The Top 10 Social Networks for Generation-Y
Gen-Y was raised on technology, so much so that our cell phones are extensions of our hands and text messaging, instant messaging and Facebooking are how we interact with others, even different generations. While Facebook is our home sweet home, there are various other social networks out there that cater to this demographic and are worth looking at.
If you’re in Gen-Y, then the following social networks will help you connect with other Gen-Y’ers in new and exciting ways. You may be familiar with some and others may be brand new to you. Older generations can learn a lot from these communities, to better understand who we are and what we’re about. One of the major concerns corporations are facing these days is how to cope with Gen-Y, yet many of them don’t take the time to get to know us better. These networks are great places for you to start if you’re in any generation, but are “must-joins” for Gen-Y.
1. BrazenCareerist.com
2. 20somethings.ning.com
3. My.BarackObama.com
4. myYearbook.com
5. thequad.com
6. CoolPeopleCare.com
7. Unigo.com
8. MakeMeSustainable.com
9. iMantri.com
10. FDCareer.com
Source: http://mashable.com/2009/01/30/generation-y-social-networks/
Best Job Sites List
Top Ten Job Site For Job Seeker
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***Job Sites By category:
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General Purpose
- CareerBuilder.com
- CareerJournal.com
- Craigslist
- Indeed
- Job.com
- Monster
- SimplyHired.com
- Workopolis.com (Canada)
- Yahoo! HotJobs
Niche - Career Field
- CareerBank.com (accounting, finance)
- ComputerJobs.com
- Dice (IT jobs)
- HealthEcareers Network
- JobsInLogistics
Niche - Industry
- Absolutely Health Care
- AllHealthcareJobs.com
- Bio Space
- Hcareers (hotels, hospitality)
- HealthCareerWeb.com
Niche - Geography
- JobCircle.com
- Jobing.com
Niche - Affinity
- CollegeRecruiter.com (new grads)
- LatPro (Hispanic and bilingual)
- VetJobs (military veterans)
Niche - Employment category
- EmploymentGuide.com (hourly)
- ExecuNet (senior level executive)
- The Ladders.com (senior level executive)
- Net-Temps (contract, temporary)
- 6FigureJobs (senior level executive)
- SnagAJob.com (hourly)
Source : http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/07/news/economy/best.websites.fortune/index.htm
List of Best Antivirus Softwares
1. Kaspersky version 6.0.0.303 - 99.62%
2. Active Virus Shield by AOL version 6.0.0.299 - 99.62%
3. F-Secure 2006 version 6.12.90 - 96.86%
4. BitDefender Professional version 9 - 96.63%
5. CyberScrub version 1.0 - 95.98%
6. eScan version 8.0.671.1 - 95.82%
7. BitDefender freeware version 8.0.202 - 95.57%
8. BullGuard version 6.1 - 95.57%
9. AntiVir Premium version 7.01.01.02 - 95.45%
10. Nod32 version 2.51.30 - 95.14%
11. AntiVir Classic version 7.01.01.02 - 94.26%
12. ViruScape 2006 version 1.02.0935.0137 - 93.87%
13. McAfee version 10.0.27 - 93.03%
14. McAfee Enterprise version 8.0.0 - 91.76%
15. F-Prot version 6.0.4.3 beta - 87.88%
16. Avast Professional version 4.7.871 - 87.46%
17. Avast freeware version 4.7.871 - 87.46%
18. Dr. Web version 4.33.2 - 86.03%
19. Norman version 5.90.23 - 85.65%
20. F-Prot version 3.16f - 85.14%
21. ArcaVir 2006 - 83.44%
22. Norton Professional 2006 - 83.18%
23. AVG Professional version 7.1.405 - 82.82%
24. AVG freeware version 7.1.405 - 82.82%
25. Panda 2007 version 2.00.01 - 82.23%
26. Virus Chaser version 5.0a - 81.47%
27. PC-Cillin 2006 version 14.10.1051 - 80.90%
28. VBA32 version 3.11.0 - 79.12%
29. ViRobot Expert version 4.0 - 76.22%
30. UNA version 1.83 - 75.44%
There’s the list and as you can see there are several towards the top that really shocked me. The one I am most happy about is the Active Virus Shield by AOL because it is offered to the public for free. Sure it branded as AOL but underneath it is all Kaspersky and this goes to show it.
