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SOUTH ASIA :: BANGLADESH

PAG E L AST U PD AT ED ON J ANU AR Y 2 8 , 2 01 4

VIE W 1 P H O T O OF BANG L AD E SH

COLLAPSE ALL

Introduction :: BANGLADESH Background:

Muslim conversions and s ettlement i n the region now referred t o as Bangl adesh began i n the 10t h centur y, primaril y from and Persian traders and pr eac hers. Europeans began to set up tradi ng posts in t he area i n the 16t h cent ur y. Event ually t known as Bengal, primarily Hindu i n the wester n secti on and mostly Muslim i n the easter n half, became par t of British Ind Partition i n 1947 r esult ed i n an easter n wi ng of Pakistan i n the Muslim -majorit y area, which became East Pakistan. Calls greater aut onomy and ani mosity between t he easter n and wester n wi ngs of Pakistan l ed t o a Bengali independence move That movement, l ed by the Awami League (AL) and s upported by I ndi a, won independence f or Bangl adesh i n 1971, altho least 300,000 civili ans di ed in the pr ocess. The post -i ndependence, AL government f aced daunti ng c hall enges and in 197 overthr own by t he militar y, triggering a s eries of military coups that res ulted in a military - backed government and subseq creation of the Bangl adesh N ati onalist Party (BNP). That government als o ended in a coup in 1981, foll owed by milit ary - b

rule until democr atic electi ons i n 1991. The BNP and AL have alt ernat ely hel d power since t hen, wit h the exc eption of a m backed, emer gency c aret aker r egime t hat sus pended parli ament ary el ections planned for Januar y 2007 i n an eff ort to ref politic al system and r oot out corruption. That gover nment retur ned t he c ountry t o full y democratic rul e in December 2008 the electi on of the AL and Prime Mi nister Sheikh HASINA. W ith the help of int er national devel opment assistanc e, Bangl a has made great pr ogr ess in food s ecurity si nce i ndependenc e, and t he economy has gr own at an average of about 6 perc over the l ast two dec ades. Geography :: BANGLADESH Location: Souther n Asia, bor dering t he Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 90 00 E Map references: Asia Area: total: 143, 998 sq km country comparison to the world: 9 5 land: 130,168 sq km water: 13, 830 sq km Area - comparative: slightl y small er than I owa Land boundaries: total: 4, 246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, Indi a 4, 053 km Coastline: 580 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: up to t he outer limits of the continent al margi n Climate:

tropical; mil d wi nt er (October to March); hot, humi d summer (March to J une); humid, warm rai ny monsoon ( June to Oct ob Terrain: mostly fl at all uvi al plai n; hi lly in sout heast Elevation extremes: lowest point: I ndian Oc ean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1, 230 m Natural resources: nat ural gas, arabl e land, ti mber, coal

Land use: arable land: 52.97% permanent crops: 6. 25% other: 40.78% (2011) Irrigated land: 50, 500 sq km ( 2008) Total renewable water resources: 1,227 cu km (2011) Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 35.87 cu km/ yr (10%/2%/88%) per capita: 238. 3 cu m/ yr (2008) Natural hazards: droughts; cyclones; much of the countr y routinel y inundat ed duri ng the summer monsoon season Environment - current issues:

many people are l andl ess and forc ed t o live on and c ultivate fl ood - prone land; water bor ne diseases preval ent in surf ace wat er polluti on, especiall y of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; gr ound water contami nated by nat urall y occurring arsenic; intermitt ent wat er shortages because of f alling wat er tabl es in t he nort her n and central parts country; soil degr adation and erosi on; def or estation; severe over popul ati on Environment - international agreements:

party to: Bi odi versity, Cli mate Change, Cli mat e Change -Kyoto Prot ocol, Desert ification, Endangered Species, Environme Modification, Hazar dous W astes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Pr otection, Shi p Poll ution, W etlands signed, but not ratified: none of t he s elected agr eements Geography - note:

most of t he country is situated on deltas of l arge ri ver s flowing from t he Himal ayas: the Ganges unit es with the Jamuna ( channel of t he Brahmaputr a) and l at er joi ns the Meghna t o event ually empty i nto the Bay of Bengal People and Society :: BANGLADESH Nationality: noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangl ades hi Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, ot her 2% (inc ludes tribal gr oups, non - Bengali Muslims) (1998) Languages: Bangl a (offici al, also k nown as Bengali), Englis h Religions: Muslim 89. 5%, Hi ndu 9.6%, other 0. 9% (2004) Population: 163, 654,860 (July 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 Age structure:

0-14 years: 33% (mal e 27, 393, 912/femal e 26, 601, 199) 15-24 years: 18.8% (mal e 14, 337, 930/femal e 16, 377,785) 25-54 years: 37.6% (mal e 29, 091, 046/femal e 32, 455,670) 55-64 years: 5. 7% (male 4,775,062/f emale 4, 625,192) 65 years and over: 4.9% ( mal e 3, 918, 341/femal e 4,078, 723) (2013 est.) population pyramid: Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 53.3 % youth dependency ratio: 46 % elderly dependency ratio: 7. 3 % potential support ratio: 13.6 ( 2013) Median age: total: 23.9 years male: 23. 4 years female: 24.4 years (2013 est.) Population growth rate: 1.59% ( 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 6 Birth rate: 22. 07 birt hs/1,000 popul ati on ( 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 6 Death rate: 5.67 deaths/ 1,000 popul ati on ( 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 7 4 Net migration rate: -0.52 mi grant(s)/1,000 populati on ( 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 3 6 Urbanization: urban population: 28. 4% of tot al popul ation (2011) rate of urbanization: 2.96% annual r ate of change (2010-15 est.) Major urban areas - population: DHAKA (capit al) 15.391 mi llion; Chitt agong 4.816 mill ion; Khul na 1.636 million; Rajshahi 853,000 ( 2011) Sex ratio: at birth: 1. 04 mal e(s)/female 0-14 years: 1. 03 mal e(s)/female 15-24 years: 0. 87 mal e(s)/femal e 25-54 years: 0. 9 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1. 05 mal e(s)/femal e 65 years and over: 0.96 mal e(s)/femal e total population: 0. 95 mal e(s)/femal e (2013 est.) Mother's mean age at first birth: 18. 1 note: medi an age at first birth among women 25-29 ( 2011 est.)

Maternal mortality rate: 240 deaths/ 100, 000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 4 8 Infant mortality rate: total: 47.3 deat hs/1,000 li ve births country comparison to the world: 4 5 male: 49. 79 deat hs/1, 000 l ive births female: 44.71 deat hs/1,000 live birt hs (2013 est. ) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.36 years country comparison to the world: 1 5 0 male: 68. 48 years female: 72.31 years (2013 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.5 chil dr en bor n/woman ( 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 3 Contraceptive prevalence rate: 61. 2% ( 2011/ 12) Health expenditures: 3.7% of GDP ( 2011) country comparison to the world: 1 7 4 Physicians density: 0.36 physicians/ 1,000 populati on ( 2011) Hospital bed density: 0.6 beds/1, 000 populati on (2011) Drinking water source: improved: urban: 85.3% of popul ati on rural: 82. 4% of popul ation total: 83. 2% of popul ation unimproved: urban: 14.7% of popul ati on rural: 17. 6% of popul ation total: 16. 8% of popul ation ( 2011 est.) Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: 55.3% of popul ati on rural: 54. 5% of popul ation total: 54. 7% of popul ation unimproved: urban: 44.7% of popul ati on rural: 45. 5% of popul ation total: 45. 3% of popul ation ( 2011 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0. 1% ( 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 1 2 HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 6,300 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 1 6 HIV/AIDS - deaths: fewer than 200 ( 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 0 5 Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: hi gh food or waterborne diseases: bacteri al and pr otozoal di arrhea, hepatitis A and E, and t yphoid f ever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and mal aria are high risks in some l ocati ons water contact disease: l eptos pirosis animal contact disease: r abi es note: hi ghl y pat hogenic H5N1 avi an infl uenza has been identified in t his country; it poses a negligi ble risk with extr emely cases possible among US citizens who have cl ose contact wit h bir ds (2013) Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 1.1% ( 2008) country comparison to the world: 1 9 0 Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 41. 3% ( 2007) country comparison to the world: 4 Education expenditures: 2.2% of GDP ( 2009) country comparison to the world: 1 6 3 Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.7% male: 62% female: 53.4% (2011 est.) School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 8 years (2007) Child labor - children ages 5-14: total number: 4,485,497 percentage: 13 % ( 2006 est.) Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: total: 9. 3% country comparison to the world: 1 1 2 male: 8% female: 13.6% (2005) Government :: BANGLADESH Country name:

conventional long form: Peopl e's Republic of Bangl adesh conventional short form: Bangl ades h local long form: Gana Prajatantri Bangl adesh local short form: Bangl adesh former: East Bengal, East Pakistan Government type: parli ament ary democracy Capital: name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E time difference: UTC+6 ( 11 hours ahead of W ashington, DC duri ng Standar d Ti me) Administrative divisions: 7 di visions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khul na, Rajs hahi, Rangpur, Syl het Independence: 16 Dec ember 1971 (from W est Pakistan) National holiday:

