About Dhaka

Language. Bengali (official). English (2nd)

Major Religion. Islam (official). Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity

NATURAL RESOURCES: natural gas, uranium, coal, arable land, timber

Mountain Ranges. Chittagong Hills, Sylhet Hills.
Highest Peak. Keokradong Hill, 4,034 feet (1,230 meters).
Largest Lake. Karnaphuli Reservoir, 253 square miles (655 square kilometers).

Major Rivers: Ganges (Padma), Brahmaputra (Jamuna), Meghna.

Form of Government. Republic.
Chief of State. President.
Head of Government. Prime Minister.
Legislature. Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament).

Major Cities (1990 estimate). Dhaka (5,731,000), Chittagong (2,133,000), Khulna (1,029,000), Rajshahi
(427,000).

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS: 5 divisions divided into 64 districts;
Bagerhat, Bandarban, Barguna, Barisal, Bhola, Bogra, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Chapai Nawabganj,
Chattagram, Chuadanga, Comilla, Cox's Bazar, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Faridpur, Feni, Gaibandha, Gazipur,
Gopalganj, Habiganj, Jaipurhat, Jamalpur, Jessore, Jhalakati, Jhenaidah, Khagrachari, Khulna,
Kishorganj, Kurigram, Kushtia, Laksmipur, Lalmonirhat, Madaripur, Magura, Manikganj, Meherpur,
Moulavibazar, Munshiganj, Mymensingh, Naogaon, Narail, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Nator, Netrakona,
Nilphamari, Noakhali, Pabna, Panchagar, Parbattya Chattagram, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Rajbari, Rajshahi,
Rangpur, Satkhira, Shariyatpur, Sherpur, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Sylhet, Tangail, Thakurgaon

Chief Manufactured Products. Cement, cotton textiles and yarn, fertilizer, jute textiles, paper, iron and
steel, sheet glass.
Chief Agricultural Products. Crops rice, sugarcane, wheat, bananas, jute. Livestock cattle, buffalo, goats,
poultry, sheep.
Monetary Unit. 1 taka = 100 paisa.

INDEPENDENCE: 16 December 1971 (from Pakistan; formerly East Pakistan)
CONSTITUTION: 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March
1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended NA March 1991
LEGAL SYSTEM: based on English common law

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS:
Independence Day, 26 March (1971)
Victory Day, 16 December (1971)
Bangla Language Day, 21 February (1952)
Bangla New Year
Eid el Fitr, Eid el Adha (Muslims)
Christmas (Christians)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: president, prime minister, Cabinet
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH: unicameral National Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad)
JUDICIAL BRANCH: Supreme Court
LEADERS:
Chief of State: President Shahabuddin Ahmed (since 1997)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Khaleda Zia (since 2001)

POLITICAL PARTIES AND LEADERS: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda ZIA; Awami League
(AL), Sheikh Hasina; Jatiyo Party (JP), Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD; Jamaat-E-Islami (JI), Motiur
Rahman Nizami; Bangladesh Communist Party (BCP), Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK; Workers Party, leader
NA; Islami Oikya Jote, leader Azizul Haque; National Democratic Party (NDP), leader NA; Muslim League,
Khan A. SABUR; Democratic League, Khondakar MUSHTAQUE Ahmed; United People's Party, Kazi
ZAFAR Ahmed

SUFFRAGE: universal at age 18

ELECTIONS: National Parliament: last held 27 February 1991 (next to be held NA February 1996); results
- percent of vote by party NA; seats - (330 total, 300 elected and 30 seats reserved for women) BNP 198,
AL 64, JP 14, JI 20; President: Shahabuddin Ahmed

MEMBER OF: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WHO, WFTU, WIPO, WCL, WMO, WTO

FLAG: green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center; green is the traditional color of Islam

BRANCHES: Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary forces - Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed
Police Reserve, Coastal Police

Overview:
Bangladesh is a South Asian country. More than 108 million people live within this country's total area of
55,598 square miles (143,998 square kilometers). This amounts to an average of almost 2,000 persons
per square mile (about 755 persons per square kilometer). Most of the people depend upon agriculture for
a living. Bangladesh is surrounded by India on the west, north, and northeast; Myanmar (Burma) on the
southeast; and the Bay of Bengal on the south. The country is inhabited almost entirely by people who
speak the Bengali language, and it has a distinctive Bengali culture shared by adjacent West Bengal, a
state of India. Bangladesh and West Bengal constituted the former Bengal Province of British India, and
the region is still referred to informally as Bengal.

