Bangladesh Flood

Bangladesh is a low-lying, riverine country located in South Asia with a largely marshy jungle coastline of 710 kilometers (440 mi.) on the northern littoral of the Bay of Bengal. Formed by a deltaic plain at the confluence of the Ganges (Padma), Brahmaputra (Jamuna), and Meghna Rivers and their tributaries, Bangladesh's alluvial soil is highly fertile but vulnerable to flood and drought. Hills rise above the plain only in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the far southeast and the Sylhet division in the northeast. Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, Bangladesh has a subtropical monsoonal climate characterized by heavy seasonal rainfall, moderately warm temperatures, and high humidity. Natural calamities, such as floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and tidal bores affect the country almost every year. Bangladesh also is affected by major cyclones--on average 16 times a decade. ... [Read More]

Background Notes: Bangladesh

Background Notes: BangladeshPA/PCSource: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public AffairsDate: Oct 15, 199010/15/90Category: Country DataRegion: South AsiaCountry: BangladeshSubject: Cultural Exchange, Resource Management, Military Affairs, History, International Organizations, Trade/Economics[TEXT]Official Name: People's Republic of BangladeshPROFILEGeographyArea: 143,998 sq. km. (55,813 sq. mi., about the size of Wisconsin).Cities: Capital-Dhaka (pop. 5 million). Other cities-Chittagong (1.8million), Khulna (1.2 million), Rajshahi (700,000). Terrain: Mainlyflat a ... [Read More]

Gordon West, "Food and Agriculture in Bangladesh: A Success Story" - U.S. State Department - May 2002

One of the keys to this success has been the decision by the government to liberalize the import of food. Over the last 10 years, private traders have stepped in to import food grains during times of domestic shortfall, often driven by floods. These actions by private traders have provided both supply and price stabilization and have removed a major financial burden from the government. During fiscal year 1999, private sector food imports to address needs arising from the 1998 flood reached 2.26 million metric tons, mainly from India. Had the government of Bangladesh imported this grain itself, the total fiscal cost would have been about $185 million. The private sector's share in food imports climbed from zero in 1991 to 50 percent in 1996 and 100 percent in 2000. ... [Read More]

Background Note: Bangladesh

Title: Background Note: BangladeshPASource: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public AffairsDescription: Historical, Political and Economic Overviews of the Countries of the WorldDate: Dec, 15 199212/15/92Category: Country DataRegion: South AsiaCountry: BangladeshSubject: Travel, History, International Organizations, Trade/Economics, Military Affairs, Cultural Exchange, State Department[TEXT]Official Name: People's Republic of BangladeshPROFILEGeographyArea: 143,998 sq. km. (55,813 sq. mi., abou ... [Read More]

Background Notes Archive - South Asia

U.S. Department of StateBackground Notes: Bangladesh, July 1996Released by the Bureau of Public AffairsOfficial Name: People's Republic of BangladeshPROFILEGeographyArea: 143,998 sq. km. (55,813 sq. mi., about the size of Wisconsin).Cities: Capital--Dhaka (pop. 7 million). Other cities--Chittagong (2.8 million), Khulna (1.8 million), Rajshahi (1 million).Terrain: Mainly flat alluvial plain, with hills in the northeast and southeast.Climate: Semitropical, monsoonal.PeopleNationality: Noun and adjective--Bangladeshi(s).Population: 120 million.Annual growth rate: 2.1%.Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims.Religions: Muslim 83%; Hindu 16%; Christian, Buddhist, others 1%.Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English.Education: Attendance--73% (primary school), 17% (secondary school). Literacy--47% for males; 22% for females.Health: Infant mortality rate--118/1,000. Life expectancy--55 years (male), 54 years (female).Work force: 50 milli ... [Read More]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a very poor country.  Annual per capita income among the population of about 130 million is approximately $350.  Slightly more than half of all children are chronically malnourished.  Seventy percent of the work force is involved in agriculture, which accounts for one-fourth of the gross domestic product.  The economy is market-based, but the Government still plays a significant role.  The industrial sector is growing, albeit slowly, based largely on the manufacture of garments and textiles by privately owned companies.  A small, wealthy elite controls much of the private economy, but there is an emerging middle class.  Foreign investment has increased significantly in the gas sector and in electrical power generation facilities.  Foreign aid still is significant, but has diminished somewhat in relative importance vis-a-vis increased earnings from exports and remittances from workers overseas.  Efforts to improve governance and ... [Read More]

Bangladesh

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in October 2000, a group of Jubo League activists, the youth wing of the ruling party, threatened Sohrab Hossain, a reporter with the regional Loksamaj, after he wrote an article about problems with the Government's relief efforts in the flood-ravaged district of Satkhira. In October 2000, the then-State Minister for Social Welfare Mozammel Hossain (the person in charge of overseeing relief operations in Sathkira district) reportedly actively encouraged ruling party members to attack the press physically by saying "Wherever you will find journalists, break their bones." The next day, a group led by local Awami League leader Nurul Islam ransacked the office of the local daily "Satkhirar Chitro" and assaulted Anisur Rahim, the newspaper's editor, with knives and a revolver; he had to be hospitalized. The attack followed the newspaper's report on the alleged misappropriation of disaster relief funds (see Section 1.c.). One pe ... [Read More]

Washington HyperFile - East Asia/Pacific Edition

(U.S. aid to Mozambique flood victims, Kosovo/Mitrovica, ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: U.S. Co-Sponsors Clean Water Conference in Bangkok

The Partnering for Clean Water in Asia Conference will engage U.S. technology and service providers in the implementation of large-scale projects in the areas of water supply for industrial, commercial, and residential use; wastewater treatment; desalination; irrigation; decontamination of potable water; and flood control and flood forecasting. The combined value of projects to be presented at the conference is expected to exceed several billion dollars. ... [Read More]