Geography: Area: 148,393 sq. km. or 57,226 mi. Location: In South Asia, on North bend of Bay of Bengal between India and Myanmar. Topography: The country is mostly a low plain cut by the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers and their delta. The land is alluvial and marshy along the coast, with hills only in the extreme SE and NE. A tropical monsoon climate prevails, among the rainiest in the world. Time zone: GMT+6 hrs. Capital: Dhaka. Other major cities: Chittagong, Sylhet, Khulna.

People: Population: 120 million(apprx). Pop. density: 800 per sq. km. or 2097 per sq. mi. Urban: 16%. Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, Bihari, tribals. Principal languages: Bangla (official), English widely used. Religions: Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%.

Government: Type: Parliamentary democracy. Head of state: Pres. Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed (since October 9, 1996). Head of government: Prime Min. Sheikh Hasina Wazed; in office: June 24, 1996. Administrative units: 6 divisions, 64 districts.

Economy: Principal industries:Readymade garments, jute, textiles, fertilizers, steel, tea. Chief crops: Jute, rice, wheat, tea, tobacco, pulses, spices. Principal minerals: Natural gas, coal, limestone, ceramic clay, glass sand. Major exports: Readymade garments, raw jute, jute goods, tea.

Finance: Monetary unit: Taka (July 99: 50.40 = US$ 1). GDP: US$ 140 billion. Per capita GDP: US$ 1,410. GDP growth rate: 5.7%. Per capita income: US$ 266.