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Bangladesh Index
The army is the dominant service in Bangladesh. Because of its
historic role in influencing civilian governments and taking over
the administration of the country, the army is also a critical
political institution
(see Armed Forces and Society
, this ch.;
Political Dynamics
, ch. 4).
Starting with a nucleus of Bengali deserters from the Pakistan
Army-- paramilitary personnel, police, and civilians who had fought
with the Mukti Bahini--the Bangladesh Army has expanded
considerably although erratically since its formation on December
26, 1971. Between 1973 and 1975, the army absorbed many of the
28,000 personnel who had been detained in Pakistani jails for the
duration of the war of independence. Following the 1975 coup,
additional personnel were absorbed into the regular army when the
martial law government abolished the Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini
(see Postindependence Period
, this ch.). Under Zia's rule, army
expansion slowed, in part because of his campaign to purge mutinous
elements and collaborators from the ranks. When Ershad assumed
power in 1982, army strength had stabilized at about 70,000 troops.
Starting in 1985, Ershad accelerated the transition from martial
law to elected civilian government. The army then experienced
another spurt in growth. As of mid-1988, it had about 90,000 troops
(although some observers believed the number was closer to 80,000),
triple the 1975 figure
(see
fig. 12).
Zia reorganized the army following the military upheavals of
the mid-1970s, in part to prevent coups and jawan uprisings.
Under Zia's program, the reorganization was intended to neutralize
rival factions of freedom fighters and repatriates. Bangladesh was
divided into five military regions. The army--cooperating with
civilian authorities while maintaining autonomy--preserved internal
security and resisted possible Indian domination. Divisions
coordinated their operations with paramilitary groups in their
respective areas of command, and they mobilized mass support of the
government.
The army in 1988 was divided into six strategically located
divisions. The location of these divisions' headquarters, five of
which were formerly brigade headquarters, underscored the army's
primary mission of internal security rather than defense against
external threats. The most powerful and prestigious commands were
the Ninth Infantry Division, headquartered at Savar on the
outskirts of Dhaka, and the Twenty-fourth Infantry Division,
headquartered in the city of Chittagong. Elements of both divisions
have been involved extensively in the military upheavals that have
plagued Bangladesh since independence
(see Restoration of Military Rule, 1975-77
, ch. 1). Although the Ninth Infantry Division has an
armor regiment, the Twenty-fourth Infantry Division does not. The
Ninth Infantry Division has played a central role in staging coups
and maintaining military governments once they were in power.
According to one observer of the Bangladesh Army, "the role of the
Savar division would be crucial in any military coup." The Twenty-
fourth Infantry Division, with four brigades, has conducted
counterinsurgency operations against tribal guerrillas in the
Chittagong Hills since the late 1970s. The army garrison at
Chittagong was the site of the coup of May 30, 1981, that resulted
in Zia's murder. Other infantry divisions were headquartered at
Jessore (the Fifty-fifth), Bogra (the Eleventh), and Comilla (the
Thirty-third). Each of these divisions has an armor regiment. In
April 1988, a sixth infantry division (the Sixty-sixth) was
formally established with headquarters at Rangpur, and plans were
in place to raise its armor regiment. The major generals who
commanded the six divisions, along with the army chief of staff,
formed the center of power within the army and, by extension,
within the government, in the late 1980s.
Army formations subordinate to the six division headquarters
included fifteen infantry brigades, four armor regiments, nine
artillery regiments, six engineering battalions, and various
support elements, such as signals, medical services, and ordnance.
In addition to the six division headquarters, major army
cantonments (barracks and housing areas that serve as the focal
point of army life) were at Saidpur, Tangail, Khulna, Jalalabad,
and elsewhere. The army also has a small fixed-wing regiment
stationed in Dhaka. Army units are not known to operate with the
navy in an amphibious assault capacity, although an amphibious
assault map exercise is done at the staff college. The army's lack
of bridging equipment was a severe liability, especially for its
armor regiments. Unlike armies in Pakistan and India, the
Bangladesh Army did not have a specially designated "para"
(airborne assault) brigade but in 1988 was planning to develop such
a capability. In mid-1988 the army reportedly was planning to raise
a seventh infantry division to be held in reserve.
