Facts:
Official name:
The People's Republic of Bangladesh
Area: 55,598 sq. mile
Population: 129,194,224 (July 2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.59% (2000 est.)
Geography
Bounded
by India from the north, east and west and by the Bay of Bengal and Myanmar from
the south. Bangladesh is generally low-lying, with elevations from 300 m (900
ft) to 1,200 m (4,000 ft) in the hills. The lowlands of the delta region are
crisscrossed by numerous distributaries of the main rivers.
Government
Bangladesh is a parliamentary
democracy with a unicameral legislature.
President:
Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed
Prime Minister:
Begum Khaleda Zia (Bangladesh Nationalist Party)
Leader of Opposition: Sheikh Hasina (Bangladesh Awami League)
Economy
Bangladesh has the advantages of a mild, almost tropical climate, fertile soil, ample water (except the dry season), and an abundance of fish, wildlife, and fruit. The country mainly has an agrarian economy. The main crop is rice; others are jute, wheat, and tea. Bangladesh's labor-intensive agricultural sector has achieved steady increases in food grain production through better flood control and irrigation measures, more intensive use of fertilizers and high-yielding seed varieties, increased price incentives, and improved distribution and rural credit networks.
The small industrial sector
contributes significantly to export receipts; it also provides employment and a
market for cash crops. Main industries are garment, textiles, jute products
(mainly carpet), fishery (mainly shrimp), poultry, scrap metal, sugar, tea,
leather goods, paper, newsprint, pharmaceuticals, cigarette, cement, steel,
natural gas, oil-refinery, power generation, rayon, matches, fishing and food
processing, leather, soap, timber, ship-building, telephone, and fertilizer
production.
Minerals have traditionally been economically unimportant. The country has large
reserves of natural gas and some petroleum deposits.
Climate
Main seasons - Winter (Nov - Feb), Summer (Mar -
Jun), Monsoon (Jul - Oct).
Temperature: Max 34 degree Celsius, Min 8 degree
Celsius.
Rainfall: Lowest 47" and highest 136"
Environment
About 15% of Bangladesh is still forested; the three principal forest regions are the Madhupur jungle, the tidal forest in the coastal Sundarban, and the tropical rain forest of the Chittagong Hills. Bamboo and rattan are abundant. Royal Bengal Tigers, crocodiles, and deers are found in the Sundarbans, and elephants, rhinoceroses, and leopards in the hill areas.
Issues
>> The coastal districts of Bangladesh are susceptible to serious
damage from cyclones, which cause major losses of life and property. Bangladesh
is one of the most flood-prone countries in the world. About 6% of the total
land area of Bangladesh is permanently under water, and two-thirds is flooded
for part of the year. Bangladesh being mostly formed of the Gangetic delta, will
be impacted severely if sea-level's rise as a result of the greenhouse effect.
A devastating environmental disaster threatens the lives of millions of
Bangladeshis (and people of West Bengal) as a result of arsenic contamination of
the ground water. Tens of millions of persons in many districts are drinking
ground water with arsenic concentrations far above acceptable levels.
Tourism
Tourist Seasons: October to
March
Main Tourist Attractions: Colorful tribal life, longest sea beach (Cox's Bazar),
centuries' old archeological sites, home of the Royal Bengal Tiger, largest tea
gardens, and interesting riverside life.
Wearing Apparel: Tropical in summer, and light-woolen in winter
Language
Bangla (official), English
Our language has a rich cultural heritage in literature, music, poetry, and
drama. At least two Bengali poets are well known in the West: Rabindranath
Tagore (Nobel Prize winner, 1913) and our national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.
Food
As a fine art form, Bangladeshi cooking recipes have been well accepted in many foreign countries, although most of the time the restaurants have to advertise the foods as Indian Sub-Continental food rather than Bangladeshi food.
Ethnicity
Bengali 98%, Biharis 250,000, and tribal less than 1 million.
Religion
Islam 88.3%, Hinduism 10.5%, Christianity, Buddhism, and others 1.2%
Education
The literacy rate in Bangladesh is very low, with significant disparity between female and male literacy rates. However, with the inception of Universal Primary Education program, the literacy rates have been going up. Up to Higher School Certificate Exam (equivalent to High School in American System), education for women is free in government schools and colleges.
Transportation
Main transports are rickshaw (human driven 3 wheeler), car, bus, train, boat, launch, airplane, mishuk (auto rickshaw), tempo, scooter (auto rickshaw), bullock curt, and pulling cart.
Capital City Dhaka
Dhaka, formerly Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is located in the geographic center of the country in the great deltaic region of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. It served as the Mogul capital of Bengal from 1608 to 1704 and was a trading center for British, French, and Dutch interests before coming under British rule in 1765. In 1905 it was again named the capital of Bengal, and in 1956 it became the capital of East Pakistan. The city suffered heavy damage during the Bangladesh war of independence in 1971. Now this city is the center of all political, economic, educational, and cultural activities of the country.
Source: Virtual Bangladesh
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