Part 26
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 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]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [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]
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, CICA (observer), CP, D-8, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, 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, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Akramul QADER
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
National anthem:
name: "Amar Shonar Bangla" (My Golden Bengal)
lyrics/music: Rabindranath TAGORE
note: adopted 1971; Rabindranath TAGORE, a Nobel laureate, also wrote India's national anthem
Economy ::Bangladesh
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 $9.7 billion in FY09 accounted for almost 25% of GDP.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$259.3 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 $244.6 billion (2009 est.)
$231.4 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$105.4 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 36 5.7% (2009 est.)
6% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,700 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 196 $1,600 (2009 est.)
$1,500 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 18.4%
industry: 28.7%
services: 52.9% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
73.87 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 $10.9 billion in 2009-10 (2010 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 45%
industry: 30%
services: 25% (2008)
Unemployment rate:
5.1% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 47 5.1% (2009 est.)
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:
36.3% (2008 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 8.8%
highest 10%: 26.6% (2008 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33.2 (2005) country comparison to the world: 94 33.6 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed):
23.8% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Public debt:
39.3% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 74 39.7% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.1% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 188 5.4% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5% (31 October 2010) country comparison to the world: 86 5% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
14.6% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 38 16.38% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$13.98 billion (31 December 2010 est) country comparison to the world: 67 $10.92 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$57.21 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 64 $63.03 billion (31 December 2009)
Stock of domestic credit:
$62.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 60 $53.77 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$7.068 billion (31 December 2009) country comparison to the world: 74 $6.671 billion (31 December 2008)
$6.793 billion (31 December 2007)
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:
6.4% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
Electricity - production:
25.62 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 66
Electricity - consumption:
23.94 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
5,733 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
Oil - consumption:
96,000 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 76
Oil - exports:
2,612 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 109
Oil - imports:
87,660 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 67
Oil - proved reserves:
28 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
Natural gas - production:
19.7 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 32
Natural gas - consumption:
19.7 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 35
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 199
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 199
Natural gas - proved reserves:
195.4 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 46
Current account balance:
$3.734 billion (2010) country comparison to the world: 34 $2.416 billion (2009)
Exports:
$16.24 billion (2010) country comparison to the world: 73 $15.58 billion (2009)
Exports - commodities:
garments, frozen fish and seafood, jute and jute goods, leather
Exports - partners:
US 22.5%, Germany 14.2%, UK 9.6%, France 7%, Netherlands 6.4% (2009)
Imports:
$21.34 billion (2010) country comparison to the world: 68 $20.3 billion (2009)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement
Imports - partners:
China 16.16%, India 12.61%, Singapore 7.55%, Japan 4.63%, Malaysia 4.46% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$10.79 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 53 $10.34 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$24.46 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 69 $24.22 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$6.72 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 $5.617 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$82 million (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 $81 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
taka (BDT) per US dollar - 70.59 (2010), 69.039 (2009), 68.554 (2008), 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006)
Communications ::Bangladesh
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.522 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 63
Telephones - mobile cellular:
50.4 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 24
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 30 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
Internet hosts:
68,224 (2010) country comparison to the world: 81
Internet users:
617,300 (2009) country comparison to the world: 112
Transportation ::Bangladesh
Airports:
17 (2010) country comparison to the world: 140
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 2,597 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 2,768 km country comparison to the world: 61 broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 239,226 km country comparison to the world: 21 paved: 22,726 km
unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)
Waterways:
8,370 km country comparison to the world: 17 note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 50 country comparison to the world: 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
Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh as high risk for armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen
Military ::Bangladesh
Military branches:
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army (Sena Bahini), Bangladesh Navy (Noh Bahini, BN), Bangladesh Air Force (Biman Bahini, BAF) (2010)
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)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 36,560,110 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 25,310,750
females age 16-49: 32,154,153 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,550,385
female: 1,676,137 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.3% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 112
Transnational Issues ::Bangladesh
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 protests India's fencing and walling off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92 missing pillars in 2007; after 21 years, Bangladesh in January 2008 resumed talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma)
IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Bangladesh is a source and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; a significant share of Bangladesh's trafficking victims are men recruited for work overseas with fraudulent employment offers who are subsequently exploited under conditions of forced labor or debt bondage; children are trafficked within Bangladesh for commercial sexual exploitation, bonded labor, and forced labor; women and children from Bangladesh are also trafficked to India and Pakistan for sexual exploitation
tier rating: Bangladesh is placed on Tier 2 Watch List because it does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so, including some progress in addressing sex trafficking; the government did not demonstrate sufficient progress in criminally prosecuting and convicting labor trafficking offenders, particularly those responsible for the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers for the purpose of labor trafficking (2009)
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
page last updated on January 20, 2011
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@Barbados (Central America and Caribbean)
Introduction ::Barbados
Background:
The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.
Geography ::Barbados
Location:
Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:
13 10 N, 59 32 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 430 sq km country comparison to the world: 200 land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
97 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33%
other: 60.46% (2005)
Irrigated land:
50 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
0.1 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.09 cu km/yr (33%/44%/22%)
per capita: 333 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides
Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
easternmost Caribbean island
People ::Barbados
Population:
285,653 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 180
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.2% (male 27,383/female 27,352)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 99,829/female 103,049)
65 years and over: 9.5% (male 10,464/female 16,512) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.2 years
male: 35.1 years
female: 37.2 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.374% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 167
Birth rate:
12.43 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 159
Death rate:
8.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 89
Net migration rate:
-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 133
Urbanization:
urban population: 40% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.012 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.09 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 138 male: 13.42 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.14 years country comparison to the world: 101 male: 71.88 years
female: 76.42 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.68 children born/woman (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 171
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 49
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Nationality:
noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)
Ethnic groups:
black 93%, white 3.2%, mixed 2.6%, East Indian 1%, other 0.2% (2000 census)
Religions:
Protestant 63.4% (Anglican 28.3%, Pentecostal 18.7%, Methodist 5.1%, other 11.3%), Roman Catholic 4.2%, other Christian 7%, other 4.8%, none or unspecified 20.6% (2008 est.)
Languages:
English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.7% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
6.7% of GDP (2008) country comparison to the world: 26
Government ::Barbados
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados
Government type:
parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name: Bridgetown
geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas
Independence:
30 November 1966 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution:
30 November 1966
Legal system:
English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Fruendel STUART (since 23 October 2010)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held on 15 January 2008 (next to be called in 2012)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature consists of a High Court and a Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ is the highest court of appeal; based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Political parties and leaders:
Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Freundel STUART]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David COMISSIONG]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]
International organization participation:
ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John BEALE
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200
FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
consulate(s): Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d' Affaires D. Brent HARDT
embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14006
mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055
telephone: [1] (246) 227-4399
FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the band colors represent the blue of the sea and sky and the gold of the beaches; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
National anthem:
name: "The National Anthem of Barbados"
lyrics/music: Irving BURGIE/C. Van Roland EDWARDS
note: adopted 1966; the anthem is also known as "In Plenty and In Time of Need"
Economy ::Barbados
Economy - overview: