Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country in 1971 following a nine month war of liberation. It is one of the largest deltas of the world with a total area of 147,570 sq. km. With a unique communal harmony, Bangladesh has a population of about 152.51 million, making it one of the densely populated countries of the world. The majority (over 88%) of the people are Muslim. Over 98% of the people speak in Bangla. English, however, is widely spoken. The country is covered with a network of rivers and canals forming a maze of interconnecting channels. Being an active partner, Bangladesh plays vital role in the international and regional forum, particularly in the UN, Commonwealth and South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
General information
| Official Name | The People’s Republic of Bangladesh |
| Political system | Parliamentary democracy |
| Capital name | Dhaka |
| Time zone | GMT + 6 hours |
| Major cities | Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barisal, Rangpur |
| Principal rivers | Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Brahmaputra, Teesta, Surma,Karnaphuli. (total 310 rivers including tributaries) |
| Principal industries | Ready made garments, pharmaceuticals, cements, garment accessories, chemicals, fertilizers, newsprint, leather and leather goods, paper, sugar, jute, ship building |
| Principal exports | Readymade garments, frozen foods (shrimps), leather, leather products, jute, jute products, tea, ceramic, textile fabrics, home textile, chemical product, light engineering products including bi-cycle. |
Climate & Geograply
| Location | Between 200 34′ and 260 38′ north latitude and between 880 01′ and 920 41′ east longitude |  |
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| Boundary | North, West and East: India South East: Myanmar (Burma) South : Bay of Bengal |
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| Area | 56,977 sq. miles or 147,570 sq. km. | ||
| Territorial water | 12 nautical miles | ||
| Main seasons | Summer (March-May), rainy season (June-September) and winter (December-February) | ||
| Natural resources | Natural gas, coal, lime, white clay, granite, glass sand. | ||
| Climate variations | |||
| Season | Temperature | Rainfall | Relative humidity |
| Pre monsoon | 32.60C min - 22.40C max | 453 mm | 74% |
| Monsoon | 31.50C min - 25.50C max | 1,733 mm | 86% |
| Post monsoon | 30.50C min - 21.40C max | 210 mm | 80% |
| Winter | 26.50C min - 13.90C max | 44 mm | 73% |
| Annual | 30.40C min - 21.20C max | 203 mm | 78% |
| Source: Statistical Pocket Book Bangladesh-2010, www.bbs.gov.bd | |||
Economy
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| GDP total | US$314.66 Billion (FY 2018-19) |
| GDP per capita | US$1,888 (FY 2018-19) |
| GDP growth rate (%) | 8.13% (FY 2018-19) |
| Total exports | US$40.53 billion (FY 2018-19) |
| Total imports | US$55.44 billion (FY 2018–19) |
| Total FDI | US$3 Billion (FY 2018) |
| Foreign Reserve | US$32.90 billion (July 2019) |