The army adopted and has retained the British Indian Army
system of ranks. As of mid-1988, Lieutenant General Atiqur Rahman,
the army chief of staff, was the only three-star general in the
army. Immediately below him were twenty-one two-star generals,
eighteen of whom were from the more prestigious combat arms
(fourteen of the generals were infantry officers). The remaining
officers ranged in rank from brigadier to newly commissioned second
lieutenants. Between the commissioned officers and the enlisted
ranks is a separate category of junior commissioned officers
(JCOs), who act as a bridge between the officers and their troops.
Borrowed from the colonial commissioned officer system of the
British Indian Army, JCOs are roughly equivalent to United States
Army warrant officers (although few JCOs are technical
specialists). JCOs are selected from noncommissioned officer ranks
and advance through a three-tier ranking system (naib
subedar, subedar, and subedar major). At the
bottom of the hierarchy are the jawans, or common soldiers,
who make up the bulk of the army
(see
fig. 13;
fig. 14).
Recruitment into the all-volunteer army is open to all male
citizens of Bangladesh. There are no restrictions based on
religious or ethnic affiliation, though the army is composed almost
entirely of Bangla-speaking Sunni Muslims. The language of the
military is Bangla. All officers are required to have at least a
working knowledge of English. Army officer recruits must be between
the ages of seventeen and twenty-one. Before 1980 the maximum age
for both officer and enlisted recruits who had fought in the war of
independence as civilian irregulars was twenty-three years. With
the aging of the liberation generation, however, the army
discontinued preferential recruitment of freedom fighters.
Officer candidates must be unmarried and have a high school
diploma or the equivalent. The minimum height requirement is 160
centimeters; the minimum weight is 49.8 kilograms. Promising
candidates attend a two-year officer training course at the
Bangladesh Military Academy at Bhatiary, near Chittagong. After
successful completion of the course, graduates receive commissions
in the army as second lieutenants. The academy graduated its first
class in 1977. Advanced military training is offered at the Defence
Services Command and Staff College, founded in Dhaka in 1977.
Attendance at the staff college is a preferential assignment for
mid-career officers. In addition, the army operates a number of
combat schools, such as the School of Infantry and Tactics in
Sylhet. The only advanced training beyond the staff college point
is in foreign military schools, primarily in the United States or
Britain. These choice assignments are reserved for a few select
officers. An officer usually serves from fifteen to twenty-five
years, after which he is eligible to receive a pension, as well as
perquisites such as preferential hiring in the civil service,
reduced-price housing, and free land on or near military
cantonments.
Military pay and allowances are fixed by the National Pay
Commission into ten grades with a total of seventeen steps, or pay
scales. Nevertheless, the range in pay between the upper and lower
strata of the officer corps remained basically the same in 1988 as
in earlier years.
The army's armor regiments in the mid-1980s were equipped with
Type 59, Type 54/55, and, its most recent acquisition, Type 62
light tanks (not to be confused with Soviet Type 62 medium tanks).
The Type 59 main battle tank and Type 62 light tanks were supplied
directly by China. Details regarding the terms of purchase, the
training of Bangladeshi tank crews, and maintenance arrangements
were never publicized. Following the series of coups and mutinies
that erupted between 1975 and 1977, Zia removed the army's tanks
from Dhaka in order to guard against further coups. The appearance
of Type 59 and Type 62 tanks at the Victory Day parade in Dhaka in
1987, however, marked the first time that any tanks had appeared in
a Victory Day parade and suggested that tanks may again be deployed
in the vicinity of the capital. Other army weapons included 105mm
and 122mm howitzers, 60mm and 120mm mortars, and 57mm, 76mm, and
106mm antitank weapons. The weapons had been acquired from a
variety of sources, including as spoils of war from the Pakistan
Army.
Data as of September 1988
Figure 12. Growth of the Armed Forces, 1973-87
Source: Based on information from The Military Balance,
London, 1973-88.