Independence Day, 26 Mar ch (1971); Victor y Day; not e - March 1971 is the date of the Awami League's dec larati on of an independent Bangl adesh, and 16 December, known as Victory Day, memoriali zes the milit ary victor y over Pakistan and t h official creation of t he st at e of Banglades h Constitution:

previous 1935, 1956, 1962 (prei ndependence); lat est enacted 4 November 1972, effective 16 Dec ember 1972, sus pended 1982, restor ed November 1986; amended many times, last in 2011 ( 2011) Legal system: mi xed l egal syst em of most ly Englis h common law and Islamic law International law organization participation: has not submitt ed an ICJ jurisdiction declar ation; acc epts ICCt jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; uni versal Executive branch:

chief of state: Pr esident Abdul HAMID (sinc e 24 April 2013); note - Abdul HAMI D served as acti ng presi dent foll owi ng t h of Zill ur RAHMAN in March 2013; HAMID was subs equentl y el ected by the Nati onal Parli ament and was sworn i n 24 April head of government: Prime Mi nister Sheikh HASI NA (since 6 J anuary 2009; reel ected 5 J anuary 2014) cabinet: Cabinet sel ected by t he prime mi nister and appoi nted by t he presi dent (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president el ected by National Parliament for a five -year t erm (eli gi ble for a sec ond term); l ast el ection hel d on April 2013 ( next must be held by 2018) election results: Presi dent Abdul HAMI D was el ected by t he Nati onal Parli ament unopposed Legislative branch:

unic ameral Nati onal Parliament or Jati ya Sangsad; 300 s eats (45 res erved f or women) el ected by popul ar vot e from si ngl territorial c onstituencies; members ser ve fi ve -year t erms elections: l ast hel d on 5 January 2014 (next t o be held in Januar y 2019); not e - the 5 Januar y 2014 poll was marred by widespread vi ol enc e, boyc otts, gener al strikes, and l ow vot er tur nout

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seat s by part y - AL 231, JP 33, CPB 6, JSD 5, ot her 3, i ndependents 14, ordered 8 Judicial branch:

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Bangl adesh ( organi zed i nto t he Appell ate Division wit h 7 justices and t he High Cour Division wit h 99 justices) judge selection and term of office: chi ef justice and justices appoint ed by the president; justices ser ve until retirement 67 subordinate courts: ci vil courts include: Assistant J udge's C ourt; Joint District Judge's Court; Additional District Judge' District Judge's Court; criminal c ourts include: Court of Sessions; Court of Metropolit an Sessions; special c ourts/tribunal Metropolitan Magistrat e Courts; Magistrate Court Political parties and leaders: Awami League or AL [Shei kh HASINA] Communist Party of Bangl ades h or CPB [Manjur ul A. KHAN] Bangl ades h Nationalist Par ty or BNP [ Khal eda ZI A] Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh or BDB [Badr udozza CHOW DHURY] Islami Oikya Jot e or IOJ [multipl e leaders] Jamaat-e-Islami Bangl ades h or JIB [Matiur Rahman NI ZAMI] Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [ Anwar Hossai n MANJU] Nati onal Socialist Party (Jatiyo Samajt antrik Dal) or J SD [Hasanul Haq INU] Political pressure groups and leaders:

Advoc acy t o End Gender - based Vi olence t hrough t he MoW CA (Ministry of W omen's and Chil dren's Affairs) Ain o Salish Kendr o (Law and Order Cent er) Bangl ades h Rural Advanc ement Committee or BRAC Bangl ades h Cent er for W orker Soli darity Feder ati on of Bangl adesh Chambers of Commerc e and Industr y Odikhar (Human Rights) other: associati ons of madrassa teachers; busi ness associations, including thos e int ended t o pr omote i nt ernati onal trade development and advocacy NGOs associ ated wit h the Grameen Bank; envir onmentalists; Islamist groups; labor ri ghts ad groups; nongovernmental organizati ons foc used on povert y, all eviati on, and soci oec onomic int ernati onal trade; r eligi ous leaders; tribal groups and advocacy organizati ons; union l eaders International organization participation:

ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CD, CICA (observer), CP, D- 8, FAO, G- 77, I AEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, I HO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, I nter pol, IOC, IOM, I PU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, I TUC ( NGOs ), MIGA, MINUR MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW , PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UN AMI D, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFI L, UNIS UNMI L, UNMISS, UNMI T, UNOCI, UNW TO, UPU, W CO, W FTU (NGOs), W HO, WIPO, W MO, W TO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Akramul QADER (sinc e 1 Sept ember 2009) chancery: 3510 I nt ernational Drive NW , W ashington, DC 20008 telephone: [ 1] (202) 244-0183 FAX: [ 1] (202) 244-7830/ 2771 consulate(s) general: Los Angel es, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dan W . MOZENA (since 11 November 2011) embassy: Madani Avenue, Bari dhara, Dhaka 1212 mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhak a 1000 telephone: [ 880] (2) 885-5500 FAX: [ 880] (2) 882-3744

Flag description: green fi el d with a l arge red disk shifted sli ghtl y to t he hoist side of c ent er; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achi eve i ndependence; the green fi eld s ymbolizes the lus h veget ation of Banglades h National symbol(s): Bengal ti ger National anthem: name: "Amar Shonar Bangla" (My Golden Bengal)

lyrics/music: Rabi ndr anat h TAGORE note: adopt ed 1971; Rabi ndranat h TAGORE, a Nobel laur eat e, also wr ote I ndi a's nati onal ant hem Economy :: BANGLADESH Economy - overview:

In real terms Bangl ades h's economy has grown 5.8% per year since 1996 despit e political i nstability, poor i nfrastructur e, corrupti on, insufficient power suppli es, and slow implementati on of ec onomic ref orms. Bangl adesh r emains a poor, overpopul at ed, and i neffici entl y -gover ned nati on. Although mor e than half of GDP is generat ed t hrou gh t he service sect o of Bangl adeshis ar e empl oyed i n the agricult ure sect or with rice as t he singl e -most-important product. Bangl adesh's gr ow resilient during the 2008- 09 gl obal fi nancial crisis and recession. Garment exports, totaling $12.3 bi llion i n FY09 and remittances from overs eas Bangl ades his, totali ng $11 billion in FY10, accounted for almost 12% of GDP. GDP (purchasing power parity): $302.8 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 4 4 $285.3 billion (2011 est.) $268 billi on ( 2010 est.) note: data ar e in 2012 US doll ars GDP (official exchange rate): $121.3 billion (2012 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.1% ( 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 4 5 6.5% ( 2011 est.) 6.4% ( 2010 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $2, 000 ( 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 9 2 $1, 900 ( 2011 est.) $1, 800 ( 2010 est.) note: data ar e in 2012 US doll ars Gross national saving: 27% of GDP ( 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 3 7 25% of GDP ( 2011 est.) 26. 7% of GDP (2010 est.) GDP - composition, by end use:

household consumption: 75% government consumption: 5. 7% investment in fixed capital: 25. 4% investment in inventories: 4.3% exports of goods and services: 25% imports of goods and services: -35.3% (2012 est.) GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 17. 7% industry: 28. 5% services: 53. 9% ( 2012 est. ) Agriculture - products: rice, jute, t ea, wheat, sugarcane, potat oes, t obacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultr y Industries:

jute, cott on, garments, paper, leather, fertili zer, iron and steel, cement, petrol eum products, tobacco, dr ugs and pharmaceuticals, ceramics, tea, salt, sugar, edibl e oil s, soap and det ergent, fabricated met al products, el ectricity and na gas Industrial production growth rate: 8.9% ( 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 2 2 Labor force: 77 milli on country comparison to the world: 7 note: extensive export of l abor to Saudi Ar abi a, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qat ar, and Mal aysia; workers' remitt anc es wer e $1 billion in FY09/10 (2012 es t.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 45% industry: 30% services: 25% (2008) Unemployment rate: 5% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 4 5 5% (2011 est.) note: about 40% of t he popul ation is under employed; many participants in the l abor f orce work only a few hours a week, wages Population below poverty line: 31. 5% ( 2010 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 27% (2010 est.) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33. 2 (2005) country comparison to the world: 9 8 33. 6 (1996)

