The beautiful nation of Bangladesh is a riverine country in Southeast Asia borders at the South East part of India and partially borders with Myanmar (Burma). The country contains the confluence of Ganges, Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, and Brahmaputra rivers and their tributaries empties into the Bay of Bengal. 90% of the Bangladesh’s flat land is about 35 feet (i.e., 10 meters) above sea-level. The population is close to 140 millions. Bangladesh is considered the most densely populated agricultural country in the world. Bangladesh is approximately the size of Wisconsin, USA. Bangladesh is a democratic nation with 3 major political parties.
The economic growth in Bangladesh has been pretty steady at approximately at 4.9% annually for the last decade. Manufacturing of ready-made garments and exporting of frozen shrimp and seafood internationally being the nation’s number one and two major export and foreign revenue earning channels. Once upon a time not more than 30-40 years ago, Bangladesh was considered the most major jute (“Golden Jute” or “Sonar Aash”) exporting country in the world. Bangladesh is also agriculturally very developed nation with the production of rice and wheat for international export. The discovery of substantial reserves of natural gas in Bangladesh could significantly boost the country's economy and the people's well-being if the reserves are managed carefully.
The concept of micro-credit program internationally started in Bangladesh with the creation of Grameen Bank by Prof. Mohammad Yonus for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 along with Grameen Bank.
Some Interesting Facts* about Bangladesh:
Official Name: The People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Official Language: Bengali, English (the 2nd Language)
Capital City: Dhaka (Dacca), Bangladesh
National Independence: March 26, 1971 (from Pakistan)
Population: Approximately 140 million (at a 1.9% growth rate)
Ethnicity: 98% Bengali, 2% Non-Bengali
Religion: 88% Muslim, 10% Hindu, and 2% Buddhist, Christian, & Others
System of Government: Parliamentary Democracy
GNP/Capita: $440.00
GDP Growth Rate: 6.3% (Annually)
GDP Composition: By sector – Agriculture: 21%, Industry: 27%, Services: 52%
Adult Literacy: Overall 41% with 47% Female, 29% Male
Life Expectancy: 63.5 Years (female and male)
* Date Collected from World Bank Development Indicator Database, April 2006