Figure 13. Officer Ranks and Insignia, 1988
Figure 14. Enlisted Ranks and Insignia, 1988
Army
The army is the dominant service in Bangladesh. Because of its
historic role in influencing civilian governments and taking over
the administration of the country, the army is also a critical
political institution
(see Armed Forces and Society
, this ch.;
Political Dynamics
, ch. 4).
Starting with a nucleus of Bengali deserters from the Pakistan
Army-- paramilitary personnel, police, and civilians who had fought
with the Mukti Bahini--the Bangladesh Army has expanded
considerably although erratically since its formation on December
26, 1971. Between 1973 and 1975, the army absorbed many of the
28,000 personnel who had been detained in Pakistani jails for the
duration of the war of independence. Following the 1975 coup,
additional personnel were absorbed into the regular army when the
martial law government abolished the Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini
(see Postindependence Period
, this ch.). Under Zia's rule, army
expansion slowed, in part because of his campaign to purge mutinous
elements and collaborators from the ranks. When Ershad assumed
power in 1982, army strength had stabilized at about 70,000 troops.
Starting in 1985, Ershad accelerated the transition from martial
law to elected civilian government. The army then experienced
another spurt in growth. As of mid-1988, it had about 90,000 troops
(although some observers believed the number was closer to 80,000),
triple the 1975 figure
(see
fig. 12).
Zia reorganized the army following the military upheavals of
the mid-1970s, in part to prevent coups and jawan uprisings.
Under Zia's program, the reorganization was intended to neutralize
rival factions of freedom fighters and repatriates. Bangladesh was
divided into five military regions. The army--cooperating with
civilian authorities while maintaining autonomy--preserved internal
security and resisted possible Indian domination. Divisions
coordinated their operations with paramilitary groups in their
respective areas of command, and they mobilized mass support of the
government.
The army in 1988 was divided into six strategically located
divisions. The location of these divisions' headquarters, five of
which were formerly brigade headquarters, underscored the army's
primary mission of internal security rather than defense against
external threats. The most powerful and prestigious commands were
the Ninth Infantry Division, headquartered at Savar on the
outskirts of Dhaka, and the Twenty-fourth Infantry Division,
headquartered in the city of Chittagong. Elements of both divisions
have been involved extensively in the military upheavals that have
plagued Bangladesh since independence
(see Restoration of Military Rule, 1975-77
, ch. 1). Although the Ninth Infantry Division has an
armor regiment, the Twenty-fourth Infantry Division does not. The
Ninth Infantry Division has played a central role in staging coups
and maintaining military governments once they were in power.
According to one observer of the Bangladesh Army, "the role of the
Savar division would be crucial in any military coup." The Twenty-
fourth Infantry Division, with four brigades, has conducted
counterinsurgency operations against tribal guerrillas in the
Chittagong Hills since the late 1970s. The army garrison at
Chittagong was the site of the coup of May 30, 1981, that resulted
in Zia's murder. Other infantry divisions were headquartered at
Jessore (the Fifty-fifth), Bogra (the Eleventh), and Comilla (the
Thirty-third). Each of these divisions has an armor regiment. In
April 1988, a sixth infantry division (the Sixty-sixth) was
formally established with headquarters at Rangpur, and plans were
in place to raise its armor regiment. The major generals who
commanded the six divisions, along with the army chief of staff,
formed the center of power within the army and, by extension,
within the government, in the late 1980s.
Army formations subordinate to the six division headquarters
included fifteen infantry brigades, four armor regiments, nine
artillery regiments, six engineering battalions, and various
support elements, such as signals, medical services, and ordnance.
In addition to the six division headquarters, major army
cantonments (barracks and housing areas that serve as the focal
point of army life) were at Saidpur, Tangail, Khulna, Jalalabad,
and elsewhere. The army also has a small fixed-wing regiment
stationed in Dhaka. Army units are not known to operate with the
navy in an amphibious assault capacity, although an amphibious
assault map exercise is done at the staff college. The army's lack
of bridging equipment was a severe liability, especially for its
armor regiments. Unlike armies in Pakistan and India, the
Bangladesh Army did not have a specially designated "para"
(airborne assault) brigade but in 1988 was planning to develop such
a capability. In mid-1988 the army reportedly was planning to raise
a seventh infantry division to be held in reserve.