Budget: revenues: $14. 03 billi on expenditures: $19.69 billion ( 2012 est.) Taxes and other revenues: 11. 6% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 2 0 4 Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): -4.7% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 6 1 Public debt: 32. 2% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 1 1 34. 6% of GDP (2011 est.) Fiscal year: 1 Jul y - 30 June Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.6% ( 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 7 2 10. 3% ( 2011 est.) Central bank discount rate: 5% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 1 5% (31 December 2009 est.) Commercial bank prime lending rate: 13% (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 2 13. 25% (31 December 2011 est.) Stock of narrow money: $14. 85 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 8 $13. 19 billion (31 December 2011 est.) Stock of broad money: $66. 84 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 4 $66. 14 billion (31 December 2010 est.) Stock of domestic credit: $79. 32 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 5 8 $68. 57 billion (31 December 2011 est.) Market value of publicly traded shares: $23. 55 billion (31 December 2011) country comparison to the world: 6 6 $15. 68 billion (31 December 2010) $7. 068 billion (31 December 2009)

Current account balance: $1. 754 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 4 2 $-165 million (2011 est.) Exports: $24. 92 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 0 $24. 54 billion (2011 est.) Exports - commodities: garments, knitwear, agricul tural products, frozen food (fish and seafood), jut e and jut e goods, leat her Exports - partners: US 16. 6%, Germany 13. 4%, UK 8. 6%, France 5.2% ( 2012) Imports: $32. 29 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 3 $32. 61 billion (2011 est.) Imports - commodities: machi nery and equipment, chemic als, iron and steel, t extil es, foodst uffs, petr oleum pr oducts, cement Imports - partners: Chi na 17.8%, I ndi a 13. 8%, Mal aysi a 5%, Singapore 4. 6%, South Kor ea 4.4% (2012) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $12. 75 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 1 $9. 192 billion (31 December 2011 est.) Debt - external: $29. 53 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 2 $29. 12 billion (31 December 2011 est.) Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: $6. 64 billi on ( 31 Dec ember 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 6 $6. 166 billion (31 December 2011 est.) Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: $108.1 milli on (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 9 $107 million (31 December 2011 est.) Exchange rates: taka (BDT) per US doll ar 81. 863 ( 2012 est.) 74. 152 ( 2011 est.) 69. 649 ( 2010 est.) 69. 04 (2009) 68. 554 ( 2008)

Energy :: BANGLADESH Electricity - production: 40. 08 billi on kW h (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 5 9 Electricity - consumption: 38. 89 billi on kW h (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 5 4 Electricity - exports: 0 kW h (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 6 5 Electricity - imports: 0 kW h (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 6 2 Electricity - installed generating capacity: 6.673 million kW (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 8 Electricity - from fossil fuels: 96% of t otal i nstall ed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 5 Electricity - from nuclear fuels: 0% of t otal i nstall ed capaci ty (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 4 7 Electricity - from hydroelectric plants: 3.4% of tot al i nstalled capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 2 6 Electricity - from other renewable sources: 0.5% of tot al i nstalled capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 2 Crude oil - production: 5,452 bbl/day (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 8 Crude oil - exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 5 Crude oil - imports: 23, 620 bbl/ day ( 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 5 Crude oil - proved reserves: 28 milli on bbl (1 J anuary 2013 es) country comparison to the world: 8 2 Refined petroleum products - production: 22, 710 bbl/ day ( 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 1

Refined petroleum products - consumption: 108, 900 bbl/ day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 4 Refined petroleum products - exports: 3,288 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 9 7 Refined petroleum products - imports: 84, 490 bbl/ day ( 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 5 4 Natural gas - production: 20. 11 billi on c u m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 3 2 Natural gas - consumption: 19. 91 billi on c u m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 3 6 Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m ( 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 5 Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m ( 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 1 6 0 Natural gas - proved reserves: 183. 7 billi on c u m (1 January 2013 es) country comparison to the world: 4 7 Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy: 58. 81 million Mt ( 2011 est. ) country comparison to the world: 5 5 Communications :: BANGLADESH Telephones - main lines in use: 962, 000 (2012) country comparison to the world: 7 8 Telephones - mobile cellular: 97. 18 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 1 5 Telephone system:

