]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India ^# 24 00 N, 90 00 E ^$ Asia ^% `! 144,000 sq km `" 133,910 sq km `# 10,090 sq km ^& slightly smaller than Iowa ^' `! 4,246 km `Y Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km ^( 580 km ^) `$ 12 nm `M 18 nm `N 200 nm `O up to the outer limits of the continental margin ^* tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) ^+ mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast ^, `% Indian Ocean 0 m `& Keokradong 1,230 m ^- natural gas, arable land, timber, coal ^. `' 55.39% `( 3.08% `) 41.53% (2005) ^/ 47,250 sq km (2003) ^0 droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season ^1 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 _P `P Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 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 
]# ^3 150,448,339 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 33.1% (male 25,639,640/female 24,174,937) `, 63.4% (male 48,659,087/female 46,712,687) `- 3.5% (male 2,818,638/female 2,443,350) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 22.5 years `. 22.5 years `/ 22.5 years (2007 est.) ^6 2.056% (2007 est.) ^7 29.36 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 8.13 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 -0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.06 male(s)/female `1 1.061 male(s)/female `, 1.042 male(s)/female `- 1.154 male(s)/female `2 1.052 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 59.12 deaths/1,000 live births `. 60.13 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 58.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 62.84 years `. 62.81 years `/ 62.86 years (2007 est.) ^= 3.09 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> less than 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? 13,000 (2001 est.) ^@ 650 (2001 est.) _` `h high `i 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 `j rabies `* 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) ^A `3 Bangladeshi(s) `4 Bangladeshi ^B Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998) ^C Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) ^D Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 43.1% `. 53.9% `/ 31.8% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 People's Republic of Bangladesh `7 Bangladesh `Z Gana Prajatantri Banladesh `[ Banladesh `\ East Bengal, East Pakistan ^H parliamentary democracy ^I `8 Dhaka `9 23 43 N, 90 25 E `: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) ^J 6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet ^K 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 ^L 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 ^M 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times ^N based on English common law ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002) `* 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 is roughly equivalent to a prime minister `> 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 `? Iajuddin AHMED declared president-elect by the Election Commission; he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA ^Q unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms `> last held 1 October 2001 (the scheduled January 2007 election has been postponed) `? 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) ^R Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president) ^S 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] ^T NA ^U ARF, AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Shamsher Mobin CHOWDHURY `S 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 `T [1] (202) 244-0183 `U [1] (202) 244-5366 `V Los Angeles, New York ^W `R Ambassador Patricia A. BUTENIS `_ Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212 `` G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 `T [880] (2) 885-5500 `U [880] (2) 882-3744 ^X 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 
]% ^Y 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. ^Z $330.8 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $69.02 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 6.1% (2006 est.) ^] $2,200 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 19.9% `A 20.6% `B 59.5% (2006 est.) ^_ 68 million `* extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2006 est.) ^` `@ 63% `A 11% `B 26% (FY95/96) ^a 2.5% (includes underemployment) (2006 est.) _! 45% (2004 est.) _" `C 3.9% `D 28.6% (1995-96 est.) _d 31.8 (2000) _# 7.2% (2006 est.) _V 24.9% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $6.389 billion `F $8.694 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 46.7% of GDP (2006 est.) _& rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry _' cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar _( 7.2% (2006 est.) _) 18.09 billion kWh (2004) _* 16.82 billion kWh (2004) _+ 0 kWh (2004) _, 0 kWh (2004) _- 6,813 bbl/day (2004) _. 85,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ NA bbl/day _0 NA bbl/day _W 28.45 million bbl (1 January 2002) _1 13.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) _2 13.1 billion cu m (2004 est.) _X 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Y 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Z 300.2 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $339 million (2006 est.) _3 $11.17 billion (2006 est.) _4 garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood (2001) _5 US 23.6%, Germany 13.5%, UK 9.4%, France 6.4% (2005) _6 $13.77 billion (2006 est.) _7 machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement _8 India 14.1%, China 13.5%, Kuwait 8.5%, Singapore 6.2%, Japan 4.1%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2005) _[ $3.278 billion (2006 est.) _9 $22.55 billion (2006 est.) _: $1.575 billion (2000 est.) _; taka (BDT) _< taka per US dollar - 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002) _= 1 July - 30 June 
]& _> 1.07 million (2005) _? 9 million (2005) _@ `G totally inadequate for a modern country `H modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities `I country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2005) _A AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) _B 15 (1999) _C .bd _D 469 (2006) _E 300,000 (2005) 
]' _F 16 (2006) _G `! 15 `a 1 `J 4 `b 4 `c 1 `W 5 (2006) _R `! 1 `b 1 (2006) _^ gas 2,604 km (2006) _e `! 2,768 km `r 946 km 1.676-m gauge `n 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2005) _H `! 239,226 km `K 22,726 km `L 216,500 km (2003) _b 8,372 km `* includes 5,635 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2005) _S `! 42 ships (1000 GRT or over) 341,733 GRT/485,840 DWT by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 29, container 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3 `X 1 (China 1) `d 10 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Comoros 1, Malta 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Singapore 1) (2006) _I Chittagong, Mongla Port 
]( _J Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2006) _T 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2005) _K males age 18-49: 35,170,019 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 26,841,255 (2005 est.) _U 1.6% (2006 est.) 
]) _N 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 _c `o 21,053 (Burma) `k 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2006) _O transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries 