Bangladesh (2001) | Norfolk Island (2007) | |
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Administrative divisions | 5 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi; note - there may be one additional division named Sylhet | none (territory of Australia) |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
35.04% (male 23,550,607; female 22,451,006) 15-64 years: 61.6% (male 41,432,123; female 39,434,633) 65 years and over: 3.36% (male 2,389,639; female 2,011,852) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 20.2%
15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry | Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry |
Airports | 18 (2000 est.) | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
15 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
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Area | total:
144,000 sq km land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km |
total: 34.6 sq km
land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Wisconsin | about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. About a third of this extremely poor country annually floods during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development. | Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. |
Birth rate | 25.3 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | NA |
Budget | revenues:
$4.9 billion expenditures: $6.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.) |
revenues: $4.6 million
expenditures: $4.8 million (FY99/00) |
Capital | Dhaka | name: Kingston
geographic coordinates: 29 03 S, 167 58 E time difference: UTC+11.5 (16.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) | subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 580 km | 32 km |
Constitution | 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended many times | Norfolk Island Act of 1979, as amended in 2005 |
Country name | conventional long form:
People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh former: East Pakistan |
conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form: Norfolk Island |
Currency | taka (BDT) | - |
Death rate | 8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | NA |
Debt - external | $17 billion (2000) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Department of Transport and Regional Services |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Mary Ann PETERS embassy: Road 27, House 110, Banani, Dhaka mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 telephone: [880] (2) 8824700 through 8824722 FAX: [880] (2) 8823744 |
none (territory of Australia) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate A. Tariq KARIM chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York |
none (territory of Australia) |
Disputes - international | a portion of the boundary with India is indefinite; exchange of 151 enclaves along border with India subject to ratification by Indian parliament; dispute with India over South Talpatty/New Moore Island | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $1.575 billion (2000 est.) | $NA |
Economy - overview | Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains one of the world's poorest, most densely populated, and least developed nations. 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. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Even so, Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA's Awami League government has made some headway improving the climate for foreign investors and liberalizing the capital markets. Progress on other economic reforms has been halting because of opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups. | Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. |
Electricity - consumption | 11.216 billion kWh (1999) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
Electricity - production | 12.06 billion kWh (1999) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
93.7% hydro: 6.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Bates 319 m |
Environment - current issues | many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne 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 | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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Ethnic groups | Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998) | descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesian |
Exchange rates | taka per US dollar - 54.000 (January 2001), 52.142 (2000), 49.085 (1999), 46.906 (1998), 43.892 (1997), 41.794 (1996) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Shahabuddin AHMED (since 9 October 1996); note - the president's duties are normally ceremonial, but with the 13th amendment to the constitution ("Caretaker Government Amendment"), the president's role becomes significant at times when Parliament is dissolved and a caretaker government is installed - at presidential direction - to supervise the elections head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA (since 13 July 1996) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 24 July 1996 (next to be held by NA October 2001); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Shahabuddin AHMED elected president without opposition; percent of National Parliament vote - NA% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
Exports | $5.9 billion (2000) | $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY91/92) |
Exports - commodities | garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood | postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados |
Exports - partners | US 31.2%, Germany 9.95%, UK 8.06%, France 5.82%, Italy 4.42% (1999) | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center; the red sun of freedom represents the blood shed to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush countryside, and secondarily, the traditional color of Islam | three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $203 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
30% industry: 18% services: 52% (2000 est.) |
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GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,570 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.3% (2000 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 24 00 N, 90 00 E | 29 02 S, 167 57 E |
Geography - note | - | most of the 32 km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated |
Highways | total:
201,182 km paved: 19,112 km unpaved: 182,070 km (1997) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
3.9% highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.) |
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Illicit drugs | transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries | - |
Imports | $8.1 billion (2000) | $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, raw cotton, food, crude oil and petroleum products, cement | NA |
Imports - partners | India 12.2%, Singapore 7.8%, Japan 6.7%, China 6.4%, US 5.3% (1999) | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2006) |
Independence | 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh | none (territory of Australia) |
Industrial production growth rate | 6.1% (2000 est.) | - |
Industries | cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar | tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete |
Infant mortality rate | 69.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.8% (2000 est.) | - |
International organization participation | AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 10 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 31,000 sq km (1993 est.) | NA |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president) | Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions |
Labor force | 64.1 million (1998)
note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 |
NA |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 63%, services 26%, industry 11% (FY95/96) | agriculture: 10%
industry and services: 90% |
Land boundaries | total:
4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
73% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 15% other: 5% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English | English (official), Norfolk - a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian |
Legal system | based on English common law | based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad (330 seats; 300 elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies, 30 seats reserved for women; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 12 June 1996 (next to be held before 13 October 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - AL 33.87%, BNP 30.87%; seats by party - AL 178, BNP 113, JP 33, JI 3, other 3; note - the elections of 12 June 1996 brought to power an Awami League government for the first time in twenty-one years; held under a neutral, caretaker administration, the elections were characterized by a peaceful, orderly process and massive voter turnout, ending a bitter two-year impasse between the former BNP and opposition parties that had paralyzed National Parliament and led to widespread street violence |
unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
60.54 years male: 60.74 years female: 60.33 years (2001 est.) |
total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56% male: 63% female: 49% (2000 est.) |
NA |
Location | Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia |
Map references | Asia | Oceania |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
18 NM continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 268,566 GRT/375,110 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 25, container 3, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.) |
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Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Australia |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, paramilitary forces (includes Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Village Defense Parties, National Cadet Corps), Armed Police battalions | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $559 million (FY96/97) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.8% (FY96/97) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
36,005,553 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
21,362,279 (2001 est.) |
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National holiday | Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh | Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) |
Nationality | noun:
Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi |
noun: Norfolk Islander(s)
adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) |
Natural hazards | droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season | typhoons (especially May to July) |
Natural resources | natural gas, arable land, timber, coal | fish |
Net migration rate | -0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | NA |
Pipelines | natural gas 1,250 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIAur Rahman]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Azizol HAQ]; Jamaat-E-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD] | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 131,269,860 (July 2001 est.) | 2,114 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 35.6% (FY95/96 est.) | - |
Population growth rate | 1.59% (2001 est.) | 0.006% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port, Narayanganj (2001) | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999) | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) |
Radios | 6.15 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
2,745 km broad gauge: 923 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2000) |
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Religions | Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) | Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.2%, none 18.1% (2001 census) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.19 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
NA |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
totally inadequate for a modern country domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2000) |
general assessment: adequate
domestic: free local calls international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station |
Telephones - main lines in use | 500,000 (2000) | 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 283,000 (2000) | 0; note - proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 15 (1999) | 1 (local programming station plus 2 repeaters that air Australian programs by satellite) (2005) |
Terrain | mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast | volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains |
Total fertility rate | 2.78 children born/woman (2001 est.) | NA |
Unemployment rate | 35.2% (1996) | - |
Waterways | up to 8,046 km depending on season
note: includes 3,058 km main cargo routes |
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