s to combat human
trafficking, particularly efforts that enforce laws against
trafficking in persons, and that prevent the punishment of victims
of trafficking; during 2007, Bahrain passed a comprehensive law
prohibiting all forms of trafficking in persons; the government also
established a specialized anti-trafficking unit within the Ministry
of Interior to investigate trafficking crimes; however, the
government did not report any prosecutions or convictions for
trafficking offenses during 2007, despite reports of a substantial
problem of involuntary servitude and sex trafficking (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Bangladesh

Introduction
Bangladesh

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. A
military-backed caretaker regime suspended planned parliamentary
elections in January 2007 in an effort to reform the political
system and root out corruption; the regime has pledged new
democratic elections by the end of 2008. About a third of this
extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy
season, hampering economic development.

Geography
Bangladesh

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); humi