,210.6 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)
per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
droughts; cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
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
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
People ::Bangladesh
Population:
156,050,883 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 7
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.6% (male 27,065,625/female 26,913,961)
15-64 years: 61.4% (male 45,222,182/female 50,537,052)
65 years and over: 4% (male 3,057,255/female 3,254,808) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 23.3 years
male: 22.9 years
female: 23.5 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.292% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Birth rate:
24.68 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 71
Death rate:
9.23 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Net migration rate:
-2.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 144
Urbanization:
urban population: 27% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 59.02 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 39 male: 66.12 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 51.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.25 years country comparison to the world: 183 male: 57.57 years
female: 63.03 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.74 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 140
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
12,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
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)
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: 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 (2004)
Education expenditures:
2.7% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 151
Government ::Bangladesh
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 24 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, 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:
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 Zillur RAHMAN (since 12 February 2009)
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 scheduled election 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 elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms
elections: last held 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]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur 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]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs)
other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders
International organization participation:
ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183
FAX: [1] (202) 244-7830/2771
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY
embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500
FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744
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
Economy ::Bangladesh
Economy - overview:
The economy has grown 5-6% per year since 1996 despite inefficient state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting natural gas resources, 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, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Garment exports and remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and East Asia, fuel economic growth. In 2008 Bangladesh pursued a monetary policy aimed at maintaining high employment, but created higher inflation in the process.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$226.4 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 50 $214 billion (2007 est.)
$201.5 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$84.2 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 67 6.2% (2007 est.)
6.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 197 $1,400 (2007 est.)
$1,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 19.1%
industry: 28.6%
services: 52.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
70.86 million country comparison to the world: 8 note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 63%
industry: 11%
services: 26% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate:
2.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 27 2.5% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
45% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.3%
highest 10%: 26.6% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33.2 (2005) country comparison to the world: 94 33.6 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed):
24.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Budget:
revenues: $8.825 billion
expenditures: $12.54 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
39.4% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 57 43% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 138 9.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 99 5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16.38% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 37 16% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$9.294 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 46 $8.444 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$37.98 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 30 $32.35 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$47.03 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 50 $40.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$6.671 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 78 $6.793 billion (31 December 2007)
$3.61 billion (31 December 2006)
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:
6.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Electricity - production:
22.99 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
Electricity - consumption:
21.38 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 66
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
6,426 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92
Oil - consumption:
95,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 76
Oil - exports:
2,612 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Oil - imports:
87,660 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 69
Oil - proved reserves:
28 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - production:
17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - consumption:
17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 52
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 78
Natural gas - proved reserves:
141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Current account balance:
$1.032 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $856.8 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$15.44 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 77 $12.47 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
Exports - partners:
US 21%, Germany 13.2%, UK 8.6%, France 6.3%, Netherlands 4.7% (2008)
Imports:
$21.51 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 $16.67 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement
Imports - partners:
China 14.7%, India 14.7%, Kuwait 7.5%, Singapore 7.1%, Japan 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.789 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 $5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$22.83 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 69 $21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$5.971 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 88 $5.261 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$97 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Exchange rates:
taka (BDT) per US dollar - 68.554 (2008 est.), 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004)
Communications ::Bangladesh
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.39 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 67
Telephones - mobile cellular:
45.75 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 22
Telephone system: