| Country name | conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh local long form: Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh local short form: Bangladesh former: East Bengal, East Pakistan etymology: the name - a compound of the Bengali words "Bangla" (Bengal) and "desh" (country) - means "Country of Bengal" |
| Government type | parliamentary republic |
| Capital | name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the origins of the name are unclear, but some sources state that the city's site was originally called "dhakka," meaning "watchtower," and that the area served as a watch-station for Bengal rulers |
| Administrative divisions | 8 divisions; Barishal, Chattogram, Dhaka, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet |
| Independence | 16 December 1971 (from Pakistan) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 26 March (1971); Victory Day, 16 December (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of the Awami League's declaration of an independent Bangladesh, and 16 December (Victory Day) memorializes the military victory over Pakistan and the official creation of the state of Bangladesh |
| Constitution | history: previous 1935, 1956, 1962 (preindependence); latest enacted 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended March 1982, restored November 1986 amendments: proposed by the House of the Nation; approval requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the House membership and assent of the president of the republic; amended many times, last in 2018 |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of mostly English common law and Islamic law |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Bangladesh dual citizenship recognized: yes, but limited to select countries residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Abdul HAMID (since 24 April 2013); note - Abdul HAMID served as acting president following the death of Zillur RAHMAN in March 2013; HAMID was subsequently indirectly elected by the National Parliament and sworn in 24 April 2013 head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wazed (since 6 January 2009) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister, appointed by the president elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the National Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 7 February 2018 (next to be held by 2023); the president appoints as prime minister the majority party leader in the National Parliament election results: President Abdul HAMID (AL) reelected by the National Parliament unopposed for a second term; Sheikh HASINA reappointed prime minister as leader of the majority AL party following parliamentary elections in 2018 |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral House of the Nation or Jatiya Sangsad (350 seats; 300 members in single-seat territorial constituencies directly elected by simple majority vote; 50 members - reserved for women only - indirectly elected by the elected members by proportional representation vote using single transferable vote; all members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 30 December 2018 (next to be held in December 2023) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party as of January 2020 - AL 299, JP 27, BNP 7, other 10, independent 4; composition - men 277, women 73, percent of women 20.9% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court of Bangladesh (organized into the Appellate Division with 7 justices and the High Court Division with 99 justices) judge selection and term of office: chief justice and justices appointed by the president; justices serve until retirement at age 67 subordinate courts: civil courts include: Assistant Judge's Court; Joint District Judge's Court; Additional District Judge's Court; District Judge's Court; criminal courts include: Court of Sessions; Court of Metropolitan Sessions; Metropolitan Magistrate Courts; Magistrate Court; special courts/tribunals |
| Political parties and leaders | Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA] Bangladesh Nationalist Front or BNF [Abdul Kalam AZADI] Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA] Bangladesh Tariqat Federation or BTF [Syed Nozibul Bashar MAIZBHANDARI] Jamaat-i-Islami Bangladesh or JIB (Makbul AHMAD) Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD] Jatiya Party or JP (Manju faction) [Anwar Hossain MANJU] Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Oli AHMED] National Socialist Party or JSD [KHALEQUZZAMAN] Workers Party or WP [Rashed Khan MENON] |
| International organization participation | ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CD, CICA (observer), CP, D-8, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador M Shahidul ISLAM (since 17 February 2021) chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183 FAX: [1] (202) 244-2771; [1] (202) 244 7830 email address and website: mission.washington@mofa.gov.bd http://www.bdembassyusa.org/ consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Earl Robert MILLER (since 29 November 2018) embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka - 1212 mailing address: 6120 Dhaka Place, Washington DC 20521-6120 telephone: [880] (2) 5566-2000 FAX: [880] (2) 5566-2907 email address and website: DhakaACS@state.gov https://bd.usembassy.gov/ |
| Flag description | green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh |
| National symbol(s) | Bengal tiger, water lily; national colors: green, red |
| National anthem | name: "Amar Shonar Bangla" (My Golden Bengal) lyrics/music: Rabindranath TAGORE note: adopted 1971; Rabindranath TAGORE, a Nobel laureate, also wrote India's national anthem |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
