International disputes: a portion of the boundary with India is in
dispute; water-sharing problems with upstream riparian India over the
Ganges
Climate: tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid
summer (March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber
Land use: arable land: 67% permanent crops: 2% meadows and pastures: 4% forest and woodland: 16% other: 11%
Irrigated land: 27,380 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: many people are landless and forced to live on and
cultivate flood-prone land; limited access to potable water;
water-borne diseases prevalent; water pollution especially of fishing
areas results from the use of commercial pesticides; intermittent
water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and
central parts of the country; soil degradation; deforestation; severe
overpopulation
natural hazards: droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely
flooded during the summer monsoon season
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not
ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea
@Bangladesh:People
Population: 128,094,948 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (female 25,195,262; male 26,352,299)
15-64 years: 57% (female 34,862,105; male 37,867,705)
65 years and over: 3% (female 1,761,336; male 2,056,241) (July 1995
est.)