The army adopted and has retained the British Indian Army
system of ranks. As of mid-1988, Lieutenant General Atiqur Rahman,
the army chief of staff, was the only three-star general in the
army. Immediately below him were twenty-one two-star generals,
eighteen of whom were from the more prestigious combat arms
(fourteen of the generals were infantry officers). The remaining
officers ranged in rank from brigadier to newly commissioned second
lieutenants. Between the commissioned officers and the enlisted
ranks is a separate category of junior commissioned officers
(JCOs), who act as a bridge between the officers and their troops.
Borrowed from the colonial commissioned officer system of the
British Indian Army, JCOs are roughly equivalent to United States
Army warrant officers (although few JCOs are technical
specialists). JCOs are selected from noncommissioned officer ranks
and advance through a three-tier ranking system (naib
subedar, subedar, and subedar major). At the
bottom of the hierarchy are the jawans, or common soldiers,
who make up the bulk of the army
(see
fig. 13;
fig. 14).
Recruitment into the all-volunteer army is open to all male
citizens of Bangladesh. There are no restrictions based on
religious or ethnic affiliation, though the army is composed almost
entirely of Bangla-speaking Sunni Muslims. The language of the
military is Bangla. All officers are required to have at least a
working knowledge of English. Army officer recruits must be between
the ages of seventeen and twenty-one. Before 1980 the maximum age
for both officer and enlisted recruits who had fought in the war of
independence as civilian irregulars was twenty-three years. With
the aging of the liberation generation, however, the army
discontinued preferential recruitment of freedom fighters.
Officer candidates must be unmarried and have a high school
diploma or the equivalent. The minimum height requirement is 160
centimeters; the minimum weight is 49.8 kilograms. Promising
candidates attend a two-year officer training course at the
Bangladesh Military Academy at Bhatiary, near Chittagong. After
successful completion of the course, graduates receive commissions
in the army as second lieutenants. The academy graduated its first
class in 1977. Advanced military training is offered at the Defence
Services Command and Staff College, founded in Dhaka in 1977.
Attendance at the staff college is a preferential assignment for
mid-career officers. In addition, the army operates a number of
combat schools, such as the School of Infantry and Tactics in
Sylhet. The only advanced training beyond the staff college point
is in foreign military schools, primarily in the United States or
Britain. These choice assignments are reserved for a few select
officers. An officer usually serves from fifteen to twenty-five
years, after which he is eligible to receive a pension, as well as
perquisites such as preferential hiring in the civil service,
reduced-price housing, and free land on or near military
cantonments.
Military pay and allowances are fixed by the National Pay
Commission into ten grades with a total of seventeen steps, or pay
scales. Nevertheless, the range in pay between the upper and lower
strata of the officer corps remained basically the same in 1988 as
in earlier years.
The army's armor regiments in the mid-1980s were equipped with
Type 59, Type 54/55, and, its most recent acquisition, Type 62
light tanks (not to be confused with Soviet Type 62 medium tanks).
The Type 59 main battle tank and Type 62 light tanks were supplied
directly by China. Details regarding the terms of purchase, the
training of Bangladeshi tank crews, and maintenance arrangements
were never publicized. Following the series of coups and mutinies
that erupted between 1975 and 1977, Zia removed the army's tanks
from Dhaka in order to guard against further coups. The appearance
of Type 59 and Type 62 tanks at the Victory Day parade in Dhaka in
1987, however, marked the first time that any tanks had appeared in
a Victory Day parade and suggested that tanks may again be deployed
in the vicinity of the capital. Other army weapons included 105mm
and 122mm howitzers, 60mm and 120mm mortars, and 57mm, 76mm, and
106mm antitank weapons. The weapons had been acquired from a
variety of sources, including as spoils of war from the Pakistan
Army.
