Brief Information |
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Independence |
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Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country on
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16 December 1971 following a nine-month war of liberation. |
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Dhaka (previously spelt Dacca) is its capital. |
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Time |
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GMT +6.00 hours |
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Nationality |
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Bangladeshi |
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Area |
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Total: 144,000 sq km, land: 133,910 sq km, water: 10,090 sq km |
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Population |
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138,448,210 (July 2003) |
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Age Structure |
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0-14 years: 34.1% (male 24,255,300; female 23,007,632)
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15-64 years: 62.5% (male 44,261,739; female 42,281,331) |
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65 years and over: 3.4% (male 2,506,606; female 2,135,602) [July 2003] |
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Growth rate |
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2.06 % |
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Sex Ratio |
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1.05 male(s)/female |
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Ethnic Groups |
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Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims |
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Religions |
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Muslims 88.3%, Hindus 10.5%, Buddhists 0.6%, Christian 0.5% and others 0.1% |
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GDP |
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4.8 % [agriculture: 35%, industry: 19%, services: 46%] |
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Industry |
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Cotton textiles, jute, garments, leather, tea processing, paper newsprint,
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cement, chemical fertilizer, medicine, light engineering, sugar. |
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Agriculture |
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Rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds,
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spices, vegetables, fruits; beef, fish, milk, poultry. |
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Natural Resources |
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Natural gas, oil, arable land, timber, coal |
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Exports |
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Garments, jute and jute goods, leather, medicine, frozen fish, seafood, vegetables |
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