History and Government
Bangladesh has a long history that is divided into four phases: Hindu or Buddhist kingdoms to the 12th
century AD; Muslim domination from the 13th century through 1757; British rule from 1757 through 1947;
and the recent era, which includes the Pakistan period from 1947 to 1971 and the period of an
independent Bangladesh from 1971.
Although historical accounts of Bengal, referred to as Gangaridi, occur from the 4th century BC, the
political domination of the region was well defined during the reign of Bengal-based dynasties of the Palas
(750-1160), who were Buddhists, and the Senas (1095-1205), who were Hindus. The Pala capital was in
northwestern Bengal, while the Senas operated from Bikrampur, a few miles of Dhaka.
Islamic domination of Bengal began in 1204. The region remained largely independent of the Delhi
sovereigns of India until 1576, when generals of the Mughal emperor Akbar converted Bengal into a
province of the Indian Empire. Dhaka became the capital of the province. When the Delhi-based Mughal
Empire began disintegrating in 1707, Bengal again becindependent and was ruled by Muslims. The last of
these rulers was defeated in 1757 by the British. During this period a large number of Muslims migrated to

Bengal from both western India and the Middle East.

British rule of Bengal (1757-1947) was headquartered in Calcutta. Bengal province was partitioned into
the Hindu West and Muslim East in 1905, but a powerful protest forced the British to reunite it in 1912.
During this period Dhaka was the capital of East Bengal.
After the British left India in 1947, the subcontinent was divided into India and Pakistan. The latter
consisted of two geographically separate divisions, East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and West
Pakistan (present-day Pakistan). When the East Pakistan-based Awami League candidates won a majority
in the Pakistan National Assembly in the 1970 elections, a power struggle within the country was the
result. The West Pakistan-based government began cracking down on East Pakistan, unleashing one of
the most severe repressions in history upon the Bengali people. Almost 10 million refugees fled to
neighboring India. Late in 1971 East Pakistan was liberated from West Pakistan, and on Dec. 16, 1971, it
declared its independence and gave itself a new name, Bangladesh.
Bangladesh held its first national election in 1973, and the Awami League party, led by Mujibur Rahman
(known as Sheikh Mujib), won almost all 300 seats of the Parliament. A parliamentary democracy was
introduced with Abu Sayeed Choudhury as president and Mujib as prime minister. However, the nation
was so strained by internal chaos that by December 1974 the constitution was amended, making Mujib
president with power to rule by personal decree.
In August 1975 a coup was staged by the military, and Mujib was assassinated. The army chief, Ziaur
Rahman, seized power in November 1975, and Abu Sadat Mohammed Sayem, a civilian, was named
president. After Sayem's resignation in 1977, Ziaur became the president. By the end of 1977 democracy
was partially reinstated, and Ziaur, who led in the formation of a new Jatiya (Nationalist) party, became the
elected president in 1978. In 1979 martial law, which had been in effect since 1975, was lifted, and a
democratic form of government was restored.
On an official visit to Chittagong in November 1981, Ziaur was assassinated. Abdus Sattar, the
vice-president, succeeded to the presidency. In March 1982 the army chief Hussain Mohammed Ershad
staged a bloodless coup. Martial law was then proclaimed, and Ershad became the nation's chief
administrator. Ershad lifted martial law in November 1986. In 1987-88 he declared a state of emergency
after violent antigovernment protests over the poor state of the economy. Ershad dissolved Parliament in
December 1987. In parliamentary elections held in March 1988, the ruling Jatiya party won a majority of
seats. In June 1988 Ershad amended the country's constitution and made Islam the state religion. He
resigned amid protests in 1990, and the following year was sentenced to ten years in prison for
possessing illegal firearms. Khaleda Zia, Zia's widow, was elected prime minister in early 1991. In August
her plan to reduce the powers of the presidency by changing the form of government to a parliamentary
democracy was ratified by Parliament.
In 1996, Awami League won the general election. Sheikh Hasina became the Prime Minister. In 2001 BNP
won the general election again and Khaleda Zia came to the power for the second time. Khaleda Zia
became the Prime Minister.

Land
Bangladesh, most of which is at low elevations, is divided into five physical regions: the Ganges Delta
proper to the southwest, the Paradelta to the northwest, the East-Central plains, the Sylhet Hills in the
northeast, and the southeast Chittagong region.
The Ganges Delta is geologically the most recently formed of the regions. Mangrove forests thrive in the
active lower delta, which is flooded by fresh and tidal waters. The soil base is new alluvium.
The Paradelta, like the delta proper, is a plain, but its elevations are higher 100 to 300 feet (30 to 90
meters) above sea level. Its soils are varied: silt and sandy clays and old alluvium. It lies between the
Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers.
The East-Central plains, with the Meghna River almost at its center, consists of plains and active
floodplains in which the main rivers, including the Brahmaputra, have altered their channels in the past. At
the center of this plain lies Madhupur Jungle, formerly a site for tiger hunting. To the northeast is the
Meghna depression, part of which is only 10 feet (3 meters) above sea level; during the rainy season it
turns into a huge lake, covering most of its 2,800-square-mile (7,250-square-kilometer) basin.
The Sylhet Hills and ranges are a small extension of the foothills of India's Meghalaya Plateau. Its highest
peak (Harargaj) reaches 1,103 feet (336 meters).
The Chittagong region primarily consists of coastal plains and islands. It also includes the Matamori River
delta and parts of the Karnaphuli River valley to the west and ridges and valleys to the east.