Data as of September 1988
- Bangladesh-Government Budget Process
- Bangladesh-Rural Society
- Bangladesh-Inland Waterways and Ports TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Bangladesh-Biofuels
- Bangladesh-Telecommunications
- Bangladesh-Aid Dependence
- Bangladesh-Industrial Crops
- Bangladesh-Women in Politics
- Bangladesh-The Zia Regime and Its Aftermath, 1977-82
- Bangladesh-United States
- Bangladesh-Population Control
- Bangladesh-Constitution STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT
- Bangladesh-Social Classes and Stratification
- Bangladesh-Health Care Facilities
- Bangladesh-Export Sectors FOREIGN TRADE
- Bangladesh-Awami League
- Bangladesh-THE MILITARY IN THE LATE 1980s
- Bangladesh-Foreign Governments and Private Donors
- Bangladesh-Defense Spending
- Bangladesh-ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Bangladesh-Legislature
- Bangladesh-Reappraisal of British Policy
- Bangladesh-Violence and Crime PUBLIC ORDER AND INTERNAL SECURITY
- Bangladesh-Development Budget
- Bangladesh-Education Planning and Policy
- Bangladesh-Wheat
- Bangladesh-BANGLADESH
- Bangladesh-The "Revolution" of Ayub Khan, 1958-66
- Bangladesh-Islam
- Bangladesh-Economic Reconstruction after Independence
- Bangladesh-THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT AND THE RISE OF MUSLIM CONSCIOUSNESS, 1857-1947
- Bangladesh-Hinduism
- Bangladesh-Transition to Nationhood, 1947-58 PAKISTAN PERIOD, 1947-71
- Bangladesh-Bangladesh Rifles
- Bangladesh-Navy
- Bangladesh-Colonial Origins ARMED FORCES AND SOCIETY
- Bangladesh-Criminal Justice
- Bangladesh-PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS
- Bangladesh-Tourism
- Bangladesh-Foreign Acquisitions and Ties
- Bangladesh-Chapter 5 - National Security
- Bangladesh-Foreword
- Bangladesh-United Nations
- Bangladesh-Society
- Bangladesh-Party Politics
- Bangladesh-Postindependence Period
- Bangladesh-The British Raj
- Bangladesh-Recruitment
- Bangladesh-Insurgency in the Chittagong Hills
- Bangladesh-Technological Advances
- Bangladesh-The Land GEOGRAPHY
- Bangladesh-Buddhism
- Bangladesh-Jute
- Bangladesh-Local Elites POLITICAL DYNAMICS
- Bangladesh-Historical Perspective ECONOMIC CONTEXT
- Bangladesh-National Security
- Bangladesh-Economic Policy and Planning MANAGING THE ECONOMY
- Bangladesh-Population Structure and Settlement Patterns POPULATION
- Bangladesh-FOREIGN POLICY
- Bangladesh-Achieving Stability, 1982-83 THE ERSHAD PERIOD
- Bangladesh-Geography
- Bangladesh-Restoration of Military Rule, 1975-77
- Bangladesh-Early Independence Period, 1971-72 BIRTH OF BANGLADESH
- Bangladesh-Islam in Bangladesh
- Bangladesh-Ansars
- Bangladesh-Coal
- Bangladesh-Other Industries
- Bangladesh-Islamic Parties
- Bangladesh-The British Legacy EDUCATION
- Bangladesh-Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
- Bangladesh-Early Settlements EUROPEAN COLONIZATION, 1757-1857
- Bangladesh-The Superpowers
- Bangladesh-Disease and Disease Control
- Bangladesh-Railroads
- Bangladesh-Executive
- Bangladesh-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- Bangladesh-Other Nations
- Bangladesh-Balance and Terms of Trade
- Bangladesh-River Systems
- Bangladesh-Early Developments in Islam
- Bangladesh-Two Nations Concept, 1930-47
- Bangladesh-Education System
- Bangladesh -Country Profile
- Bangladesh-Mission
- Bangladesh-Civil Aviation
- Bangladesh-Council of Ministers
- Bangladesh-Medical Education and Training
- Bangladesh-Police
- Bangladesh-China and Other Asian Nations
- Bangladesh-Transportation and Communications
- Bangladesh-EARLY HISTORY, 1000 B.C.-A.D - 1202
- Bangladesh-Fall of the Bangabandhu, 1972-75
- Bangladesh-Other Export Industries
- Bangladesh-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
- Bangladesh-Role of English and Arabic in Education
- Bangladesh-A Great Divide in South Asian History THE UPRISING OF 1857
- Bangladesh-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
- Bangladesh-Bangladesh National Party
- Bangladesh-The Division of Bengal, 1905-12
