Bangladesh Location:
23°42'N, 90°22'E
Bangladesh Geography:
Bangladesh is located in the low-lying Ganges-Brahmaputra River Delta or Ganges Delta. This delta is formed by the confluence of the Ganges (local name Padma or Pôdda), Brahmaputra (Jamuna or Jomuna), and Meghna rivers and their respective tributaries. The alluvial soil deposited by these rivers has created some of the most highly fertile plains of the world.
Most parts of Bangladesh are less than 12 metres (39 ft) above the sea level, and it is believed that about 10% of the land would be flooded if the sea level were to rise by 1 metre (3 ft).[26]
The highest point in Bangladesh is in Mowdok range at 1,052 metres (3,451 ft) in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to the southeast of the country.[27] A major part of the coastline comprises a marshy jungle, the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world and home to diverse flora and fauna, including the Royal Bengal Tiger. In 1997, this region was declared endangered.[28]
Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, Bangladeshi climate is tropical with a mild winter from October to March, a hot, humid summer from March to June. A warm and humid monsoon season lasts from June to October and supplies most of the country's rainfall. Natural calamities, such as floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and tidal bores occur almost every year, combined with the effects of deforestation, soil degradation and erosion. Cox's Bazar, south of the city of Chittagong, has a beach that stretches uninterrupted over 120 kilometres (75 mi).
In September 1998 Bangladesh saw the most severe flooding the modern world has seen. Although only 1000 people were killed, 30 million were made homeless and 130,000 cattle were killed. 50,00 hectares of land were destroyed and 11, 000km of roads were damaged of destroyed. 66% of the country was underwater. There were several reasons for the severity of the flooding. Firstly there were unusually high monsoon rains, secondly the Himalayas shed off a equally unusually high amount of melt water, for which global warming could be held responsible although claims are unproven. Another reason for the flooding is that fact that 70% of the country is only 1meter above sea level. Also trees which usually intercept rain water were cut down for fire wood or to make space for animals.
Bangladesh People:
Population
- 2006 estimate 147,365,352 (7th)
- 2001 census 129,247,2331
- Density 998.62 /km2 (11th)
2,6392 /sq mi
Bangladesh Government:
Government Parliamentary republic
- President Iajuddin Ahmed
- Prime Minister vacant
- Chief of Caretaker
Government
Fakhruddin Ahmed
Bangladesh Economy:
Despite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains an underdeveloped nation, in part due to its large population. Its per capita income in 2004 was a US$440, and many other economic indicators were considered poor by world standards.[29] Yet, as the World Bank notes in its July 2005 Country Brief, the country has made significant progress in human development by focusing on increasing literacy, achieving gender parity in schooling, and reducing its population growth.
Jute was once the economic engine of the country. Its share of the world export market peaked in the Second World War and the late 1940s at 80%[30] and even in the early 1970s accounted for 70% of its export earnings. However, polypropylene products began to substitute for jute products worldwide and the jute industry started to decline. Bangladesh grows significant quantities of rice, tea and mustard. Although two-thirds of Bangladeshis are farmers, more than three quarters of Bangladesh’s export earnings come from the garment industry,[31] which began attracting foreign investors in the 1980s due to cheap labour and low conversion cost. In 2002, the industry exported US$5 billion worth of products.[32] The industry now employs more than 3 million workers, 90% of whom are women.[33] A large part of foreign currency earnings also comes from the remittances sent by expatriates living in other countries.
Obstacles to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, mismanaged port facilities, a growth in the labour force that has outpaced jobs, inefficient use of energy resources (such as natural gas), insufficient power supplies, slow implementation of economic reforms, political infighting and corruption. According to the World Bank's July 2005 Country Brief, "Among Bangladesh’s most significant obstacles to growth are poor governance and weak public institutions."[34]
Despite these hurdles, the country has achieved an average annual growth rate of 5% since 1990, according to the World Bank. Bangladesh has seen expansion of its middle class, and its consumer industry has also grown. In December 2005, four years after its report on the emerging "BRIC" economies (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), Goldman Sachs named Bangladesh one of the "Next Eleven,"[35] along with Egypt, Indonesia, Pakistan and seven other countries. Bangladesh has seen a dramatic increase in foreign direct investment. A number of multinational corporations, including Unocal Corporation and Tata, have made major investments, with the natural gas sector being a priority. In December 2005, the Central Bank of Bangladesh projected GDP growth around 6.5%.[36]
One significant contributor to the development of the economy has been the widespread propagation of microcredit by Muhammad Yunus (awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2006) through the Grameen Bank. By the late 1990s, Grameen Bank had 2.3 million members, along with 2.5 million members of other similar organizations.[37]
In order to enhance economic growth, the government set up several export processing zones to attract foreign investment. These are managed by the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority.
Bangladesh has recently been the subject of increasing Foreign Direct Investment. Other Foreign Non-Bangladeshi and Bangladeshi based companies e.g. Shell, BP and Royal Bengal Airline are examples of such inward investment.
Bangladesh More Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh |
