Bangladesh June–September. Cool and dry November– frequent daily services. Rail is broad gauge in March. The country is vulnerable to cyclones, the west, narrow gauge in the east, with which can be devastating. The cyclone of April ferry links across rivers. 1991 killed 138,000 people. In November Bangladesh has 5,000–8,000 km of navigable 2007, Cyclone Sidr hit the southern coastal waterway, depending on the extent of strip of Bangladesh, also killing and making flooding, and a well-developed water homeless thousands of people. transport network, carrying more than 30 per Environment: The most significant issues are cent of domestic freight. The main ports are severe overpopulation, high risk of flooding Chittagong and Mongla, Chittagong dealing in large areas of the country, soil degradation with the bulk of foreign trade. Shahjalal and erosion, ground water contaminated by (formerly Zia) International Airport is 19 km naturally occurring arsenic, and poisoning of north of Dhaka. fish by use of commercial pesticides. Vegetation: Intensely cultivated; paddy fields Society dominate the delta; palms, bamboo, mango, KEY FACTS 2013 the plains. Water hyacinth is a serious Population per sq km: 1,087 menace to waterways. Forest on the south- eastern hills; forest covers ten per cent of the Life expectancy: 71 years land area, having declined at 0.2 per cent Net primary enrolment: 92% (2010) p.a. 1990–2011. Soil is mostly very rich, Population: 156,595,000 (2013); density supporting intensive cropping, with up to among world’s highest; 33 per cent of people three crops p.a. in many places; arable land live in urban areas and 14 per cent in urban comprises 59 per cent of the total land area. agglomerations of more than one million KEY FACTS Wildlife: The country has a varied wildlife people; growth 1.6 per cent p.a. 1990–2013; population, although 18 species became Joined Commonwealth: 1972 birth rate 20 per 1,000 people (47 in 1970), extinct during the 20th century and 33 controlled by vigorous family planning Population: 156,595,000 (2013) species of mammals and 28 of birds were schemes; life expectancy 71 years (44 in GDP p.c. growth: 3.7% p.a. 1990–2013 endangered in 2014. Mammal species 1970). include 26 types of bat, the famous Bengal UN HDI 2014: World ranking 142 Language: Bangla (Bengali) is the official tiger (now virtually confined to the language. English is widely spoken, especially Official language: Bangla Sundarbans and numbering a few hundred) in government and commerce. Time: GMT plus 6 hrs and the Gangetic dolphin, and reptile species include turtles, river tortoises, crocodiles, Religion: Muslims 90 per cent, Hindus 9.5 Currency: Taka (Tk) gavials, pythons, krait and cobras. There are per cent, a few Buddhists and Christians several ‘protected’ areas for wildlife. (2011 census); Islam is the state religion. Geography Main towns: Dhaka (capital, pop. 11.08m in Health: Public spending on health was one Area: 143,998 sq km 2011), Chittagong (3.66m), Narayanganj per cent of GDP in 2012. Public-sector Coastline: 580 km (1.63m), Khulna (1.04m), Rajshahi (763,952), medical facilities remain scarce, though there Sylhet (479,837), Tungi (476,350), Comilla are clinics run by a major non-governmental Capital: Dhaka (407,901), Mymensingh (389,918), Bogra organisation, BRAC. To provide safe drinking The People’s Republic of Bangladesh is a (350,397), Rangpur (328,777), Barisal water, between the 1970s and the mid- fertile and densely populated delta country in (328,278), Jessore (253,019), Dinajpur 1990s some five million wells were drilled, southern Asia bordered by the Bay of Bengal, (191,329), Pabna (190,317), Nawabganj and in 2012 the UN estimated that 85 per India and Myanmar (formerly Burma). (180,731), Brahman Baria (172,017) and cent of the population was using an improved drinking water source and 57 per Topography: Apart from hills to the south- Narsingdi (146,115). cent had access to adequate sanitation east, most of Bangladesh is a flat alluvial Transport: There are 21,270 km of roads, facilities. However, from 1996 naturally plain crossed by navigable waterways – the ten per cent paved; these roads are occurring arsenic was detected in the ground Ganges (Padma), Brahmaputra (Jamuna) and vulnerable to damage by storms or floods, water (supplying more than one million tube Meghna river systems – flowing into the Bay and have many bridges. The 4.8 km Jamuna wells), putting nearly 50 per cent of the of Bengal. About 14 per cent of the country multipurpose bridge was inaugurated in population at risk. By the 2000s there was an is normally under water. Flooding is frequent 1998, linking the east and the west of the epidemic of health problems caused by and can be disastrous. country by road and railway. arsenic poisoning. Bangladesh has maintained Climate: Tropical monsoon. Hot and humid A rail network of some 2,835 km links the a high level of immunisation coverage against April–October, with the monsoon season main towns. The Dhaka–Chittagong line has diseases such as diphtheria, whooping cough, The CommonwealTh YearBook 2015 Bangladesh tetanus and measles. There are 78 medical Public holidays: Shaheed Day (International GDP by sector (2013) colleges in Bangladesh (2014). Infant Mother Language Day, 21 February), mortality was 33 per 1,000 live births in 2013 Independence Day (26 March), Labour Day (1 (149 in 1960). May), Bank Holiday (early July), National Agriculture Mourning Day (15 August), National 16.3% Education: Public spending on education Revolution Day (7 November), Victory Day (16 Industry was two per cent of GDP in 2008. There are December) and New Year’s Eve. The weekend 27.6% five years of compulsory primary education comprises Friday/Saturday. and eight years of free education, starting at Services 56.1% the age of six. Almost all primary schools are Religious and other festivals whose dates vary government-managed. Secondary schools from year to year include Prophet’s Birthday, comprise a first cycle of three years and a Bangla Naba Barsha (Bengali New Year, Economic policy has long aimed at the second cycle of four years. Some 66 per cent around 14 April), Buddha Purnima alleviation of poverty through increasing food of pupils complete primary school (2009). The (April/May), Shab-e-Bharat (Ascension of the production and expanding education, while school year starts in January. A parallel system Prophet), Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan, three developing an industrial and technological days), Durga Puja (Dashami, October), Shab- of education – madrassa education – offers base, but severe floods have often frustrated e-Qadr (Evening of Destiny), Eid al-Adha Islamic instruction from primary level up to development plans. postgraduate level. (Feast of the Sacrifice, three days) and Islamic New Year. From the mid-1990s, successive governments The main public universities are the University were committed to free-market policies, of Dhaka (established in 1921); University of privatisation of state-owned enterprises, Rajshahi (1954); Bangladesh Agricultural Economy attracting overseas investment and banking University (1961, located in Mymensingh); KEY FACTS 2013 reform. More than 60 state-owned enterprises, University of Chittagong (1966); and GNI: US$142.9bn in areas as diverse as manufacturing, University of Jahangirnagar (1970, in Savar, agriculture, transport and communications, GNI p.c.: US$900 Dhaka). There are also several private were identified for divestment, but progress universities in Dhaka, including North South GDP growth: 5.9% p.a. 2009–13 was slow due to strong popular opposition. University and Independent University. The Inflation: 7.6% p.a. 2009–13 These policies led to an improvement in Bangladesh Open University provides distance economic performance, even in 1998 when The country has a high population density, learning for a wide range of students at the country was devastated by floods that limited natural resources and an agricultural secondary and tertiary levels. The covered nearly two-thirds of the land area. female–male ratio for gross enrolment in economy vulnerable to floods and cyclones, but it nevertheless achieved economic growth From 2000 the economy grew strongly, with tertiary education is 0.70:1 (2011). Literacy averaging around four per cent p.a. from the growth rates of at least six per cent p.a. in among people aged 15–24 is 77 per cent 1970s. It also has huge reserves of natural 2011–14 driven by strong exports. In (2010). gas (estimated at 300 billion cubic metres in 2008–09, despite the world economic Media: Bangladesh has a lively and thriving January 2014) and some coal. downturn, the economy remained buoyant press, with very many newspapers and with continuing growth in clothing exports weeklies in circulation. Leading English- and remittances from Bangladeshis living Real growth in GDP language newspapers are The Daily Star , abroad. Keeping inflation under control, Daily Sun , The Independent , New Age , The % 8 however, proved more challenging. New Nation , and Holiday (weekly). Dailies in 7 Bengali include Dainik Ittefaq , Daily Prothom 6 History Alo and Dainik Jugantor . 5 From its earliest pre-history Bangladesh has Television is Bangladesh’s most popular 4 been sugbject to wa v es of migration and the medium, especially in the cities. The country’s incursions of r egion al – and later European – main terrestrial TV channel, Bangladesh 3 powers. An In do-A ryan population, Hindu in Television, is a public service. Privately-owned 2 belief, arrived between 3,000 and 4,000 years TV channels available via cable and satellite 1 ago and the evidence suggests a flourishing, include: ATN Bangla, Channel I, NTV, RTV and 0 sophisticated civilisation. Ekushey TV. Satellite and cable television are 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 popular in urban areas.