Compare Spratly Islands (2003) - Bangladesh (2004)

Compare Spratly Islands (2003) z Bangladesh (2004)

	Spratly Islands (2003)	Bangladesh (2004)

Administrative divisions	-	6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Sylhet
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 33.5% (male 24,359,149; female 23,013,811) 15-64 years: 63.1% (male 45,557,963; female 43,626,950) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 2,575,519; female 2,207,084) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Airports	3 (2002)	16 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)	total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area	total: less than 5 sq km land: less than 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea	total: 144,000 sq km land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km
Area - comparative	NA	slightly smaller than Iowa
Background	The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 50 islands are occupied by China (about 450 soldiers), Malaysia (70-90), the Philippines (about 100), and Vietnam (about 1,500). Brunei is a claimant but has no outposts. (2002)	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 floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
Birth rate	-	30.03 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $5.352 billion expenditures: $7.55 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Capital	-	Dhaka
Climate	tropical	tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Coastline	926 km	580 km
Constitution	-	4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended many times
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands	conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh former: East Pakistan
Currency	-	taka (BDT)
Death rate	-	8.52 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	-	$18.06 billion (2003)
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	chief of mission: Ambassador Harry K. THOMAS, Jr. embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212 mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500 FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	chief of mission: Ambassador Syed Hasan AHMAD chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183 FAX: [1] (202) 244-5366 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Disputes - international	all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the island; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea", a mechanism to ease tension but which fell short of a legally binding "code of conduct"	discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, and violence; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; Burmese Muslim refugees strain Bangladesh's meager resources
Economic aid - recipient	-	$1.575 billion (2000 est.)
Economy - overview	Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.	Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and ill-governed nation. Although 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. Economic reform is stalled in many instances by political infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Progress also has been blocked by opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions, and other vested interest groups. The BNP government, led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to push through needed reforms, but the party's political will to do so has been lacking in key areas. One encouraging note: growth has been a steady 5% for the past several years.
Electricity - consumption	-	14.25 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	-	15.33 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m
Environment - current issues	NA	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
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, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	-	Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)
Exchange rates	-	taka per US dollar - 58.15 (2003), 57.888 (2002), 55.8067 (2001), 52.1417 (2000), 49.0854 (1999)
Executive branch	-	chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002); 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 Khaleda ZIA (since 10 October 2001) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term; election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election to be held by NA 2007); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared by the Election Commission elected unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA
Exports	-	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	-	garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood (2001)
Exports - partners	-	US 23.9%, Germany 13.6%, UK 9.7%, France 5.9% (2003)
Fiscal year	-	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
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $258.8 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 21.7% industry: 26.6% services: 51.7% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	5.3% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	8 38 N, 111 55 E	24 00 N, 90 00 E
Geography - note	strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs	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
Highways	-	total: 207,486 km paved: 19,773 km unpaved: 187,713 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.)
Illicit drugs	-	transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
Imports	-	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	-	machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement (2000)
Imports - partners	-	India 15.4%, China 11.3%, Singapore 10.8%, Japan 5.9%, Hong Kong 4.5% (2003)
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
Industrial production growth rate	-	1.9% (2003 est.)
Industries	-	cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 64.32 deaths/1,000 live births male: 65.41 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	5.6% (2003 est.)
International organization participation	-	AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	38,440 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	-	Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)
Labor force	-	64.02 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99 (2003)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 63%, industry 11%, services 26% (FY95/96)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)	arable land: 62.11% permanent crops: 3.07% other: 34.82% (2001)
Languages	-	Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Legal system	-	based on English common law
Legislative branch	-	unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies (the constitutional amendment reserving 30 seats for women over and above the 300 regular parliament seats expired in May 2001); members serve five-year terms elections: last held 1 October 2001 (next to be held before October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 47%, AL 40%; seats by party - BNP 195, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 3, JP (Naziur) 4, other 9; note - the election of October 2001 brought a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - Jamaat-i-Islami, Islami Oikya Jote, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 61.71 years male: 61.8 years female: 61.61 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 43.1% male: 53.9% female: 31.8% (2003 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines	Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Map references	Southeast Asia	Asia
Maritime claims	NA	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
Merchant marine	-	total: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 319,897 GRT/440,575 DWT by type: bulk 2, cargo 24, container 10, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: China 1, Singapore 9 registered in other countries: 10 (2004 est.)
Military - note	Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam	-
Military branches	-	Army, Navy, Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$606.8 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1.2% (2003)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 39,523,128 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 23,441,482 (2004 est.)
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
Nationality	-	noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi
Natural hazards	typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals	droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
Natural resources	fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential	natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Net migration rate	-	-0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 2,012 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	-	Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA, chairperson]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami or JI [Motiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states (July 2003 est.)	141,340,476 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	35.6% (FY95/96 est.)
Population growth rate	-	2.08% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	none; offshore anchorage only	Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port, Narayanganj
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 12, FM 12, shortwave 2 (1999)
Railways	-	total: 2,706 km broad gauge: 884 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)
Religions	-	Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	-	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: country code - 880; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use	-	740,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	1.365 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations	-	15 (1999)
Terrain	flat	mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Total fertility rate	-	3.15 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	40% (includes underemployment) (2002 est.)
Waterways	none	8,372 km note: includes 2,575 km main cargo routes (2004)

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