general assessment: i nadequate f or a moder n countr y; intr oducing di git al systems; trun k systems i nclude VHF and UHF microwave radio r el ay li nks, and some fiber -optic cabl e in cities domestic: fi xed-li ne t eledensity remai ns only about 1 per 100 persons; mobil e -cellular t elephone s ubscriber ship has bee increasi ng r api dl y and now exc eeds 50 t el ephones per 100 persons international: country code - 880; l andi ng point f or the SEA -ME-W E-4 fiber- opti c submari ne cabl e syst em t hat provi des Eur ope, the Mi ddl e East, and Asia; sat ellite earth stat ions - 6; i nter national r adi otelephone c ommunications and l andline to neighbori ng countries ( 2011) Broadcast media:

state-owned Bangl adesh Television (BTV) operat es 1 terrestrial TV stati on, 3 radio networks, and about 10 local stati ons private s atellit e TV stations and 3 private r adi o stati ons also broadcasting; for ei gn s atellit e TV stations ar e gai ning audi e share i n t he l arge cities; several i nt ernational radio broadcasters ar e availabl e ( 2007) Internet country code: .bd Internet hosts: 71, 164 ( 2012) country comparison to the world: 8 7 Internet users: 617, 300 (2009) country comparison to the world: 1 1 2 Transportation :: BANGLADESH Airports: 18 ( 2013) country comparison to the world: 1 3 9 Airports - with paved runways: total: 16 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: 5 (2013) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2013) Heliports: 3 (2013) Pipelines: gas 2,950 km ( 2013) Railways: total: 2, 622 km country comparison to the world: 6 4 broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,676 km 1.000-m gauge (2008) Roadways: total: 21,269 km country comparison to the world: 1 0 6 paved: 1,063 km unpaved: 20, 206 km (2010) Waterways:

8,370 km (includes up t o 3, 060 km of mai n car go r out es; the network is reduc ed to 5, 200 km in t he dr y season) ( 2011) country comparison to the world: 1 7 Merchant marine:

total: 62 country comparison to the world: 6 4 by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 28, chemical t anker 1, contai ner 5, petr oleum t anker 3 foreign-owned: 8 (China 1, Si ngapor e 7) registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 1, Hong Kong 1, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Gr enadines 1, Sierr a Leo Singapore 1) (2010) Ports and terminals: major seaport(s): Chitt agong river port(s): Mongla Port (Sel a Ri ver) container port(s): Chittagong (1, 392, 104) (2011) Transportation - note: the I nter nati onal Maritime Bur eau reports the t erritori al waters of Bangladesh remai n a risk for armed robbery agai nst sh attacks agai nst vessels have decreas ed over t he l ast few years in res ponse t o i mproved l ocal sec urity Military :: BANGLADESH Military branches:

Bangl ades h Defense Force: Bangl ades h Army (Sena Bahini ), Banglades h Navy ( Noh Bahi ni, BN), Bangl adesh Air Force ( Bahini, BAF) (2013) Military service age and obligation:

16- 19 years of age f or voluntar y militar y ser vice; Bangladeshi birt h and 10t h gr ade educati on requir ed; initi al obligati on 1 (2012) Manpower available for military service: males age 16-49: 36, 520, 491 (2010 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 30, 486, 086 females age 16-49: 35, 616,093 (2010 est.) Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: male: 1, 606, 963 female: 1, 689, 442 (2010 est.) Military expenditures: 1.35% of GDP (2012) country comparison to the world: 2 1 4 1.44% of GDP (2011) 1.35% of GDP (2010) Transnational Issues :: BANGLADESH Disputes - international:

Bangl ades h ref erred its maritime boundar y claims wit h Burma and India t o t he I nt ernational Tri bunal on the Law of t he Se Indi an Prime Mi nister Si ngh's September 2011 visit to Bangl ades h result ed in t he signing of a Pr otoc ol to t he 1974 Land Boundary Agr eement bet ween Indi a and Bangl adesh, which had call ed for t he s ettlement of l ongstanding boundar y dis pu over undemarcat ed ar eas and t he exc hange of t erritori al enclaves, but whic h had never been implement ed; Bangl adesh struggl es to accommodat e 29, 000 Roh ingya, Bur mese Muslim mi norit y from Arak an Stat e, livi ng as ref ugees in Cox's Baz

Burmese bor der authorities are constructing a 200 km (124 mi) wir e fence desi gned t o det er illegal cross -border transit a tensi ons from t he militar y build - up al ong bor der Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 230,674 (Burma) ( 2012) IDPs: undet ermi ned (land conflicts, religi ous persec ution) (2012) Illicit drugs: transit countr y for ill egal dr ugs produc ed i n nei ghboring countri es
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