- 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Bangladesh People

Population: 131,269,860 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.04% (male 23,550,607; female
22,451,006)

15-64 years: 61.6% (male 41,432,123; female 39,434,633)

65 years and over: 3.36% (male 2,389,639; female 2,011,852) (2001
est.)

Population growth rate: 1.59% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 25.3 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.19 male(s)/female

total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 69.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.54 years

male: 60.74 years

female: 60.33 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.78 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 13,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Bangladeshi(s)

adjective: Bangladeshi

Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims (1998)

Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)

Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 56%

male: 63%

female: 49% (2000 est.)

Bangladesh Government

Country name: conventional long form: People's Republic of
Bangladesh

conventional short form: Bangladesh

former: East Pakistan

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Dha