MONETARY UNIT: The taka (t) of 100 poisha is a paper currency set on a par with the Indian rupee. There are coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50 poisha, and notes of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 taka. t1 = $0.01556 (or $1 = t64.26) as of 2005.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: Bangladesh adopted the metric system as of 1 July 1982. Customary numerical units include the lakh (equal to 100,000) and the crore (equal to 10 million).

HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; National Mourning Day (Shaheel Day), 21 February; Independence Day, 26 March; May Day, 1 May; Victory Day, 16 December; Christmas, 25 December; Boxing Day, 26 December. Movable religious holidays include Good Friday, Jamat Wida, Shab-i-Bharat, ‘Id al-Fitr, ‘Id al-’Adha’, and Durga Puja.

TIME: 6 pm = noon GMT.

1 Location and Size

Located in South Asia, Bangladesh, before it became an independent state, was the eastern province of Pakistan. It was known as East Bengal and, later, as East Pakistan. Bangladesh is slightly smaller than the state of Iowa, with a total area of 144,000 square kilometers (55,598 square miles). It has a total land boundary length of 4,246 kilometers (2,638 miles), sharing borders with India and Myanmar. The coastline on the Bay of Bengal is 580 kilometers (360 miles). Bangladesh’s capital city, Dhaka, is located near the center of the country.

2 Topography

Bangladesh is a tropical country, situated mainly on the deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas. The Brahmaputra River, known locally as the Jamuna, unites with part of the Ganges to form the Padma, which, after its juncture with a third large river, the Meghna, flows into the Bay of Bengal. The Brahmaputra (which originates in the Himalayas outside of the country) is the longest river with a total distance of 2,900 kilometers (1,700 miles). The largest lake

GEOGRAPHICAL PROFILE

Geographic Features

Area: 144,000 sq km (55,598 sq mi)

Size ranking: 92 of 194

Highest elevation: 1,230 meters (4,035 feet) at Keokradong

Lowest elevation: Sea level at the Indian Ocean

Land Use*

Arable land: 55%

Permanent crops: 3%

Other: 42%

Weather**

Average annual precipitation: 119–145 centimeters (47–57 inches). Nearly 80% of annual precipitation falls between June and October. Total winter rainfall (November to February) averages just 18 centimeters (7 inches) in the east and 8 centimeters (3 inches) in the northwest.

Average temperature in January: 7°c (45°f)

Average temperature in July: 31°c (88°f)

* Arable Land: Land used for temporary crops, like meadows for mowing or pasture, gardens, and greenhouses.

Permanent crops: Land cultivated with crops that occupy its use for long periods, such as cocoa, coffee, rubber, fruit and nut orchards, and vineyards.

Other: Any land not specified, including built-on areas, roads, and barren land.

** The measurements for precipitation and average temperatures were taken at weather stations closest to the country’s largest city.

Precipitation and average temperature can vary significantly within a country, due to factors such as latitude, altitude, coastal proximity, and wind patterns.

is the Karnaphuli reservoir in the southeast portion of the country, with a total area of 655 square kilometers (253 square miles).

During the rainy season floodwater covers most of the land surface, damaging crops and hurting the economy. The northwestern section of the country, drained by the Tista (Teesta) River, is somewhat higher and less flat. The only really hilly regions are in the east, especially in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to the southeast and the Sylhet District to the northeast. Near the Myanmar border, in the extreme southeast, is the Keokradong, which at 1,230 meters (4,035 feet) is the highest peak in Bangladesh. The lowest point is at sea level (Indian Ocean).

3 Climate

Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate. Annual rainfall is high, averaging from about 119 centimeters (47 inches) up to 145 centimeters (57 inches). There are three distinct seasons. The winter, which lasts from October through early March, is cool and dry, with temperature ranges from 5 to 22°c (41 to 72°f); total winter rainfall averages about 18 centimeters (7 inches) in the east and less than 8 centimeters (3 inches) in the northwest. Temperatures rise rapidly in March. During the summer season, March through May, they average about 32°c (90°f). For parts of the year, tropical cyclones, accompanied by high seas and heavy flooding, are common. Storms and floods frequently devastate the country, causing extensive damage and many deaths. In 1993, a cyclone killed more than 131,000 people and caused $2.7 billion in damages.

