| Facts |
Full Name: People's Republic of Bangladesh
Population: 141,340,476 (July 2004 est.)
People: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)
Language: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Religion: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Government Type: Parliamentary democracy
Capital: Dhaka
Independence: 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of declared independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh. Bangladesh fought a nine month war with West Pakistan to gain independence.
Size: total: 144,000 sq km
Topography: Mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast; 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
Climate: tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
GDP:
GDP purchasing power parity $258.8 billion (2004 est.)
GDP per person purchasing power parity $1,900 (2004 est.)
Inflation rate: 5.6% (2004 est.)
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 (2004 est.)
Labor Force by occupation: agriculture 63%, industry 11%, services 26% (FY95/96)
Unemployment: 40% (includes underemployment)
Internet Users: 243,000 (2003)
Major Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Trading Partners: Exports: US 23.9%, Germany 13.6%, UK 9.7%, France 5.9% (2003) Imports: India 15.4%, China 11.3%, Singapore 10.8%, Japan 5.9%, Hong Kong 4.5% (2003)
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