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 - 40.250 (January 1995), 40.212
(1994), 39.567 (1993), 38.951 (1992), 36.596 (1991), 34.569 (1990)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

@Bangladesh:Transportation

Railroads:
total: 2,892 km
broad gauge: 978 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,914 km 1.000-m gauge (1992)

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: Barisal, Chandpur, Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Dacca, Khulna,
Mongla (includes Chalna), Narayanganj

Merchant marine:
total: 38 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 293,304 GRT/428,013 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 31, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 3

Airports:
total: 16
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 7

@Bangladesh:Communications

Telephone system: 241,250 telephones; 1 telephone/522 persons; poor
domestic telephone service
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 2 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth stations; adequate
international radio communications and landline service

Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 0
radios: NA

Television:
broadcast stations: 11
televisions: NA

@Bangladesh:Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
paramilitary forces: Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed
Police Reserve, Village Defense Parties, National Cadet Corps

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 33,039,035; males fit for
military service 19,607,817 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $448 million, 1