4 Plants and Animals

Bangladesh has the plant and animal life typical of a tropical and riverine swamp. The landscape, which for most of the year is a lush green, is dotted with palms and flowering trees. The large forest area, the Sunderbans in the southwest, is home to the endangered Bengal tiger; there are also cheetahs, leopards, crocodiles, elephants, spotted deer, monkeys, boars, bears, pheasants, and many other varieties of birds and waterfowl.

5 Environment

Overpopulation has severely strained Bangladesh’s limited natural resources. Bangladesh’s environmental problems have been complicated by natural disasters that add to the strain on an agricultural system that supports one of the world’s most populous countries. Water supply is also a major problem because of population size, lack of purification procedures, and the spread of untreated contaminants into the usable water supply by floodwaters.

Despite passage of the Wildlife Preservation Act of 1973, wildlife continues to suffer from human settlement. Only 0.8% of the country’s total land area is protected. The Sunderbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. In 2006, threatened wildlife included 22 species of mammals, 23 species of birds, 20 types of reptiles, 8 species of fish, and 18 plant species. Threatened species included the Asian elephant, pygmy hog, Sumatran rhinoceros, Bengal tiger, estuarine crocodile, gavial, and river terrapin.

6 Population

Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated nations and controlling population growth is a major government priority. The population in

2005 was estimated at 144.2 million. A population of 189.9 million is projected for the year 2025. In 2005, the population density was estimated at 1,069 per square kilometer (2,767 per square mile). The population is heavily rural, with the great majority living in more than 85,000 villages. Dhaka, the capital, had a population of 11.5 million in 2005.

7 Migration

Since 1947 there has been a regular interchange of population between India and what is now Bangladesh, with Hindus moving to India and Muslims coming from India. As of 2000, there were approximately 988,000 migrants living in Bangladesh. In 2003, there were 150,000 to 520,000 internally displaced persons within the country. As of 2004, there were about 5,500 refugees. The estimated net migration rate in 2005 was -0.69 per 1,000 population.

8 Ethnic Groups

About 98% of the people are Bengalis (or Banglas). There are about 12 tribes inhabiting the Chittagong Hill Tracts who are ethnically distinct from the Bengalis. Collectively, they total less than one million people, Their facial features and language are closer to the Burmese. About 250,000 inhabitants of Bangladesh are Biharis, non-Bengali Muslims who migrated from India to what was then East Pakistan. In the coastal areas of Bangladesh, Arab, Portuguese, and Dutch settlers have gradually come to adopt the Bengali lifestyle.

9 Languages

Bengali (Bangla), part of the Indo-European language family, is the official language of Bangladesh and is spoken by about 98% of the population. Non-Bengali migrants from India still speak Urdu (and Hindi) today, and this language is widely understood in urban areas. A few tribal groups, notably the tribal peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, also speak distinct Tibeto-Burmese languages, akin to Burmese and Assamese. Among those speaking Bangla there are differences of dialect according to region. The people of Chittagong, Noakhali, and Sylhet are known for their distinctive dialects. Although today Bangla is the official language, English is also used for official and legal purposes and widely used in business.

10 Religions

Nearly 88% of the population are believers in Islam (mostly Sunni), making Bangladesh one of the world’s largest Muslim countries. Most of the remaining population, about 10%, are Hindu. The remaining 2% are mainly Buddhist or Christian. There are small numbers of Shia Muslims, Sikhs, Baha’is, Ahmadis, and animists. Although Islam was established as the state religion in 1988, freedom of worship continues to be guaranteed under the constitution.

11 Transportation

Railways and waterways are the chief means of transportation. The Bangladesh Railway operates 2,706 kilometers (1,683 miles) of track. The country has two deepwater ports: Chittagong and Chalna. There are five main river ports—Dhaka, Narayanganj, Chandpur, Barisal, and Khulna—and more than 1,500 smaller ports. In 2005, the merchant fleet had 41 ships. The large number of rivers and the annual flooding hazard make it difficult to build and maintain adequate transportation facilities in Bangladesh. The inland water system has about 8,372 kilometers (5,023 miles) of navigable waterways.

In 2003, there were 239,226 kilometers (148,799 miles) of roads, of which 22,726 kilometers (14,135 miles) were paved. Because of the difficulties of land travel, the number of motor vehicles remains comparatively small. AS of 2003, there were 31,700 registered passenger cars and 60,200 commercial vehicles. Bangladesh had 16 airports in 2004, of which 15 had paved runways in 2005. Bangladesh Biman, the national airline, operates international flights from Dhaka airport. In 2003, airlines carried over 1.5 million domestic and international passengers.

12 History

The area now known as Bangladesh was home to a flourishing civilization in the 4th century bc. The region, then called Bengal, was eventually conquered by the Hindu Maurya empire that reached its height under Emperor Asoka around 207 bc. From this time onward, the history of Bengal was part of the wider history of the Indian subcontinent.

Islam came to South Asia in the years following ad 800 but did not reach Bengal until Muslim invaders from the west secured a foothold there around ad 1200. In the 13th and 14th centuries, after waves of Turkish, Persian, and Afghan invaders, the religion began to take a firm hold in the area, which became known for its industries based on the weaving of silk and cotton cloth.

By the middle of the 18th century, the British established themselves in Calcutta and expanded quickly into all of what is now Bangladesh. British traders and officials gained control of most of the Indian subcontinent by 1859. In general, Hindus in Bengal prospered under the British.

The Muslim aristocracy of eastern Bengal, on the other hand, resisted British rule. However, by the turn of the twentieth century, both communities united in anti-British feeling.

The subcontinent’s demand for independence from Britain grew under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in the early 1930s. Finally, in 1947, Britain granted independence to the Indian subcontinent. British India was partitioned into a predominantly Hindu India and a predominantly Muslim Pakistan.

However, the new state of Pakistan was made up of Muslim-majority districts at both the eastern and western ends of formerly British India. These two distinct territories were separated by 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) of predominantly Hindu India. The division cut across long-established lines of trade and communication, divided families, and started a mass movement of millions of refugees caught on the “wrong” side of the partition markers.

In language, culture, and ethnic background, East and West Pakistan were totally different, the main bonds being Islam and a fear of potential Indian (Hindu) expansion. Pakistan’s early years as a nation were dominated by unsuccessful attempts to create a nation that would somehow bridge these differences. The differences persisted, and demands for a separate state in the east began to mount.

Bangladesh Is Established After continued refusal by West Pakistan to grant East Pakistan’s requests for independence, civil war broke out in 1971. Swamped with a million refugees from the fighting, India intervened militarily on behalf of those seeking a separate state. India’s intervention helped create the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1972. Sheikh Mujibur (Mujib) Rahman, a leader of the fight for autonomy, was released from prison in West Pakistan and became prime minister of the new nation.

The civil war was a disaster for Bangladesh, undoing much of the limited progress East Pakistan had made in recovering from the social disruption of the 1947 partition. The nation’s new leader faced a task for which his administrative and political experience was not enough. He fought and won a massive victory in the 1973 election, but two years later, he suspended the political process and took power into his own hands.

With this move, public opinion turned against Mujib. On 15 August 1975, a group of young military officers seized power. They killed Mujib and many of his family members and imposed martial law. A succession of military takeovers and new governments followed until General Hussain Mohammad Ershad seized power in 1981. Ershad gained support by cracking down on corruption and opening up the economy to foreign trade.

In 1982, Ershad declared Bangladesh an Islamic republic. This move angered the Hindu minority. Ershad remained in power until the end of 1990, when he was forced to resign the presidency.

In the February 1991 elections (described as the fairest ever held in the country), the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) won control of the government with Khaleda Zia as prime minister. The BNP quickly lost popular support, however. In 1994, opposition parties walked out of the parliament and boycotted the government. The February 1996 elections were again won by the BNP, but after charges of vote-rigging, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia resigned and the BNP dissolved the parliament. New elections were held in June 1996 and the Awami League gained control of the parliament.

This again was short-lived. A series of bombings beset Bangladesh in April, June, and September of 2001. In total, 155 people were killed and more than 2,500 were injured in violence leading up to the October 2001 parliamentary elections. Former prime minister Khaleda Zia won a landslide victory on 1 October 2001. The Awami League boycotted parliament, protesting alleged rigging of elections and the persecution of religious minorities. The Awami

BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE

Name: Khaleda Zia

Position: Prime minister of a republic

Took Office: 10 October 2001

Birthplace: Dinajpur District, Bangladesh

Birthdate: 15 August 1945

Religion: Muslim

Spouse: Zia-ur Rahman, former president of Bangladesh

Children: Two sons

Of interest: Zia entered political life after the assassination of her husband in 1981. She served as prime minister from 1991 to 1996.

League boycott ended in June 2002. Also in June 2002, then-president Badruddoza Chowdhury resigned, after being criticized for not visiting the grave of the BNP’s founder, Zia-ur Rahman.

Political violence continued through 2005. In 2002, bomb explosions in four movie theaters killed 17 people and injured 300 among families celebrating the end of Ramadan. The government arrested 39 members of the Awami League in connection with the explosions. In 2004, a bomb explosion at an Awami League Rally in Dhaka killed 12 people and injured 100 others. In August 2005, about 100 small bombs were exploded at government offices, train stations, and public markets throughout the country. Leaflets from the Islamic group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen were found at many bomb sites, calling for Islamic rule in Bangladesh.

13 Government

The constitution of December 1972 (amended in 1991) established a democratic republic, with an indirectly elected president as official head of state and a prime minister as head of government and chief executive. The prime minister and the administration are responsible to the Jatiya Sangsad, a single-chamber parliament composed of 300 members.

Bangladesh is divided into 21 regions, also referred to as districts. Regions are grouped into six divisions. In 1997, Bangladesh reorganized its

Yearly Growth Rate

This economic indicator tells by what percent the economy has increased or decreased when compared with the previous year.

local government structure in rural areas. There is now a four-tier local government system: gram (village), union (collection of villages), upazila (subdistrict), and zila (district) councils. The purpose of this reorganization was to make government at the local levels more democratic by increasing popular participation.

14 Political Parties

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Khaleda Zia and the Awami League (AL) led by Sheikh Hasina have been the main competitors in the government for several years. Concern was raised over the political stance of one of Zia’s coalition partners, the Jamaat-e-Islami Party, which voiced support for Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al-Qaeda terrorist network. The BNP’s coalition partners—Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Oikya Jote, and the Naziur faction of the Jatiya Party—were all Islamic parties advocating a return to Shariah (Islamic law). Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League supports secularism.

15 Judicial System

The judicial system consists of a low court and a supreme court, both of which hear civil and criminal cases. The low court consists of administrative courts (magistrate courts) and session judges. The supreme court also has two divisions, a high court that hears original cases and reviews decisions of the low court, and an appellate court that hears appeals from the high court.

In 2001, the World Bank announced $30.6 million in credit would be granted to Bangladesh to help it make its judicial system more efficient and accountable. A law commission has been formed to reform and update existing laws.

16 Armed Forces

In 2005, Bangladesh had an army of 110,000 members, a navy of 9,000, and an air force of 6,500. Paramilitary forces of border guards, armed police, and security guards totaled 126,200. The military budget in 2005 was at $785 million.

