of export earnings. Bangladesh is hampered by a relative lack of natural resources, population growth of more than 2% a year, large-scale unemployment, and a limited infrastructure; furthermore, it is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. Despite these constraints, real GDP growth averaged about 3.5% annually during 1985–89. A strong agricultural performance in FY90 pushed the growth rate up to 5.5%. Alleviation of poverty remains the cornerstone of the government's development strategy.
_#_GDP: $20.4 billion, per capita $180; real growth rate 4.0% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (FY90 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 30% (FY90 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $2.2 billion; expenditures $3.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (FY90)
_#_Exports: $1.5 billion (FY90 est.);
commodities—jute, tea, leather, shrimp, textiles;
partners—US 25%, Western Europe 22%, Middle East 9%, Japan 8%, Eastern Europe 7%
_#_Imports: $3.6 billion (FY90 est.);
commodities—food, petroleum and other energy, nonfood consumer goods, semiprocessed goods, and capital equipment;
partners—Western Europe 18%, Japan 14%, Middle East 9%, US 8%
_#_External debt: $10.9 billion (FY90 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 4.1% (FY90 est.); accounts for 15% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 1,990,000 kW capacity; 5,700 million kWh produced, 50 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: jute manufacturing, base metals, food processing, cotton textiles, tobacco processing, chemicals
_#_Agriculture: accounts for about 40% of GDP, 60% of employment, and one third of exports; imports 10% of food grain requirements; world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products—jute, rice, wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages include wheat, vegetable oils and cotton; fish catch 778,000 metric tons in 1986
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70–89), $3.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980–88), $10.6 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979–89), $652 million; Communist countries (1970–89), $1.5 billion
_#_Currency: taka (plural—taka); 1 taka (Tk) = 100 paise
_#_Exchange rates: taka (Tk) per US$1—35.790 (January 1991), 34.567 (1990), 32.270 (1989), 31.733 (1988), 30.950 (1987), 30.407 (1986), 27.995 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*Communications #_Railroads: 2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km 1.000 meter gauge, 978 km 1.676 meter broad gauge
_#_Highways: 7,240 km total (1985); 3,840 km paved, 3,400 km unpaved
_#_Inland waterways: 5,150–8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575–3,058 km main cargo routes)
_#_Ports: Chittagong, Chalna
_#_Merchant marine: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 339,081 GRT/500,008 DWT; includes 38 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off, 3 bulk
_#_Pipelines: 1,220 km natural gas
_#_Civil air: 15 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 16 total, 12 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440–3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220–2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: adequate international radio communications and landline service; fair domestic wire and microwave service; fair broadcast service; 241,250 telephones; stations—9 AM, 6 FM, 11 TV; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth stations
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary forces—Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Coastal Police
_#_Manpower availability: males 15–49, 28,896,632; 17,154,593 fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $319 million, 1.5% of GDP (FY91) % @Barbados *Geography #_Total area: 430 km2; land area: 430 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 97 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)
_#_Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
_#_Natural resources: crude oil, fishing, natural gas
_#_Land use: arable land 77%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 9%; forest and woodland 0%; other 14%
_#_Environment: subject to hurricanes (especially June to October)
_#_Note: easternmost Caribbean island
_*People #_Population: 254,626 (July 1991), growth rate 0.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 16 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Barbadian(s); adjective—Barbadian
_#_Ethnic divisions: African 80%, mixed 16%, European 4%
_#_Religion: Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%; none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9% (1980)
_#_Language: English
_#_Literacy: 99% (male 99%, female 99%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)
_#_Labor force: 112,300; services and government 37%; commerce 22%; manufacturing and construction 22%; transportation, storage, communications, and financial institutions 9%; agriculture 8%; utilities 2% (1985 est.)
_#_Organized labor: 32% of labor force
_*Government #_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: parliamentary democracy
_#_Capital: Bridgetown
_#_Administrative divisions: 11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint
