:
growth rate 6.9% (FY93 est.); accounts for 9.4% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
2,400,000 kW
production:
9 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
75 kWh (1992)
Industries:
jute manufacturing, cotton textiles, food processing, steel,
fertilizer
Agriculture:
accounts for 33% of GDP, 65% of employment, and one-fifth of exports;
world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products - jute, rice,
wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages
include wheat, vegetable oils, cotton
Illicit drugs:
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.4 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89),
$11.65 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6.52 million; Communist
countries (1970-89), $1.5 billion
Currency:
1 taka (Tk) = 100 poiska
Exchange rates:
taka (Tk) per US$1 - 40.064 (January 1994), 39.567 (1993), 38.951
(1992), 36.596 (1991), 34.569 (1990), 32.270 (1989)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

@Bangladesh, Communications

Railroads:
2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km 1.000 meter gauge, 978 km 1.676 meter
broad gauge
Highways:
total:
7,240 km
paved:
3,840 km
unpaved:
3,400 km (1985)
Inland waterways:
5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km main cargo
routes)
Pipelines:
natural gas 1,220 km
Ports:
Chittagong, Chalna
Merchant marine:
41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 312,172 GRT/458,131 DWT, bulk 3,
cargo 33, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 3
Airports:
total:
16
usable:
12
with permanent-surface runways:
12
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
4
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
6
Telecommunications:
adequate international radio communications and landline service; poor
domestic telephone service; 241.250 telephones - only one telephone
for each 522 persons; fair broadcast service; broadcast stations - 9
AM, 6 FM, 11 TV; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth stations

@Bangladesh, Defense Forces

Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force
paramilitary forces:
Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Defense
Parties, National Cadet Corps
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 31,955,948; fit for military service 18,967,602
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $355 million, 1.5% of GDP (FY92/93)

@Barb