17 Economy

Bangladesh is a poor country with few natural resources and an economy dominated by agriculture. Political instability and natural disasters, including devastating droughts, floods, and cyclones, have stunted economic growth. Although the country has received over $30 billion in foreign aid and loans since 1971, nearly half of its people continue to live in poverty. The annual growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005 was 6.2%. It has been predicted that Bangladesh will not be able to ease poverty significantly until annual growth reaches 7–8%.

18 Income

In 2005, Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) was $299 billion, or $2,100 per person. The annual growth rate of the GDP was estimated at 6.2%. The average inflation rate in 2002 was 6.7%. In 2003, remittances from citizens working abroad totaled $39.6 billion, about 6% of the GDP. Foreign aid receipts amounted to about $1.3 million.

19 Industry

The garment industry has shown the strongest potential for growth in the economy. Since the early 1990s, 1.8 million jobs have been created in this industry, mostly for women. Garments accounted for 75% of the country’s exports in 2005. The country has also had some growth in industries based on steel, sugar, tea, leather goods, newsprint, pharmaceuticals, and fertilizer products.

A new potential source of industrial growth lies in Bangladesh’s oil and natural gas reserves. These commodities could become valuable exports.

20 Labor

The labor force in 2005 was estimated at approximately 66 million. In 2003, about 53% of the labor force were engaged in agriculture. The unemployment rate in 2005 was estimated at 2.5%.

Only a small fraction of the workforce is unionized. Some workers, such as teachers and security forces, are prohibited from forming

Components of the Economy

This pie chart shows how much of the country’s economy is devoted to agriculture (including forestry, hunting, and fishing), industry, or services.

unions. Most unions are closely linked to political parties. There is no national minimum wage. While children under the age of 14 years are prohibited from working in factories, they may be employed in other industries and restrictions on child labor are rarely enforced. In 2003, it was estimated that 3.2 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 were working in all types of employment activities, many that were harmful to their well-being.

21 Agriculture

Agriculture accounts for 20% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs 53% of all workers. Most of the farmers own only a few acres of land. Rice is the dominant crop, accounting for about 60% of all farmland in Bangladesh. Aman rice is the main variety. Aus and Boro rice are also grown. To meet the challenge of the food shortages, the government of Bangladesh and international aid programs introduced a high-yielding variety of rice called IRRI with considerable success. Total rice production in 2004 was 37.9 million tons.

Jute is the main cash crop of Bangladesh, which produced about 28% of the total jute supply of the world in 2004. Grown in most parts of the country, jute is harvested from July to September. Its strong fibers are used to produce carpets, burlap bags, mats, upholstery, and other products. Jute is also used to manufacture textiles for clothes. Jute production was approximately 800,000 tons in 2004.

Although tea ranks second in agricultural exports, it accounted for only 11% of agricultural export earnings in 2004. Most tea plantations are in the Sylhet Region and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Much of the tea is consumed domestically. Total production in 2004 was 55,600 tons.

Other crops produced in 2004 included 6.4 million tons of sugarcane, 1.2 million tons of wheat, 3.9 million tons of potatoes, 320,000 tons of sweet potatoes, 40,000 tons of tobacco, and 1,000 tons of barley. Fruit production included approximately 700,000 tons of bananas, 243,000 tons of mangoes, 155,000 tons of pineapples, and 89,000 tons of coconuts.

22 Domesticated Animals

Livestock provide most of Bangladesh’s rural transportation, manure, and fuel, in addition to meat, milk, eggs, hides, and skins. Buffalo milk is an important item for consumption, especially in the form of clarified butterfat. The number of small dairy farms (with 5–20 crossbred cows) has been growing in recent years. Total milk production in 2004 was 2.17 million tons. That year, there were about 24.5 million head of cattle, 850,000 buffalo, 34.5 million goats, 1.26 million sheep, and 140 million chickens.

Much of the cattle stock is smuggled from India. Local cows and bulls are in short supply, especially during the Muslim holiday of ‘Id al-Adha, when cattle are sacrificed. The cattle brought in from India may account for up to 30% of beef production.

