School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male: 8 years
female: 8 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
2.7% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 151
Government ::Bangladesh
Country name:
conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh
local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh
local short form: Banladesh
former: East Bengal, East Pakistan
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Dhaka
geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet
Independence:
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
National holiday:
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
Constitution:
4 November 1972; effective 16 December 1972; suspended following
coup of 24 March 1982; restored 10 November 1986; amended many times
Legal system:
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Zillur RAHMAN (since 12 February 2009)
head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 6
January 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the
president
elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year
term (eligible for a second term); last election held on 11 February
2009 (next scheduled election to be held in 2014)
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 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]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI];
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur 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]
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, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT,
MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO,
UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
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
Economy ::Bangladesh
Economy - overview:
The economy has grown 5-6% per year since 1996 despite inefficient
state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting natural gas resources,
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, nearly two-thirds of
Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as
the single-most-important product. Garment exports and remittances
from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and
East Asia, fuel economic growth. In 2008 Bangladesh pursued a
monetary policy aimed at maintaining high employment, but created
higher inflation in the process.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$226.4 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 50
$214 billion (2007 est.)
$201.5 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$84.2 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.8% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
6.2% (2007 est.)
6.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,500 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
$1,400 (2007 est.)
$1,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 19.1%
industry: 28.6%
services: 52.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
70.86 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 $4.8 billion
in 2005-06. (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 63%
industry: 11%
services: 26% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate:
2.5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
2.5% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
45% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.3%
highest 10%: 26.6% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33.2 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 94
33.6 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed):
24.3% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
Budget:
revenues: $8.825 billion
expenditures: $12.54 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
39.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
43% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.9% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
9.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 99
5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16.38% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 37
16% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$9.294 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 46
$8.444 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$37.98 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 30
$32.35 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$47.03 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 50
$40.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$6.671 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 78
$6.793 billion (31 December 2007)
$3.61 billion (31 December 2006)
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:
6.9% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
Electricity - production:
22.99 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
Electricity - consumption:
21.38 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
6,426 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
Oil - consumption:
95,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
Oil - exports:
2,612 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
Oil - imports:
87,660 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
Oil - proved reserves:
28 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - production:
17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - consumption:
17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 52
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
Natural gas - proved reserves:
141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
Current account balance:
$1.032 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
$856.8 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$15.44 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
$12.47 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
Exports - partners:
US 21%, Germany 13.2%, UK 8.6%, France 6.3%, Netherlands 4.7% (2008)
Imports:
$21.51 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
$16.67 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles,
foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement
Imports - partners:
China 14.7%, India 14.7%, Kuwait 7.5%, Singapore 7.1%, Japan 4.1%
(2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.789 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
$5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$22.83 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
$21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$5.971 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
$5.261 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$97 million (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
Exchange rates:
taka (BDT) per US dollar - 68.554 (2008 est.), 69.893 (2007), 69.031
(2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004)
Communications ::Bangladesh
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.39 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 67
Telephones - mobile cellular:
45.75 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 22
Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line
telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons;
mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly
and has reached 30 per 100 persons
domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems
include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some
fiber-optic cable in cities
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 (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)
Television broadcast stations:
15 (1999)
Internet country code:
.bd
Internet hosts:
4,209 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 135
Internet users:
556,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 104
Transportation ::Bangladesh
Airports:
17 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 139
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 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 2,597 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,768 km
country comparison to the world: 60
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: 40
country comparison to the world: 77
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 27, container 5, passenger/cargo 1,
petroleum tanker 4
foreign-owned: 1 (China 1)
registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 2, Honduras 1, Malta 2,
Panama 2, Singapore 2, Togo 1) (2008)
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)
(2009)
Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years of age for
officers (both with parental consent); conscription legally possible
in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 41,199,340 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 24,946,041
females age 16-49: 31,409,069 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,538,865
female: 1,666,670 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.5% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 105
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;
dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in
the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; after 21
years, Bangladesh resumes 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)
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@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:
284,589 (July 2009 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) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 35.8 years
male: 34.7 years
female: 36.9 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.383% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168
Birth rate:
12.55 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Death rate:
8.41 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
Net migration rate:
-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
Urbanization:
urban population: 40% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 143
male: 13.89 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.94 years
country comparison to the world: 95
male: 71.65 years
female: 76.26 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.68 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
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 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%
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:
6.9% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 24
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 David THOMPSON (since 16 January
2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: the monarch 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 15 January 2008 (next to be
called in 2013)
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 [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party or
DLP [David THOMPSON]; 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, 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 Mary M. OURISMAN
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)
Economy ::Barbados
Economy - overview: