Dialing code +880
ISO 2 code BD
ISO 3 code BGD
Capital Dhaka
Main Language Bengali
Currency Taka (BDT)
GDP $224.0 billion 48th
Population 156,118,464 7th

Geography

Continent Asia
Location Southern Asia bordering the Bay of Bengal between Burma and India
Land 144,000 km2 94th
Terrain Mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Climate Tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot humid summer (March to June); humid warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Natural Hazards Mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Note: 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

Neighbouring Countries

India Myanmar

History

Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947 West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955 but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1 600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. A military-backed emergency caretaker regime suspended parliamentary elections planned for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption. In contrast to the strikes and violent street rallies that had marked Bangladeshi politics in previous years the parliamentary elections finally held in late December 2008 were mostly peaceful. Sheikh HASINA Wajed was reappointed prime minister. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season hampering economic development.
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Demographics

Life Expectancy 60.25 years 166th
Median Age 23.3 years 132nd
Birth Rate 24.68 births/1,000 population 66th
Death Rate 9.23 births/1,000 population 77th
Sex Ratio 0.9 male(s)/female 37th
Literacy 47.9% 191st
Population

156.1 million

Transportation

Roadways 239226 km 20th
Railways 2768 km 59th
Airports 17 135th
Waterways 8370 km 16th
Heliports None
Airports paved 1 133rd

Economy

Currency Taka (BDT)
GDP $224.0 billion 48th
GDP per capita (PPP) $1500 177th