Country Information

Country Information - Bangladesh

The People's Republic of Bangladesh in the northeastern portion of the Indian subcontinent is bordered on the west, north, and east by India, on the southeast by Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), and on the south by the Bay of Bengal. The area of the country is 147,570 sq km (56,977 sq mi). The capital and largest city of Bangladesh is Dhaka.

Geographically, historically, and culturally, Bangladesh forms the larger and more populous part of Bengal, the remainder of which constitutes the neighboring Indian state of Bangla. From 1947 to 1971 the region of Bangladesh was a province of Pakistan. As such, its official designation was changed from East Bengal to East Pakistan in 1955. On March 26, 1971, leaders of East Pakistan declared the region independent as Bangladesh (Bengali for “Bengal nation”), and its independence was assured on December 16, 1971, when Pakistani troops in the region surrendered to a joint force of Bangladeshi and Indian troops.

Bangladesh is one of the least developed countries in the world: In 1997/98 per capita GDP was US$338. Most land is fertile and intensely cultivated, rice being the main crop, followed by jute and tea. Agriculture accounts for around 34% of GDP and 65% of employment while the manufacturing sector accounts for only 18% of GDP and 16% of employment activity.

Area and Geographical Features

The majority of Bangladesh is flat and intersected by the numerous waterways of the Ganges Delta (the largest delta in the world). The great Himalayan rivers, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, divide the land into six major regions, corresponding to the six governmental divisions: north-west (Rajshahi), south-west (Khulna), south-central (Barisal), central (Dhaka), north-east (Sylhet) and south-east (Chittagong).

Bangladesh has shared borders with India to the west, north and east and Burma (Myanmar) to the south-east. The Bay of Bengal lies to the south. Along the borders with Burma and India the land is hilly and wooded, while the river delta is tropical jungle and marshes.

Population

Bangladesh's population of 125 million people is one of the poorest in the world. It is also the most densely populated country in the world with an overall density of 701 people per sq km and 1,847 per sq km on cultivated land. Approximately 80% of the population live in rural areas.
In August 1997 it was reported that Bangladesh had lowered its population growth rate to 1.6% a year, from 1.7% in 1996. Life expectancy at birth is 51.8 years. As many as 40% of school age children do not attend school.

Among the poor, one child in 10 dies in infancy. About 20% of families have no access to safe drinking water, 41% have access to sanitation, 44% have formal access to electricity and less than 14% have access to rubbish disposal. About 30 million Bangladeshis cannot afford 1,805 calories a day, 20% less than the minimum intake recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Principal commercial centres and towns

Dhaka, the capital, has a population of approximately eight million. Chittagong, the main port, has a population of around three million. Other principal towns include:

• Khulna - jute industry; fish and shrimp processing industry.
• Sylhet - tea production.
• Rajshahi - silk production and agriculture.
  

Climate

Bangladesh has three main seasons:

• The monsoon or wet season from late May to early October
• The cold season from mid-October to the end of February
• The hot season from mid-March to mid-May.

There are two cyclone seasons - May to June and October to November. Flooding is a major problem and the last major flood in mid-1998, caused widespread damage to agriculture and housing and made transport routes inaccessible.

The climate of Bangladesh is subtropical and tropical with temperatures ranging from an average daytime low of 21 degrees centigrade in the cold season to a maximum of 35 degrees centigrade in the hot season.

Average annual rainfall is between 1,000mm-2,500mm. Temperatures for April-September are 38-40 degrees centigrade, with humidity of 90%-95%; November-March temperatures are 21-27 degrees centigrade by day or as low as 10 degrees centigrade at night.