- Bangladesh-Transition to a New Social Order SOCIAL SYSTEM
- Bangladesh-Pakistan Era
- Bangladesh-Test Case for Development FOREIGN ASSISTANCE
- Bangladesh-Ready-made Garments
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh-Civil Service
- Bangladesh-AUXILIARY FORCES
- Bangladesh-Alliances
- Bangladesh-Government and Politics
- Bangladesh-More Opposition Pressure
- Bangladesh-Table A - Chronology of Important Events
- Bangladesh-Other Food Crops
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh-Road Transportation
- Bangladesh-Mineral Development
- Bangladesh-Air Force
- Bangladesh-Traditional Sectors INDUSTRY
- Bangladesh-Leftist Parties
- Bangladesh-Seafood
- Bangladesh-Urban Society
- Bangladesh-Ethnicity and Linguistic Diversity
- Bangladesh-Garments
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh-Relaxation of Martial Law, 1986-87
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh-The National Party
- Bangladesh-HEALTH
- Bangladesh-The Islamic World
- Bangladesh-Army THE THREE SERVICES
- Bangladesh-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh-The Banking System
- Bangladesh-Fisheries
- Bangladesh-The Liberation War
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh-Local Administration
- Bangladesh-International Organizations
- Bangladesh-Economy
- Bangladesh-The War for Bangladeshi Independence, 1971
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh-Money and Banking
- Bangladesh-Introduction
- Bangladesh-Family, Household, and Kinship
- Bangladesh-Electric Power
- Bangladesh-Security Environment
- Bangladesh-Christianity
- Bangladesh-Pakistan
- Bangladesh-Joint Ventures and Foreign Investment
- Bangladesh-Religious Education
- Bangladesh-Climate
- Bangladesh-Aid-to-Civil Roles
- Bangladesh-Religion and Society RELIGION
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh-Food Crops
- Bangladesh-THE MEDIA
- Bangladesh-Bilateral Investment
- Bangladesh-Structure of Agricultural Production AGRICULTURE
- Bangladesh
- Bangladesh-Legal Basis ORGANIZATION OF THE ARMED FORCES
- Bangladesh-PREFACE
- Bangladesh-Judiciary
- Bangladesh-South and Southeast Asia
Background | | Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. A military-backed, emergency caretaker regime suspended parliamentary elections planned for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption. In contrast to the strikes and violent street rallies that had marked Bangladeshi politics in previous years, the parliamentary elections finally held in late December 2008 were mostly peaceful and Sheikh HASINA Wajed was reelected prime minister. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
|
Location | | Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 143,998 sq km land: 130,168 sq km water: 13,830 sq km
|
Geographic coordinates | | 24 00 N, 90 00 E
|
Land boundaries(km) | | total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
|
Coastline(km) | | 580 km
|
Climate | | tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m
|
Natural resources | | natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005)
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 47,250 sq km (2003)
|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 1,210.6 cu km (1999)
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%) per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000)
|
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; 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
|
Environment - international agreements | | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, 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
|
Population | | 156,050,883 (July 2009 est.)
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 34.6% (male 27,065,625/female 26,913,961) 15-64 years: 61.4% (male 45,222,182/female 50,537,052) 65 years and over: 4% (male 3,057,255/female 3,254,808) (2009 est.)
|
Median age(years) | | total: 23.3 years male: 22.9 years female: 23.5 years (2009 est.)
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 1.292% (2009 est.)
