@Bangladesh, Economy
Overview:
Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest, most densely populated, and
least developed nations. Its economy is overwhelmingly agricultural,
with the cultivation of rice the single most important activity in the
economy. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and
floods, government interference with the economy, a rapidly growing
labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, a low level of
industrialization, failure to fully exploit energy resources (natural
gas), and inefficient and inadequate power supplies. Excellent rice
crops and expansion of the export garment industry helped growth in
FY92 and FY93. Policy reforms intended to reduce government regulation
of private industry and promote public-sector efficiency have been
announced but are being implemented only slowly.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $122 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
4.3% (FY93)
National product per capita:
$1,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.4% (FY93)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues:
$2.5 billion
expenditures:
$3.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Exports:
$2.1 billion (FY93)
commodities:
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, shrimp
partners:
US 33%, Western Europe 39% (Germany 8.4%, Italy 6%) (FY92 est.)
Imports:
$3.5 billion (FY93)
commodities:
capital goods, petroleum, food, textiles
partners:
Hong Kong 7.5%, Singapore 7.4%, China 7.4%, Japan 7.1% (FY92 est.)
External debt:
$13.5 billion (June 1993)
Industrial production:
growth rate 6.9% (FY93 est.); accounts for 9.4% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
2,400,000 kW
production:
9 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
75 kWh (1992)
Industries:
jute manufacturing, cotton textiles, food processing, steel,
fertilizer
Agriculture:
accounts for 33% of GDP, 65% of employment, and one-fifth of exports;
world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products - jute, rice,
wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages
include wheat, vegetable oils, cotton
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.4 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89),
$11.65 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6.52 million; Communist
countries (1970-89), $1.5 billion
Currency:
1 taka (Tk) = 100 poiska
Exchange rates:
taka (Tk) per US$1 - 40.064 (January 1994), 39.567 (1993), 38.951
(1992), 36.596 (1991), 34.569 (1990), 32.270 (1989)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
@Bangladesh, Communications
Railroads:
2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km 1.000 meter gauge, 978 km 1.676 meter
broad gauge
Highways:
total:
7,240 km
paved:
3,840 km
unpaved:
3,400 km (1985)
Inland waterways:
5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km main cargo
routes)
Pipelines:
natural gas 1,220 km
Ports:
Chittagong, Chalna
Merchant marine:
41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 312,172 GRT/458,131 DWT, bulk 3,
cargo 33, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 3
Airports:
total:
16
usable:
12
with permanent-surface runways:
12
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
4
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
6
Telecommunications:
adequate international radio communications and landline service; poor
domestic telephone service; 241.250 telephones - only one telephone
for each 522 persons; fair broadcast service; broadcast stations - 9
AM, 6 FM, 11 TV; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth stations
@Bangladesh, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force
paramilitary forces:
Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Defense
Parties, National Cadet Corps
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 31,955,948; fit for military service 18,967,602
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $355 million, 1.5% of GDP (FY92/93)
@Barbados, Geography
Location:
Caribbean, in the extreme eastern Caribbean Sea, about 375 km
northeast of Venezuela
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones
of the World
Area:
total area:
430 sq km
land area:
430 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
97 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:
relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Natural resources:
petroleum, fishing, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
77%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
9%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
14%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil
erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of
aquifers
natural hazards:
subject to hurricanes (especially June to October); periodic
landslides
international agreements:
party to - Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection;
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity
Note:
easternmost Caribbean island
@Barbados, People
Population:
255,827 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.21% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
15.63 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
8.4 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
73.83 years
male:
71.11 years
female:
76.76 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.78 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Barbadian(s)
adjective:
Barbadian
Ethnic divisions:
African 80%, European 4%, other 16%
Religions:
Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other
12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9% (1980)
Languages:
English
Literacy:
age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)
total population:
99%
male:
99%
female:
99%
Labor force:
120,900 (1991)
by occupation:
services and government 37%, commerce 22%, manufacturing and
construction 22%, transportation, storage, communications, and
financial institutions 9%, agriculture 8%, utilities 2% (1985 est.)