23 Fishing

Fish is a staple food of Bangladesh and the main source of protein in the Bangladeshi diet. There are hundreds of varieties, including carp, salmon, pomfret, shrimp, catfish, and many local varieties. Dried fish is considered a delicacy in many parts of the country. About 999,000 tons of fish were produced in 2003. While much of the fish is consumed domestically, Bangladesh exports a sizable quantity of freshwater fish to India and other neighboring countries. Freshwater shrimp and lobster are exported to a number of countries. Exports of fish products in 2003 amounted to $322 million. Bangladesh is also a major source of frogs’ legs, which are “farmed” commercially.

24 Forestry

Bangladesh has about 1.3 million hectares (3.2 million acres) of forest, covering about 10.2% of the land area. The main forest zone is the Sunderbans area in the southwest, consisting mostly of mangrove forests. Two principal species dominate the Sunderban forests: sundari trees, which are of tough timber, and gewa trees, a softer wood used for making newsprint. Teak and bamboo are grown in the central forests. Roundwood production in 2003 came to 28 million cubic meters (1 billion cubic feet). Over 98% of the timber cut is used for firewood.

25 Mining

Aside from its large natural gas reserves, Bangladesh has few mineral resources. Bangladesh had reserves of high-quality coal in the northern districts, but extraction has been difficult since many deposits are located at a depth of more than 900 meters (2,952 feet). Production estimates for mineral commodities in Bangladesh in 2004 included hydraulic cement (5.5 million tons), marine salt (385,800 tons), and limestone (39,683 tons).

Yearly Balance of Trade

The balance of trade is the difference between what a country sells to other countries (its exports) and what it buys (its imports). If a country imports more than it exports, it has a negative balance of trade (a trade deficit). If exports exceed imports there is a positive balance of trade (a trade surplus).

26 Foreign Trade

Exports of ready-made garments are Bangladesh’s leading earner of money from abroad. Leather goods and frozen seafood have also become important exports. Major imports are industrial supplies, machinery, food, and petroleum.

Primary export partners are the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Primary import partners are India, China, and Kuwait. Bangladesh is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). There are six other countries in this association: Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. They have agreed to create a South Asian Free Trade Area.

Selected Social Indicators

The statistics below are the most recent estimates available as of 2006. For comparison purposes, data for the United States and averages for low-income countries and high-income countries are also given. About 15% of the world’s 6.5 billion people live in high-income countries, while 37% live in low-income countries.

Indicator	Bangladesh	Low-income countries	High-income countries	United States
sources: World Bank. World Development Indicators. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, 2006; Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 2006; World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C.
Per capita gross national income (GNI)*	$1,970	$2,258	$31,009	$39,820
Population growth rate	2.1%	2%	0.8%	1.2%
People per square kilometer of land	1,069	80	30	32
Life expectancy in years: male	63	58	76	75
female	64	60	82	80
Number of physicians per 1,000 people	0.3	0.4	3.7	2.3
Number of pupils per teacher (primary school)	54	43	16	15
Literacy rate (15 years and older)	43%	65%	>95%	99%
Television sets per 1,000 people	59	84	735	938
Internet users per 1,000 people	2	28	538	630
Energy consumed per capita (kg of oil equivalent)	159	501	5,410	7,843
CO² emissions per capita (metric tons)	0.27	0.85	12.97	19.92
* The GNI is the total of all goods and services produced by the residents of a country in a year. The per capita GNI is calculated by dividing a country’s GNI by its population and adjusting for relative purchasing power.
n.a.: data not available >: greater than <: less than

27 Energy and Power

Total electrical power production was 17.4 billion kilowatt hours in 2003. In 2005, only about 20% of the population had access to electricity. In addition, the power supply is erratic, with blackouts a chronic problem. The major energy resource is natural gas. In 2005, proven reserves were estimated at 300 billion cubic meters (10.6 trillion cubic feet). Production in 2004 was estimated at 13.2 billion cubic meters (466 billion cubic feet) in 1999. Proven oil reserves in 2005 were estimated at 56 million barrels. In 2004, production was at 6,725 barrels per day.

