Yearbook 2009
Bangladesh. After an overwhelming election victory in December 2008, Hasina Wajed took office in January as prime minister at the head of a coalition government dominated by her own party of the Awami League. Shortly thereafter, the 80-year-old party veteran Zillur Rahman was elected to the main ceremonial presidential post with no counter-candidates.
Since the opposition parties were virtually crushed, the country experienced a relatively calm domestic political year. However, a serious crisis hit the new government as early as February, when members of the Bangladesh Rifles semi-military border force revolted. The myth began in the capital Dhaka and quickly spread to several other cities. The uprising ebbed after a couple of days, when armored forces surrounded the revolts of the revolvers and the government threatened hard if they did not give up. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for abbreviation BD which stands for the nation of Bangladesh.
After the revolt was wounded, it was clear that the rebellious soldiers had killed at least 74 commanders and placed them in mass graves. Prime Minister Wajed claimed that the mutiny was part of an attempt to overthrow her government, but the official investigation revealed that the uprising was promptly triggered by dissatisfaction with low wages and poor conditions. About 3,000 participants in the revolt were arrested and the first trials were launched in November.
According to countryaah, the same month, the Supreme Court ruled the eleven-year-old death sentence against five officers for the 1975 assassination of the country’s first leader, Mujibur Rahman, the father of Prime Minister Wajed. Seven doomed coup makers were sought after abroad.
Twelve years after the government signed a peace treaty with separatist militia in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the army withdrew from the wooded mountain area populated by ethnic minority groups in the summer. Three infantry battalions were moved from the area and 35 military camps were wounded.
Country data
Area: 147,570 km2 (world ranking: 92)
Population: 164,670,000
Population density: 1116 per km2 (as of 2017, world ranking: 8)
Capital: Dakka (Dhaka)
Official languages: Bengali
Gross domestic product: 249.7 billion US $; Real growth: 7.3%
Gross national product (GNP, per resident and year): 1470 US$
Currency: 1 Taka (Tk.) = 100 Poisha
Embassy
Kaiserin-Augusta-Allee 111, 10553 Berlin
Telephone 030 3989750,
Fax 030 3039897510
www.bangladeshembassy.de
Government
Head of State: Abdul Hamid, Head of Government: Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Exterior: Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali
National holiday: 26.3.
Administrative divisions
8 administrative units (divisions)
Form of government
1972 constitution
Parliamentary Republic (Commonwealth)
state religion: Islam
(wt 300, 50 seats reserved for women.) Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad) with 350 Members Rank, elections every 5 years.
Choice of Head of state by parliament every 5 years (one re-election)
Suffrage from 18 years of age
Population: Bangladeshi, last census 2011: 149,772,364 residents
approx. 95% Bengal, 1% Bihari, numerous minority
Cities (with population): (As of 2011) Dakka (Dhaka) 11,086,309 pop. (A 14.5 million), Chittagong 3,669,170 (A 4.0 million), Gazipur 1,820,374, Narayanganj 1,636,441, Khulna 1,046,341, Sylhet 526,412, Rajshahi 472,775, Bogra 412,537, Comilla 407,901, Mymensingh (Nasirabad) 389,918, Barisal 210,374
Religions: 90% Muslims (mostly Sunnis), 9% Hindus, 0.6% Buddhists, 0.3% Christians (as of 2006)
Languages: Bengali; Hindi, Urdu, other Indo-Aryan and Tibeto-Myanmar languages, Munda and Mon-Khmer languages, English
Employed persons by economic sector
no information
Unemployment (in% of all economically active persons)
no information
Inflation rate (in%): 2017: 5.7%
Foreign trade: Import: US $ 40.4 billion (2016/17); Export: 30.3 billion US $ (2016/17)