BANGLADESH AT A GLANCE
Bangladesh has demonstrated strong economic fundamentals with a consistent GDP growth rate of above 6% over the last seven years. This Growth in GDP is supported by an expanding domestic market and a significant growth in per capita income. In addition to the domestic demand, low-cost labor with growing skills provides Bangladesh potential competitive advantages to attract labor-intensive industries and serve as a hub to cater to the export demands. Moreover, the cost of doing business in Dhaka City is considered to be one of the lowest when compared to other major cities. A study by JETRO Illustrates that the cost of doing business in Dhaka is the lowest among 28 South Asian Cities. Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in its 2017 survey mentioned that Bangladesh has continued to be an attractive destination for Japanese companies to do business due to lower production cost and labor wage compared to those of 19 countries in Asia and Oceania.
| Official Name | : | The People’s Republic of Bangladesh |
| Political system | : | Parliamentary democracy |
| Capital name | : | Dhaka |
| Time zone | : | GMT + 6 hours |
| Major cities | : | Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barisal, Rangpur |
| Principal rivers | : | Padma, Meghna, Jamuna, Brahmaputra, Teesta, Surma, and Karnaphuli. (total of 310 rivers including tributaries) |
| Principal industries | : | Ready-made garments, pharmaceuticals, cement, garment accessories, chemicals, fertilizers, newsprint, leather and leather goods, paper, sugar, jute, shipbuilding |
| Principal exports | : | Readymade garments, frozen foods (shrimps), leather, leather products, jute, jute products, tea, ceramic, textile fabrics, home textile, chemical products, light engineering products including bicycles. |
| Source: Statistical Pocket Book Bangladesh-2010, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics | ||
Geography
| Location | : | Between 200 34′ and 260 38′ north latitude and between 880 01′ and 920 41′ east longitude |
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| Boundary | : | North, West, and East: India South East: Myanmar(Burma) South: Bay of Bengal |
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| Area | : | 56,977 sq. miles or 147,570 sq. km. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Territorial water | : | 12 nautical miles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Main seasons | : | Summer (March-May), rainy season (June-September), and winter (December-February) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Climate variations | : |
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| Principal seasonal crops and fruits | : | Paddy, jute, wheat, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, vegetables, jack-fruit, banana, mango, coconut, pineapple, etc. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Natural resources | : | Natural gas, coal, lime, white clay, granite, glass sand. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: Statistical Pocket Book Bangladesh-2010, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Economy
| Overview | ||
| GDP total | : | $249.7 bn (at current prices 2018-19) |
| GDP per capita | : | $1677 (at current prices 2018-19) |
| GDP growth rate (%) | : | 7.24 (2017-2018) |
| Total exports | : | $36.67 bn (June 2018) |
| Total imports | : | $52.84 bn (2017-18) |
| Total FDI | : | $2.65 bn (2017-18) |
| Forex reserves | : | $31.37 bn (Feb 2018) |
| Currency | : | BDT (1 BDT=$0.0121) (avg 2017-18) |