28 Social Development

Pensions and other work related benefits are only available for public employees. While women have and exercise full voting rights, they receive unequal treatment in many areas, including education, employment, and family matters such as divorce and inheritance.

The use of child labor within Bangladesh is the result of widespread poverty and economic deprivation; there may be as many as 10 million child laborers. Discrimination against minority religious groups has led to violence and conflict.

29 Health

Malaria, tuberculosis, and other serious diseases remain widespread, and public health problems are aggravated by widespread malnutrition and periodic natural disasters. In 2004, there were an estimated 30 doctors, 13 nurses, and 11 midwives for every 100,000 people.

In 2005, average life expectancy at birth was 62 years and the infant mortality rate was 62 per 1,000 live births. The government pays the majority of vaccination costs for children, which has helped increase participation in the programs. As of 2004, an estimated 13,000 people were living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). In 2003, there were about 650 death related to AIDS.

30 Housing

Housing has long been a major concern in Bangladesh. The government maintains an urban housing program but does not have any housing development programs for villages. In 2001, there were about 25.3 million households with an average of 4.8 persons per household. Housing units are primarily made of straw, bamboo, mud, unfired brick, and cement or wood roofs with iron sheets. The government operates programs focusing on poverty and homelessness.

31 Education

Primary education, extending over five years, is free and compulsory, although rural girls are exempt from this law. Secondary education covers six grades, divided into three two-year cycles. Most educational institutions are supported by the government either fully or partially. There are also a Madrasah system (Islamic religious schools), which is required to follow the nationally approved curriculum. As of 2003, an estimated 84% of primary-school-age children were enrolled in school, while 44% of those eligible were enrolled in secondary school. The student-teacher ration in primary school is about 54 to 1 and the ratio for secondary school is 34 to 1. The language of instruction is Bangla.

There are 17 universities, 10 medical colleges, and 10 teacher-training colleges. Research institutions include the Bangla Academy (which sponsors translations of scientific and literary works into Bangla), the Asiatic Society, and the National Institute of Public Administration’s Institute of Law and International Affairs. In 2003, about 6% of the adult population were enrolled in some type of continuing education program. For the year 2004, the adult literacy rate was estimated at 43% (males, 50.3%; females, 31.4%).

32 Media

In 2003, there were about 5 mainline phones and 10 mobile phones in use for every 1,000 people. In 2004, Bangladesh had one private radio station and three private television stations. In 2003, there were 59 television sets and 49 radios for every 1,000 people. The same year, there were 7.8 personal computers for every 1,000 people and about 2 of every 1,000 people had access to the Internet.

The major Bengali daily newspapers (with 2002 circulations), all in Dhaka, are Ittefaq (200,000), Dainik Inqilab (180,000), Sangbad (71,050), Dainik Bangla (65,000), and Dainik Sangram (45,000). The largest English dailies, also in Dhaka, are the Bangladesh Observer (43,000), Bangladesh Times (35,000), and Daily Star (30,000).

The government generally respects the freedom of speech and press. On occasion, however, the government has censored stories critical of Islam.

33 Tourism and Recreation

In 2003, Bangladesh had 244,500 foreign visitors, nearly half from South Asia. There were 4,565 hotel rooms with about 10,165 beds and an occupancy rate of about 38%. Tourism revenues totaled $59 million. The main tourist attractions include the old Mughal capital at Dhaka, nearby Sonargaon with its ancient architecture, the Buddhist cultural center of Mainamati, and the beach resort of Cox’s Bazar.

34 Famous Bangladeshis

H. S. Suhrawardy (1895–1964), another former premier of Bengal, served for a time as premier of Pakistan and was a mentor to the next generation of Bengali leaders. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1920–1975) led the successful fight for the independence of East Pakistan and was the first premier of Bangladesh (1972–1975).