NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
People's Republic of Bangladesh
former: East Pakistan
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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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
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Location:
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Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India |
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Geographic coordinates:
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24 00 N, 90 00 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
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total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Iowa |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km |
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Coastline:
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580 km |
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous zone: 18 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
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Climate:
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tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) |
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Terrain:
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mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m |
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Natural resources:
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natural gas, arable land, timber, coal |
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Land use:
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arable land: 60.7%
permanent crops: 2.61% other: 36.69% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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38,440 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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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
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Population:
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133,376,684 (July 2002 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 33.8% (male 23,069,242; female 21,995,457)
15-64 years: 62.8% (male 42,924,778; female 40,873,077) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 2,444,314; female 2,069,816) (2002 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.59% (2002 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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25.12 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.47 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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68.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 60.92 years
female: 60.74 years (2002 est.) male: 61.08 years |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.02% (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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13,000 (1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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1,000 (1999 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi |
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Ethnic groups:
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Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998) |
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Religions:
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Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) |
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Languages:
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Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 56% male: 63% female: 49% (2000 est.) |