31,309,187 GRT/45,859,485 DWT ships by type: bulk 159, cargo 246, chemical
tanker 41, combination bulk 13, combination ore/oil 22, container 80,
liquefied gas 28, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large-load carrier
8, passenger 88, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 178, railcar carrier
1, refrigerated cargo 120, roll on/roll off 49, short-sea passenger 16,
specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 22 note: includes some foreign-owned
ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Angola 1, Argentina
1, Australia 4, Belgium 18, Bermuda 1, Canada 5, Chile 1, China 3,
Croatia 2, Cuba 3, Cyprus 2, Denmark 27, Ecuador 1, Estonia 2, Finland
9, France 15, Germany 26, Greece 173, Hong Kong 6, India 2, Indonesia 2,
Ireland 1, Israel 3, Italy 9, Jamaica 1, Japan 32, Kenya 3, Malaysia 10,
Malta 2, Monaco 67, Netherlands 32, New Zealand 2, Norway 237, Panama 2,
Philippines 3, Poland 13, Reunion 1, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 9, Singapore
13, Slovenia 1, South Korea 2, Spain 7, Sweden 12, Switzerland 8, Thailand
1, Trinidad and Tobago 2, Turkey 2, Ukraine 2, United Arab Emirates 10,
United Kingdom 107, United States 159, Uruguay 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 67 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 32 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047
m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 3 (2001) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to
1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 23 (2001)
Heliports: 1 (2001)
Military Bahamas, The
Military branches: Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard only),
Royal Bahamas Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $20 million (FY95/96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.7% (FY99)
Transnational Issues Bahamas, The
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for
US and Europe; banking industry vulnerable to money laundering
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Bangladesh
Introduction
Bangladesh
Background: Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East
Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. About a third of this
extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season,
hampering economic development.
Geography Bangladesh
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma
and India
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 144,000 sq km land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Iowa
Land boundaries: total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India
4,053 km
Coastline: 580 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 18 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer
(March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point:
Keokradong 1,230 m
Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Land use: arable land: 61% permanent crops: 3% other: 36% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 38,440 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely
inundated during the summer monsoon season
Environment - current issues: 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
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not
ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: 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
People Bangladesh
Population: 133,376,684 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 33.8% (male 23,069,242; female 21,995,457) 15-64 years:
(male 2,444,314; female 2,069,816) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.59% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 25.12 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 8.47 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
1.18 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 68.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 60.74 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 13,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi
Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)
Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 56% male: 63% female: 49% (2000 est.)
Government Bangladesh
Country name: conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form: Bangladesh former: East Pakistan
Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Dhaka
Administrative divisions: 5 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka,
Khulna, Rajshahi; note - there may be one additional division named 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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President A. Q. M. Badruddoza CHOWDHURY
(since 12 November 2001); note - the president's duties are normally
ceremonial, but with the 13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker
Government Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times
when Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed -
at presidential direction - to supervise the elections head of government:
selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president elections:
last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held by NA October 2006); following
legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats
is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results:
percent of National Parliament vote - NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad;
300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies
(the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and
above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members
serve five-year terms elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be
held before October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party -
BNP and alliance partners 46%, AL 42%; seats by party - BNP 201, AL 62,
JI 18, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Naziur) 1, other 4; note -
the election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned
with three other smaller parties - Jamaat-i-Islami, Islami Oikya Jote,
and Jatiya Party (Naziur)
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 [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh
Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA, chairperson]; Islami Oikya Jote
or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-E-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman
NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD];
Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [[Naziur Rahman MANZUR]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM,
OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Ambassador Ahmad Tariq KARIM
consulate(s) general: 244-0183 chancery: 3510 International Drive NW,
Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Mary Ann PETERS embassy: Madani Avenue,
G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 telephone:
Flag description: green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist
side of center; the red sun of freedom represents the blood shed to
achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush countryside,
and secondarily, the traditional color of Islam
Economy Bangladesh
Economy - overview: Despite sustained domestic and international efforts
to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a
poor, overpopulated, and ill-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. Economic reform is stalled in many instances by political
infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Progress also has
been blocked by opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions,
and other vested interest groups. The newly-elected BNP government,
led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to
push through needed reforms, but the party's level of political will to
do so remains undetermined.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $230 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,750 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30% industry: 18% services:
52% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: 35.6% (FY95/96 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33.6 (1995-96)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.8% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 64.1 million (1998) note: extensive export of labor
to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers'
remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 63%, services 26%, industry 11%
(FY95/96)
Unemployment rate: 35% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $4.9 billion expenditures: $6.8 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)
Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper
newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Industrial production growth rate: 6.2% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 13.493 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 92.45% hydro: 7.55%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 12.548 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes,
tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Exports: $6.6 billion (2001)
Exports - commodities: garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen
fish and seafood
Exports - partners: US 31.8%, Germany 10.9%, UK 7.9%, France 5.2%,
Netherlands 5.2%, Italy 4.42% (2000)
Imports: $8.7 billion (2001)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and
steel, textiles, raw cotton, food, crude oil and petroleum products,
cement
Imports - partners: India 10.5%, EU 9.5%, Japan 9.5%, Singapore 8.5%,
China 7.4% (2000)
Debt - external: $17 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.575 billion (2000 est.)