River systems.
The extensive river systems of Bangladesh are fundamental to the nation's economy and way of life. The
rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal. About three fourths of the water emptied into the bay is carried during
the rainy season, especially June through September. The foremost river is the Ganges, known in
Bangladesh as the Padma. A sacred river to the Hindus, it originates in the snow-clad Himalayas in India
and flows for most of its 1,557 miles (2,506 kilometers) in India. Forming part of the Bangladesh-India
border in the west, the Ganges turns southeast into the channel of the Meghna. The Meghna breaks into
branches that form part of a vast delta adjoining the Bay of Bengal. (See also Ganges River.)
The Brahmaputra-Tista system joins the Ganges almost at the center of the country. The Brahmaputra
originates in the Kailas range of the Himalayas in Tibet and enters Bangladesh from the north; its total
length is about 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers). In Bangladesh its main stream is known as the Jamuna.
The Tista changed its course in 1787, and the two rivers joined and now flow on the course of the
Brahmaputra. The Tista also originates in the Himalayas and enters Bangladesh from the north. (See also
Brahmaputra River.)
The rain-fed Meghna-Surma system consists of the Meghna and its tributary, the Surma. Together they
run a course of about 130 miles (210 kilometers) before joining the Ganges-Padma southeast of Dhaka.
During the rainy season the water from the system flows back into the Meghna depression, creating a vast
sheet of water. The lower Meghna is formed after the Ganges-Padma joins it, following a course of 95
miles (155 kilometers) to the Bay of Bengal. The foremost river in Asia in average annual discharge (which
totals about 875 million acre-feet), the Ganges-Padma is surpassed only by the Amazon and the Congo
rivers.
The Chittagong region river system consists of three main rivers: the Karnaphuli, the Sangu, and the
Matamori. All are swift-flowing, relatively small rivers of the hill country that frequently cause flash floods.
The harbor of the Chittagong is located at the mouth of the Karnaphuli.

LAND BOUNDARIES: 4,246 km (2,293 mi) total; Burma 193 km (104 mi), India 4,053 km (2,188 mi)
COASTLINE: 580 km (313 mi)
MARITIME CLAIMS: Contiguous zone: 18 nm; Continental shelf: up to outer
limits of continental margin; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
DISPUTES: a portion of the boundary with India is in dispute; water
sharing problems with upstream riparian India over the Ganges
TERRAIN: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
NATURAL RESOURCES: natural gas, uranium, arable land, timber
LAND USE: arable land 67%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 4%;
forest and woodland 16%; other 11%; includes irrigated 14%
ENVIRONMENT: vulnerable to droughts; much of country routinely flooded
during summer monsoon season; overpopulation; deforestation
DEFORESTATION RATE: -1 net annual percent

Climate
Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon type of climate, with heavy summer rain and high summer
temperatures. Winters are dry and cool. South and southwest winds dominate the six-month period of
mid-April to mid-October and bring enormous amounts of moisture from the Indian Ocean and Bay of
Bengal; 95 percent of the total annual rainfall, which averages about 80 inches (203 centimeters), occurs
during that period. The temperatures range from an average of about 68 F (20 C) in January to about 86 F
(30 C) in April.
Bengalis subdivide the year into six seasons: Grissho (summer), Barsha (rainy), Sarat (autumn), Hemanto
(cool), Sheet (winter), and Basanta (spring). For practical purposes, however, three seasons are
distinguishe: summer, rainy, and winter. Rain begins to fall in April, the hottest month. Farmersthen begin
to plow their fields for the main crop planting. With the break of monsoon in the first week of June, the
extremely heavy monsoon rains start suddenly, and average temperatures fall into the low 80s F. These
heavy rains prevail for two to three months and continue more moderately into November.
Tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer
(March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October)

People
With more than 107 million people, Bangladesh ranks as the world's 10th most populous country.
According to projections, the population will reach 140 million by the year 2000. This rapid growth places a
great and growing strain on the heavily agricultural economy of Bangladesh, which is already one of the
world's most crowded countries. Like most developing countries, Bangladesh has a young population;
nearly half of thepeople are under the age of 15. The population is 51.5 percent male and 48.5 percent
female. Although infant mortality has declined recently, it still stands at a high level of about 110 per 1,000.

Muslims constitute about 85 percent of the population of Bangladesh, but the Hindus form a sizable
minority of about 12 percent. Most of the remainder are Buddhists and Christians. Racially, Bangladesh is
a mixture of three groups: Australoids, Mongoloids, and Caucasoids. The latter group, which is divided into
dark-skinned Dravidians and the lighter Aryans, dominates most parts of the country. Bengali is the state
language and mother tongue of 98 percent of the people in Bangladesh.
The staple food of the Bengalis is rice, which is generally eaten three times a day. Boiled rice and fish
curry is the common diet. Most women in Bangladesh wear a sari, a cloth about 15 feet (4.6 meters) long
that is wrapped around the body. The Muslim males wear a lungi, a cloth wrapped below the waist, and
Hindu men wear a dhoti, a white cloth almost as long as a sari, wrapped around the waist with one end
tucked in the back and the other draped in front. Shirts are worn with both the lungi and the dhoti, and
blouses are worn with the sari. In urban areas Western dress is more popular with men than it is with
women.

Economy
The backbone of the Bangladesh economy, agriculture contributes about 45 percent of the gross domestic
product. Approximately two thirds of the land area is cultivated. Rice and jute are the principal agricultural
crops, and others include wheat, barley, corn (maize), millet, lentils, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes,
vegetables, spices, oil seeds, cotton, and sugarcane. Tea is grown in the northeastern areas.
The growing season lasts throughout the year, which permits Bangladesh to devote about half of the
cultivated land to multiple-cropping. Traditionally three rice crops are grown each year. The summer-rainy
season rice crop is called kharif, the rainy season crop haimantik, and the winter crop rabi. The three
principal categories of rice aman, aus, and boro are associated with kharif, haimantik, and rabi crops,
respectively. About half of the rice acreage is in aman, though boro provides higher yields.
The major industry in Bangladesh is based on the jute crop. Jute fiber, mainly used for the manufacture of
sacks, is a specialty of Bangladesh. About two fifths of the world's jute is produced in Bangladesh, which is
also the world's leading exporter. Jute is Bangladesh's principal foreign-exchange earner. More than 30
percent of the laborers engaged in large industries in Bangladesh are employed by more than 70 jute mills,
which manufacture about half a million tons of products annually. Other products come from rice and
cotton mills; forest-based industry (match factories and paper mills); mineral-based industry (cement,
glass, chemicals, petroleum, and fertilizers); and engineering and steel industries.
Dhaka, the national capital, is located almost at the center of the country. As early as medieval times it was
a flourishing city; it has a population of about 4.5 million. Other large cities include Chittagong, Khulna, and
Rajshahi. (See also Dhaka.) The economy is based on the output of a narrow range of agricultural
products, such as jute, which is the main cash crop and major source of export
earnings, and rice. Bangladesh is hampered by a relative lack of natural resources, population growth of
more than 2% a year, large-scale unemployment, and a limited infrastructure; furthermore, it is highly
vulnerable to natural disasters. Despite these constraints, real GDP growth averaged about 3.5% annually
during 1985-89. A strong agricultural performance in FY90 pushed the growth rate up to 6.2%, and FY91
saw further, though smaller, increases in output. Alleviation of poverty remains the cornerstone of the
government's development strategy.

BUDGET: revenues $2.24 billion; expenditures $3.7 billion (FY91)
EXPORTS: $1.7 billion (FY91 est.); commodities: garments, jute and jute
goods, leather, shrimp; partners: US 32%, Italy 8.1%, UK 6.2% (FY90)
IMPORTS: $3.5 billion (FY91 est.); commodities: capital goods,
petroleum, food, textiles; partners: Japan 9.2%, India 6.2%, Singapore 5.9%, US 5.7%
EXTERNAL DEBT: $11.1 billion (FY91 est.)
INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION: growth rate 1% (FY91 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP
ELECTRICITY: 1,990,000 kW capacity; 5,700 million kWh produced, 50 kWh
per capita (1990)
INDUSTRIES: jute manufacturing, cotton textiles, food processing, steel fertilizer
AGRICULTURE: accounts for about 40% of GDP, 70% of employment, and
one-third of exports; imports 10% of food grain requirements; world's
largest exporter of jute; commercial products - jute, rice, wheat, tea,
sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages include wheat,
vegetable oils and cotton; fish catch 778,000 metric tons in 1986
ECONOMIC AID: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.4 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89),
$11.65 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6.52 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $1.5 billion
CURRENCY: taka (plural - taka); 1 taka (Tk) = 100 paisa
EXCHANGE RATES: taka (Tk) per US$1-- 47 (April 1998), 38.800
(January 1992), 36.596 (1991), 34.569 (1990), 32.270 (1989), 31.733
(1988), 30.950 (1987)
FISCAL YEAR: 1 July - 30 June