bangladeshCountry: BANGLADESH

Capital: Dhaka

Geographic Coordinates: 24 00 N, 90 00 E

Population: 158,065,841 (July 2010 est.) 

Main Religion: Islam, Hinduism

Language: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Government Type: Parliamentary democracy

Chief of State: President Zillur RAHMAN; Head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed

Main Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar

GDP in US Dollars (per capita): $1,600 (2009 est.)

Currency Code: Taka (BDT)

Life Expectancy: 63 years (men), 65 years (women) (UN)

Environment - current issues: Many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; Waterborne 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

Issues facing Women and Children:

  • Maternal mortality remains high. Most rural women give birth at home, without medical assistance.
  • Millions of children are malnourished. Roughly half of all children under age five are underweight.
  • Primary school enrolment is relatively high, but many children – especially those in urban slums – are still denied their right to a basic education. Seven percent of Bangladeshi children under age fourteen are in the labour force.

Land Mine Ban Treaty: Y

Local Media: Press: The Daily Star, The Bangladesh Observer, New Age, The New Nation, Daily Prothom Alo; Radio and TV: Radio Bangladesh, Bangladesh TV (BTV)

Interesting Fact: Cyclones are a natural hazard in Bangladesh. Bangladesh also suffers regularly from substantial flooding caused by monsoon rains and melting snows from the Himalayas. George Harrison organized a concert to raise money for the victims of Bangladesh floods. He also recorded a single called Bangladesh which reached the top twenty in the UK pop charts (1971).

Famous for: mal-mal (textile),  jute, Mahasthangarh (oldest known city site), buffalo carts and tomtoms (horse carts), jatra (folk drama)

 

Official Tourism Website: https://www.bangladesh.gov.bd/

Location