arable land, timber

Land use:
arable land: 73%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 15%
other: 5% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 31,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: droughts, cyclones; much of the country
routinely flooded during the summer monsoon season

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

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

People

Population: 127,117,967 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38% (male 24,516,722; female 23,346,904)
15-64 years: 59% (male 38,441,064; female 36,586,743)
65 years and over: 3% (male 2,303,613; female 1,922,921) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.59% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 25.2 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 8.5 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 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: 1.2 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 69.68 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.6 years
male: 60.73 years
female: 60.46 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.86 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladesh

Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, Biharis 250,000, tribals less than 1
million

Religions: Muslim 88.3%, Hindu 10.5%, other 1.2%

Languages: Bangla (official), English

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38.1%
male: 49.4%
female: 26.1% (1995 est.)

Government

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