All you need to know about Bangladesh - Bangladesh at a glance

Bangladesh is a small country with a great potential for industrial advancement and economic growth. With a large domestic market, Bangladesh offers great opportunities for investment. Here is Bangladesh at a glance. OFFICIAL NAME The People’s Republic of Bangladesh GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION It lies between 20° 34’ and 26° 38’ North Latitude and 88° 01’ and 92° 41’ East Longitude1 BOUNDARY On three sides- East, North and West-India. South-East Myanmar. South-Bay of Bengal AREA 147,570 sq km POPULATION Approximately 141 million ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS Country is divided into six Administrative Divisions. These are Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet. Each Division is divided into districts TOTAL DISTRICTS 64 CAPITAL Dhaka OTHER MAJOR CITIES Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet & Barisal GOVERNMENT Parliamentary form of government. The President is Head of the state, while the government is headed by the Prime Minister BUSINESS HOURS The official working hours in Bangladesh are from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday are weekly holidays BEST TOURIST SEASON October - March PLACES OF TOURIST INTEREST Dhaka, Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Kaptai, Rangamati, Khagrachari, Bandarban, Kuakata, Bogra, Khulna, the Sundarbans, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Dinajpur and Comilla LANGUAGE Bangla-Official Language, English-Second language and widely spoken LITERACY RATE 67 percent approximate EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS Public Universities: 18 Private Universities: 36 Colleges: 3,639 Polytechnic Institutes: 27 Medical Colleges: 25 Dental Colleges: 3 Secondary Schools: 21,665 Primary Schools: 78,363 LABOUR FORCE 60.3 million Male: 37.5 million Female: 22.8 million SECTORAL DISTRIBUTION OF LABOUR FORCE Agriculture: 62.3 percent Industry: 7.6 percent Others: 30.1percent RELIGION 4 major religions: Islam, Hinduism, Christianity & Buddhism Muslim: 88 percent of total population ECONOMY Unit of Currency: Taka (Tk) (US$ 1 - Appx. 68 Taka) Notes in Circulation: Tk. 500, Tk. 100, Tk. 50, Tk. 20, Tk. 10, Tk. 5, Tk. 2. GDP at Current Price: Tk. 303206 million - US$4380 million per Capita GNI: US$520 Industrial Growth (at FY ’96 Constant Price): 7.3 percent Inflation Rate: 6.1 percent Investment Rate: 24.33 percent of GDP National Savings Rate: 29.15 percent of GDP Exports (US$) in 2006-07: US$ 12,177.86 million TIME GMT +6 Hours Seasons: Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Late Autumn, Winter and Spring Climate: Tropical and moderate Rainfall: 1100mm to 3400mm (June- Aug) Principal Rivers: Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Karnaphuli, Surma and Brahmaputra Principal Crops: Paddy, Wheat, Jute, Sugarcane, Tobacco and Pulses PRINCIPAL EXPORTS Ready made garments, Knitwear, Jute and Jute goods, Shrimps, Leather and Leather goods, Tea, Handicrafts, Agricultural products, Ceramic, Pharmeceuticals, Light Engineering Products, etc. PRINCIPAL IMPORTS Petroleum & Lubricants, Chemicals, Cement, Capital Machinery, Machinery parts, Tinned and Bagged Milk powder, Edible oil, Automobiles, electronics etc. PRINCIPAL INDUSTRIES Jute, Textile, Leather, Garments, Chemical, Fertilizer, Shrimp Processing, Sugar, Cement, Paper, Pharma, Engineering etc AIRPORTS Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Jessore, Rajshahi, Saidpur, Barisal and Cox’s Bazar RADIO STATIONS Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Rangpur TELEVISION STATIONS Dhaka and Chittagong SATELLITE EARTH STATIONS Talibabad (Dhaka), Betbunia (Rangamati) Courtesy:  bangladesh.org.sg