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area handbook series Bangladesh a country study Bangladesh a country study Federal Research Division Library of Congress Edited by James Heitzman and Robert L. Worden Research Completed September 1988 On the cover: Sailing boats on the Padma Second Edition, 1989; First Printing, 1989. Copyright ®1989 United States Government as represented by the Secretary of the Army. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bangladesh: A Country Study Area handbook series, DA Pam. 550-175 D Supt. of Docs. No.: 101.22:550-175/990 Research completed September 1988. Bibliography: pp. 263-288. Includes index. 1. Bangladesh. I. Heitzman, James, 1950- II. Worden, Robert L., 1945- . III. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. IV. Area Handbook for Bangladesh. V. Series: DA Pam. 550-175. DS393.4.B372 1989 954.92—dc20 89-600298 Headquarters, Department of the Army DA Pam 550-175 ForsalebytheSuperintendentofDocuments, U.S. GovernmentPrintingOffice Washington,D.C. 20402 Foreword This volume is one in a continuing series of books now being prepared by the Federal Research Division ofthe Library ofCon- — gress underthe Country Studies Area Handbook Program. The last page of this book lists the other published studies. Most books in the series deal with a particular foreign country, describingand analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelation- ships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors. Each study is written by a multidisciplinary team ofsocial scientists. The authors seek to provide a basic understanding of the observed society, striving for a dynamic rather than a static portrayal. Particular attention is devoted to the people who make up the society, theirorigins, dominant beliefs andvalues, theircom- mon interests and the issues on which they are divided, the nature and extent oftheirinvolvementwith nationalinstitutions, and their attitudes toward each other and toward their social system and political order. The books represent the analysis ofthe authors and should not be construed as an expression ofan official United States government position, policy, or decision. The authors have sought to adhere to accepted standards ofscholarly objectivity. Corrections, additions, and suggestions for changes from readers will be wel- comed for use in future editions. Louis R. Mortimer Acting Chief Federal Research Division Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 20540 in Acknowledgments This edition supersedes the Area Handbook for Bangladesh, coauthored by Richard F. Nyrop, et alia, in 1975. Some parts of that edition have been used in the preparation ofthe current book, and the authors ofBangladesh: A Country Study are grateful for the seminal work done by the earlier edition's authors. Several individuals provided timely insight and assistance to the authors. They included Lieutenant Colonel Russell Olson, United States Army; Major James A. Dunn, Jr., United States Army; former diplomat Archer Kent Blood; and Professor HarryW. Blair. The authors also wish to thank various members ofthe staffofthe Embassy ofthe People's Republic ofBangladesh in Washington, D.C., especially Brigadier Sharifuddin Ahmed, M. Tajul Islam, Mohammed Nazimuddin, and Obaedul Huq, foruseful comments and primary-source research materials. Bazlur Rahim andJoyce L. Rahim provided andtabulatedkey statistical information, respec- tively. Additionally, the staffs of the United States Embassy in Dhaka, the Department of State, and the World Bank provided timely economic data. Labanya Borra ofthe Library ofCongress Descriptive CatalogingDivision assisted with some ofthe Bangla- language materials. Various members ofthe staffofthe Federal Research Division ofthe Library ofCongress assisted in the preparation ofthe book. Elizabeth Parkprepared the telecommunications sections in chap- ters 3 and 4. Carolina E. Forrester checked the content of all of the maps used in the book and reviewed the text ofthe section on geography. Thomas Collelo provided substantive review ofparts of the book. Tracy M. Coleman performed numerous essential tasks, ranging from assistance on research for the text, tables, and maps to word processing and proofreading. Andrea Matles Savada reviewed the Bibliography and helped proofread parts ofthe text and statistical tables. David P. Cabitto, Sandra K. Cotugno, and KimberlyA. Lord prepared the graphics. Harriett R. Blood assisted in the preparation ofthe maps. Helpful suggestions were made by Richard F. Nyrop duringhis review ofall parts ofthe book. Noelle B. Beatty, Vincent Ercolano, Martha E. Hopkins, Marilyn L. Majeska, Ruth Nieland, Evan A. Raynes, and Gage Ricard edited portions of the manuscript. Izella Watson and Barbara Edgerton performed word processing. Martha E. Hopkins managed editing and production ofthe book. Andrea T. Merrill performed the final prepublication editorial review, and Shirley Kessel of Communicators Connection prepared the index. Sheryle O. Shears ofthe Library ofCongress ComposingUnit prepared camera-ready copy, under the direction of Peggy Pixley. Those who provided photographs and other illustrations have been acknowledged in the illustration captions. vi