|
|
SURPRISING BANGLADESH
refreshing & much more………
Come to Bangladesh and experience tourism in a new light---refreshing and much
more. Bangladesh in its essence is perhaps best symbolized by the Brahmaputra.
In Bangladesh, it is known as the Jamuna, the Padma and finally the Meghnabefore
it opens into the sea. The Brahmaputra is a river of timeless, mythical
proportions. This is a journey through time, a journey that explore the dynamics
of river, itself an enduring legend—and the people who live along its diverse
shores. The journey is both geographical ans spiritual –from the Bay of Bengal
to the source, from Islam through Hinduism and Animism to Buddhism. It is also a
journey through the maze of cultures that sit outside the mass religious and
cultural practices of South Asia. It is the story of the people, cultures and
customs of a river that is older than the Himalayas, other than time itself.
For Bangladeshis the river is alive, the life-giver through its offerings, and
death itself in fury. At its widest, the banks are separated by miles.
Again on this river under the looming monsoon sky, fishermen haul in their catch
f Padder Ilish (Hilsa from the Padma). Life on the river is changing. The
plaintive Bhatiali song is being replaced by the drone of the engine. But still,
the river remains central of the Bangladeshi way of life and Abbasuddin’s songs
still drift across the waves of the majestic Brahmaputra.
The deltaic land, its unspoilt verdure, the warmth of a hospitable people, their
ancient heritage cradled in pristine folds of nature in again vibrantly
contemporary, the modern bridging today with the romance of yesteryears. |
|
|
|
Basic Facts |
|
|
|
Official name
|
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
|
 |
|
Capital
|
Dhaka
|
|
|
Area
|
147,570 sq km
|
| |
56,977 sq mi
|
| |
|
|
Population
|
138,448,210 (2003 estimate)
|
| |
|
Population growth
|
|
|
|
Population growth rate
|
2.06 percent (2003 estimate)
|
|
|
Projected population in 2025
|
204,538,715 (2025 estimate)
|
|
|
Projected population in 2050
|
279,955,405 (2050 estimate)
|
|
|
Population density
|
938 persons per sq km (2003 estimate)
|
| |
2,430 persons per sq mi (2003 estimate)
|
|
|
| |
|
Urban/rural distribution
|
|
Share urban
|
26 percent (2001 estimate)
|
|
|
Share rural
|
74 percent (2001 estimate)
|
|
|
Largest cities, with population
|
|
Dhaka
|
3,368,940 (1991)
|
|
|
Chittagong
|
1,566,070 (1991)
|
|
|
Khulna
|
601,051 (1991)
|
|
|
Rajshahi
|
324,532 (1991)
|
|
|
Narayanganj
|
268,952 (1991)
|
|
|
Ethnic groups
|
|
Bengali
|
98 percent
|
|
|
Other
|
2 percent
|
|
|
Languages
|
|
Bangla (official), Urdu, English
|
|
|
Religious affiliations
|
|
Muslim
|
86 percent
|
|
|
Hindu
|
12 percent
|
|
|
Other
|
2 percent
|
|
|
Health and Education
|
|
Life expectancy
|
|
Total
|
61.3 years (2003 estimate)
|
|
|
Female
|
61.2 years (2003 estimate)
|
|
|
Male
|
61.5 years (2003 estimate)
|
|
|
Infant mortality rate
|
66 deaths per 1,000 live births (2003 estimate)
|
|
|
Population per physician
|
6,028 people (1999)
|
|
|
Population per hospital bed
|
3,279 people (1994)
|
|
|
Literacy rate
|
|
Total
|
43.1 percent (2003 estimate)
|
|
|
Female
|
31.8 percent (2003 estimate)
|
|
|
Male
|
53.9 percent (2003 estimate)
|
|
|
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP)
|
2.3 percent (1999-2000)
|
|
|
Number of years of compulsory schooling
|
5 years (2000)
|
|
|
Number of students per teacher, primary school
|
59 students per teacher (1998-1999)
|
|
|
Government
|
|
Form of government
|
Republic
|
|
|
Head of state
|
President
|
|
|
Head of government
|
Prime Minister
|
|
|
Legislature
|
Unicameral legislature
|
| |
National Parliament: 300 members
|
|
|
Voting qualifications
|
Universal at age 18
|
|
|
Constitution
|
16 December 1972; suspended 1982-1986; numerous
amendments
|
|
|
Highest court
|
Supreme Court
|
|
|
Armed forces
|
|
Total number of military personnel
|
137,000 (2001)
|
|
|
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product
(GDP)
|
1.4 percent (2001)
|
|
|
First-level political divisions
|
5 divisions
|
|
|
Economy
|
|
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$)
|
$46.7 billion (2001)
|
|
|
GDP per capita (U.S.$)
|
$350 (2001)
|
|
|
GDP by economic sector
|
|
Agriculture, forestry, fishing
|
23.3 percent (2001)
|
|
|
Industry
|
25.1 percent (2001)
|
|
|
Services
|
51.6 percent (2001)
|
|
|
Employment
|
|
Number of workers
|
70,792,946 (2001)
|
|
|
Workforce share of economic sector
|
|
Agriculture, forestry, fishing
|
63 percent (1996)
|
|
|
Industry
|
10 percent (1996)
|
|
|
Services
|
25 percent (1996)
|
|
|
Unemployment rate
|
1.9 percent (1997)
|
|
|
National budget (U.S.$)
|
|
Total revenue
|
4,152 million (1999)
|
|
|
Total expenditure
|
5,685 million (1999)
|
|
|
Monetary unit
|
1 taka (Tk), consisting of 100 paisa
|
|
|
Major trade partners for exports
|
|
United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France, and
Netherlands
|
|
|
Major trade partners for imports
|
|
India, Japan, Singapore, China, and Hong Kong SAR
|
|
|
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
|
|
Electricity production
|
|
Electricity from thermal sources
|
93.70 percent (2001 estimate)
|
|
|
Electricity from hydroelectric sources
|
6.30 percent (2001 estimate)
|
|
|
Electricity from nuclear sources
|
0 percent (2001 estimate)
|
|
|
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources
|
0 percent (2001 estimate)
|
|
|
Number of radios per 1,000 people
|
50 (1997)
|
|
|
Number of telephones per 1,000 people
|
4 (2001)
|
|
|
Number of televisions per 1,000 people
|
7.4 (2000 estimate)
|
|
|
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people
|
0 (2000)
|
|
|
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people
|
9 (1996)
|
|
|
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people
|
1 (1998)
|
|
|
Paved road as a share of total roads
|
10 percent (1999)
|
|
|
Sources
|
|
Basic Facts and People sections
|
|
Area data are from the statistical bureaus
of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population
projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs
Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural
population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the
United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population
data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of
individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the
latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various
country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue,
Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International
(www.sil.org).
|
|
|
|
Health and Education section
|
|
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the
United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International
database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per
hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int).
Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
|
|
|
|
Government section
|
|
Government, independence, legislature,
constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from
various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the
latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed
forces data is from Military Balance.
|
|
|
|
Economy section
|
|
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per
capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from
the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture,
mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is
from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary
Fund (IMF) publications.
|
|
|
|
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
|
|
Electricity information is from the Energy
Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone,
television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database
(www.worldbank.org).
|
|
|
|
Note
|
|
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
|
|