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Bangladesh:
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Other pages in this profile of Bangladesh:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
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Background |
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. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development. |
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Location |
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India |
Geographic coordinates |
24 00 N, 90 00 E |
Map references |
Asia |
Area |
total: 144,000 sq km land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km |
Area - comparative |
slightly smaller than Iowa |
Land boundaries |
total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km |
Coastline |
580 km |
Maritime claims |
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin |
Climate |
tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) |
Terrain |
mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast |
Elevation extremes |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m |
Natural resources |
natural gas, arable land, timber, coal |
Land use |
arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005) |
Irrigated land |
47,250 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards |
droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season |
Environment - current issues |
many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation |
Environment - international agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - 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 |
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Copyright 2008 World Sites Atlas (sitesatlas.com) |