Quick Facts About Bangladesh
Location: Bangladesh, located in South Central Asia, lies between 20 degrees 34 minutes and 26 degrees 38 minutes north latitude and 88 degrees 01 minute and 92 degrees 41 minutes east longitude. Bangladesh is surrounded by India on the west, north and northeast; Myanmar to the southeast; the Bay of Bengal to the south
Land Area: 147,570 square kilometers or 56,977 square miles
Geography: Most of Bangladesh is at low elevations, making it vulnerable to heavy flooding during the monsoon season, especially in the coastal areas along the Bay of Bengal. Records from the 18th century until today document that more than 1,000,000 people have been killed by storms. A cyclone in 1991 claimed more than 131,000 lives.
Population: 147 million people; Bangladesh is the world’s 8th most populous country. By comparison, it is roughly the size of New York State but has half the population of the entire United States.
Capital City: Dhaka, which also is the nation’s largest city with more than 5.3 million; About 12.5 million live in the metro area.
Government: Parliamentary democracy
Life Expectancy: 62.8 years
Ethnic Groups: 98 percent Bengali; and other tribal groups
Languages: Bangla, the official language and English
Literacy Rate: 43 percent
Economy:
| Gross Domestic Product: | $300 billion |
| | Monetary Unit: | Taka |
| | Major Exports: | Tea, jute and textiles |
| | Labor Force: | 66 million; Three fifths is in agriculture |
| | Agricultural Products: | Rice, jute, tea |
| | Major Industries: | Textiles, fishing |
| | Minerals: | Natural gas |
| | Major Trading Partners: | United States, France, Italy, India, China, Singapore, Japan and Kuwait |
Staple Food: Rice
Religion: Muslim, 88 percent; Hindus 10 percent; the rest are Buddhists, Christians and animists.
To learn about Bangladesh’s history and other facts, visit the Bangladesh Web site at http://www.bangladoot.org.