Currency: taka (BDT)
Currency code: BDT
Exchange rates: taka per US dollar - 57.756 (January 2002), 55.807
(2001), 52.142 (2000), 49.085 (1999), 46.906 (1998), 43.892 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications Bangladesh
Telephones - main lines in use: 500,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 283,000 (2000)
Telephone system: totally inadequate for a modern country domestic:
UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean);
international radiotelephone communications and landline service to
neighboring countries (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999)
Radios: 6.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (1999)
Televisions: 770,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .bd
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 10 (2000)
Internet users: 30,000 (2000)
Transportation Bangladesh
Railways: total: 2,745 km broad gauge: 923 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge:
1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2000 est.)
Highways: total: 201,182 km paved: 19,112 km unpaved: 182,070 km (1997)
Waterways: up to 8,046 km depending on season note: includes 3,058 km
main cargo routes
Pipelines: natural gas 1,250 km
Ports and harbors: Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port, Narayanganj (2001)
Merchant marine: total: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 269,932
GRT/379,271 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 26, container 3, petroleum
tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1, includes s foreign-owned ship registered
here as a flag of convenience: Singapore 5 (2002 est.)
Airports: 18 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047
m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under
914 m: 2 (2001)
Military Bangladesh
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, paramilitary
forces (includes Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Village Defense
Parties, Armed Police Battalions, National Cadet Corps)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 37,303,372 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 22,139,736
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $559 million (FY96/97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.8% (FY96/97)
Transnational Issues Bangladesh
Disputes - international: only a small portion of the boundary with India
remains undelimited; discussions to demarcate the boundary, exchange
162 miniscule enclaves, and allocate divided villages remain stalled;
skirmishes, illegal border trafficking, and violence along the border
continue; Bangladesh has protested India's attempts to fence off high
traffic sections of the porous boundary; Burmese attempts to construct
a dam on the border stream in 2001 prompted an armed response halting
construction; Burmese Muslim refugees migrate into Bangladesh straining
meager resources
Illicit drugs: transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring
countries
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Belize
Introduction
Belize
Background: Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the
independence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) until 1981. Guatemala
refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the
mainstay of the economy. The country remains plagued by high unemployment,
growing involvement in the South American drug trade, and increased
urban crime.
Geography Belize
Location: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala
and Mexico
Geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 45 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 22,966 sq km water: 160 sq km land: 22,806 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total: 516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km,
Mexico 250 km
Coastline: 386 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
in the north, 3 NM in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon
River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 NM; according to
Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is
to provide a framework for the negotiation of a definitive agreement on
territorial differences with Guatemala
Climate: tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November);
dry season (February to May)
Terrain: flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point:
Victoria Peak 1,160 m
Natural resources: arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 1% other: 96% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November)
and coastal flooding (especially in south)
Environment - current issues: deforestation; water pollution from sewage,
industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but
not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: only country in Central America without a coastline
on the North Pacific Ocean
People Belize
Population: 262,999 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.6% (male 55,716; female 53,581) 15-64
years: 54.9% (male 73,068; female 71,368) 65 years and over: 3.5%
(male 4,511; female 4,755) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.65% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 31.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 4.6 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 73.87 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 3.96 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 2.01% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,400 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 170 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean
Ethnic groups: mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%,
other 9.7%
Religions: Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Anglican 5.3%, Methodist
3.5%, Mennonite 4.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Pentecostal 7.4%,
Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), none 9.4%, other 14% (2000)
Languages: English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 70.3% male: 70.3% female: 70.3% (1991 est.) note: other
sources list the literacy rate as high as 75%
Government Belize
Country name: Belize former: Government type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Belmopan
Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange
Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Independence: 21 September 1981 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
Constitution: 21 September 1981
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since
17 November 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Said Wilbert MUSA
(since 27 August 1998); Deputy Prime Minister John BRICENO (since 1
September 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the
advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
governor general appointed by the monarch; governor general appoints
the member of the House of Representatives who is leader of the majority
party to be prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate
(12 members appointed by the governor general - six on the advice of the
prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and
one each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical
Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry
and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union
Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; members are appointed
for five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (29 seats; members
are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections:
House of Representatives - last held 27 August 1998 (next to be held by
NA August 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 59.2%,
UDP 40.8%; seats by party - PUP 26, UDP 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the
governor general on the advice of the prime minister)
Political parties and leaders: People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA];
United Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW, party leader; Douglas SINGH,
party chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Society for the Promotion of
Education and Research or SPEAR [Diane HAYLOCK]; United Worker's Front
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC,
FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa
M. SHOMAN consulate(s) general: Los
[1] (202) 332-9636 chancery:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Russell F. FREEMAN embassy: 29 Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize
City mailing address: P. O. Box 286, Unit 7401, APO AA 34025 telephone:
[501] (2) 77161 FAX: [501] (2) 30802
Flag description: blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the
bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms;
the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of
a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in
the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland
Economy Belize
Economy - overview: The small, essentially private enterprise economy is
based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry, and merchandising,
with tourism and construction assuming greater importance. Sugar,
the chief crop, accounts for nearly half of exports, while the banana
industry is the country's largest employer. The government's expansionary
monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to GDP
growth of 6.4% in 1999 and 10.5% in 2000. Growth decelerated in 2001 to
3% due to the global slowdown and severe hurricane damage to agriculture,
fishing, and tourism. Major concerns continue to be the rapidly expanding
trade deficit and foreign debt. A key short-term objective remains the
reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $830 million (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2001 est.)