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 24.68 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 9.23 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | -2.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 27% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 3.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
|
Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 59.02 deaths/1,000 live births male: 66.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 51.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 60.25 years male: 57.57 years female: 63.03 years (2009 est.)
|
Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 2.74 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
Nationality | | noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi
|
Ethnic groups(%) | | Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)
|
Religions(%) | | Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
|
Languages(%) | | Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
|
Country name | | conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh local short form: Banladesh former: East Bengal, East Pakistan
|
Government type | | parliamentary democracy
|
Capital | | name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
|
Administrative divisions | | 6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet
|
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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
|
Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
|
Executive branch | | chief of state: President Zillur RAHMAN (since 12 February 2009) head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 6 January 2009) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last election held on 11 February 2009 (next scheduled election to be held in 2014) election results: Zillur RAHMAN declared president-elect by the Election Commission on 11 February 2009 (sworn in on 12 February); he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA
|
Legislative branch | | unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms elections: last held 29 December 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - AL 49%, BNP 33.2%, JP 7%, JIB 4.6%, other 6.2%; seats by party - AL 230, BNP 30, JP 27, JIB 2, other 11
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Judicial branch | | Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)
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Political pressure groups and leaders | | Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs) other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders
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International organization participation | | ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Flag description | | green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh
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Economy - overview | | The economy has grown 5-6% per year since 1996 despite inefficient state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting natural gas resources, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-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. Garment exports and remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and East Asia, fuel economic growth. In 2008 Bangladesh pursued a monetary policy aimed at maintaining high employment, but created higher inflation in the process.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $226.4 billion (2008 est.) $214 billion (2007 est.) $201.5 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $84.2 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 5.8% (2008 est.) 6.2% (2007 est.) 6.4% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $1,500 (2008 est.) $1,400 (2007 est.) $1,300 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 19.1% industry: 28.6% services: 52.3% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 70.86 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 63% industry: 11% services: 26% (FY95/96)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 2.5% (2008 est.) 2.5% (2007 est.)
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Population below poverty line(%) | | 45% (2004 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 4.3% highest 10%: 26.6% (2005)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 33.2 (2005) 33.6 (1996)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 24.3% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $8.825 billion expenditures: $12.54 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 8.9% (2008 est.) 9.1% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $9.294 billion (31 December 2008) $8.444 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money | | $37.98 billion (31 December 2008) $32.35 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $47.03 billion (31 December 2008) $40.1 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $6.671 billion (31 December 2008) $6.793 billion (31 December 2007) $3.61 billion (31 December 2006)
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Economic aid - recipient | | $1.321 billion (2005)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 39.4% of GDP (2008 est.) 43% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
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Industries | | cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 6.9% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | $1.032 billion (2008 est.) $856.8 million (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $15.44 billion (2008 est.) $12.47 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
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Exports - partners(%) | | US 21%, Germany 13.2%, UK 8.6%, France 6.3%, Netherlands 4.7% (2008)
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Imports | | $21.51 billion (2008 est.) $16.67 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement
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Imports - partners(%) | | China 14.7%, India 14.7%, Kuwait 7.5%, Singapore 7.1%, Japan 4.1% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $5.789 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $22.83 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $5.971 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $5.261 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $97 million (31 December 2008 est.)
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Exchange rates | | taka (BDT) per US dollar - 68.554 (2008 est.), 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | taka (BDT)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 1.39 million (2009)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 45.75 million (2009)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and has reached 30 per 100 persons domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities international: country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2008)
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Internet country code | | .bd
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Internet users | | 556,000 (2008)
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Airports | | 17 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 2,597 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 239,226 km paved: 22,726 km unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)
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Ports and terminals | | Chittagong, Mongla Port
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Military branches | | Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army (Sena Bahini), Bangladesh Navy (Noh Bahini, BN), Bangladesh Air Force (Biman Bahini, BAF) (2009)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 41,199,340 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 24,946,041 females age 16-49: 31,409,069 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 1,538,865 female: 1,666,670 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 1.5% of GDP (2006)
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Disputes - international | | discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's fencing and walling off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92 missing pillars in 2007; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary
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Refugees and internally displaced persons | | refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma) IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 22.99 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 93.7% hydro: 6.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 21.38 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 0 kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 6,426 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 95,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 2,612 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 87,660 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 28 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 12,000 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
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Major infectious diseases | | degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations water contact disease: leptospirosis animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47.9% male: 54% female: 41.4% (2001 Census)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 8 years (2004)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 2.7% of GDP (2005)
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