I expected NOD32, Avast, and AVG to perform a little better than they did but NOD32 and AVG definitely fought back at the heuristic testing. Heuristic testing is extremely important because that is what gives an Antivirus the ability to catch a virus even it is not in the database. Here are the top 10 from that list:
1. Nod32 2.51.30 - 41503
2. Vba32 3.11.0 - 32911
3. VirIT 6.1.9 - 16469
4. AVG 7.1.405 Professional - 13624
5. AVG 7.1.405 freeware - 13624
6. Rising AV 18.41.30 - 12214
7. McAfee 10.0.27 - 10708
8. Ikarus 5.19 - 7191
9. F-Prot 6.0.4.3 beta - 6247
10. Ukrainian National Antivirus 1.83 - 5506
One thing is for sure and that is Norton needs some work for as much as it costs. So many people rely on Symantec’s software because that is what comes installed on most computers but it obviously won’t provide the protection that is needed.
I fix computers for people all of the time and when I find that their Antivirus subscriptions have expired I normally install Avast. After seeing these tests it definitely makes me ponder using Active Virus Shield by AOL because of the high ranking. Avast does have the Web Shield which stops malicious attacks through your Web browser and I really like that feature. I wonder what is more important, the overall ability to find a virus or being able to block Web attacks?Source: http://cybernetnews.com/2006/09/04/and-the-best-antivirus-is/
Live Solar Eclipse 2009 , Jan 26
Live Surjo Grohon 2009
Live Solar Eclipse of 2009 Jan 26 Webcasts The map shows the path of the Annular Solar Eclipse of 2009 Jan 26. Which is clear that Surya grahan or solar Eclips which is going on today ie on 26th Jan is is only partial in India, mainly in south India.
Live from NASA TV
Live Solar Eclipse Webcasts
EUMETSAT who will provide us with live metrological satellite images every half hour from 5:00UT till 11:00UT.
source -
check out NASA images and live schedule along with google MAPS here
Solar Eclipse 2009 , Jan 26 Pictures Available at http://eclipse26jan09.wordpress.com/gallery
How to embed Youtube video in your blog [Tutorial]
The following Process is explained below with pictures for easy understanding.
1.Go to youtube.com and search for ur required video.
3.
Sign in in to your blogger acoount and click the New Post button and next,select the option 'Edit html' as shown below and paste the html code as shown below.
4. Publish the post.That's it, as you can see now,the youtube video is embeded in your post properly.
NOTE:You can change the width and height of the video by replacing the values to your desirable ones.
Source: http://bloggertricks.com/2007/12/how-to-embed-youtube-videomovie-in-your.html
Awesome Tutorial Sites for Graphic design
- PSDtuts.com
- Abduzeedo.com
- WebDesignerWall.com
- You SUCK at Photoshop
- Vectips.com
- MyInkBlog.com
- Vectortuts.com
- AiBURN.com
- kailoon.com
- blog.spoongraphics.co.uk
- veerle.duoh.com
- digitalartsonline.co.uk
- computerarts.co.uk
- CGarena.com
- PStut.info
- PhotoshopStar.com
- PhotoshopTutorials.ws
- PhotoshopLady.com
- TutorialsRoom.com
- FlashMyMind.com
- EntheosWeb.com
- FlashComponents.net
Obelay By Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
http://rapidshare.com/files/185493224/Obelay_by_Shirshendu.zip
Or
http://www.sendspace.com/file/phg4hq
15 Basic Cooking Tips to Make your Life Easier!
tips that anyone could learn and use to help out in the kitchen. With today's busy lifestyles becoming more prevalent, learning and using these basic cooking tips will save you time and headache.
The following fifteen is just a tiny handful of the many basic cooking tips that you could integrate into your everyday life to save time and money.
• Bacon: Reduce shrinkage by running cold water over it before frying.
• Beans: Stop gas attacks by adding a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda in a big pot of beans while they are soaking.
• Boiled Eggs: Add some vinegar or a little salt to the boiling water when boiling eggs. This basic cooking tips will keep the egg in the shell if it cracks.
• Ripening Fruits and Vegetables: Put your unripe fruit and vegetables in a brown paper bag and place the bag in a dark cupboard for few day. Using this basic cooking tips is an excellent way to save money on fruits and vegetables that has to be ripened.
• Salads: Cut your iceberg lettuce into wedges instead of tearing salad greens to save some time making a salad.
• Spaghetti Sauce: Add a small pinch of bicarbonate of soda to your spaghetti sauce to lower the acid taste from the tomatoes.
• Corn: Place the corn directly into boiling water, and do not add salt. Do not boil corn for more than three minutes. Overcooking reduces the taste level.
• Frozen Vegetables: When they are stuck together, simply run boiling water over them.
• Grating Cheese: Freeze for twenty five minutes before grating. It will shred so much easier.
• Pancakes: Use a small amount of sugar in the batter and they will brown more quickly.
• Pie Pastry: Substitute one teaspoon of vinegar for one teaspoon of the cold water called for in the recipe and the pastry will be much flakier.
• Quick Sauces: Use condensed cream soups such as cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of tomato, cream of celery, to make fast and easy sauces.
• Quick Tenderizer: Use vinegar as a meat tenderizer. Add a tablespoon to water when boiling meat or ribs for stews. This basic cooking tips will help tenderizer even the toughest meat.
• Wilted vegetables: Soak wilted veggies in two cups water, one tablespoon vinegar to help bring them back to life.
• Wooden Skewers: Soak all your wooden skewers in cold water for twenty minutes to prevent them from burning.
Inspiration could be considered to be one of the key ingredients to writing. Only if one is inspired, can one get to writing on any subject especially like cooking.
Use some of these basic cooking tips to make your life in the kitchen more enjoyable.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles
Kanazawa Fountain Digital Clock
This is one of the coolest fountains I’ve ever seen- the station clock at Japan’s Kanazawa Station is actually a fountain. Each “pixel” in the digital style clock is a tiny little jet of water. The whole thing is computer controlled which allows for an infinite number of displays beyond just changing the time every minute.
Source: http://craziestgadgets.com/2009/01/17/kanazawa-fountain-digital-clock/
Great News From YouTube
My CNET News colleague Charles Cooper's kvetching about YouTube not offering a download option for political videos seems to be answered. Such an option now appears right underneath the player on certain videos, including President-elect Barack Obama's weekly addresses.
While users have long been able to grab YouTube clips both with Flash rippers and H.264 stream downloaders, this would be the first time such an option has appeared on the site as an official offering. The new option gives users a full-quality H.264 file--the very same copy that's sent out to YouTube-capable set top boxes and iPhones.
Stanford Law School professor Lawrence Lessig seems to be the first to have noticed the new option, and says it will be spreading out to other government-uploaded videos. I've pinged Google to see if and when the option will be made available for everyone else's videos--and am still waiting to hear back. Update: YouTube's Hunter Walk says "Nothing further to announce at this time. We're just excited to have made this feature available in preparation for a historic week in American politics."
One thing to note here is the timing. This comes just two days after the announcement that Google Video would no longer be accepting user uploaded videos. Google Video let you download an iPod and PSP-friendly H.264 encoded clip that's the exact same size as what YouTube is now offering, leading me to believe that this will soon be available as a standard publishing feature for those who enable it on their clips.
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ExBoyfriendJewelry Amazing site
Would you like to know if your mobile is original or not??
Press the following on your mobile *#06#and the-international mobile equipment identity number appears. Then check the 7th and 8th number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 th 8 th 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Phone serial no. x x x x x x ? ? x x x x x x x IF the Seventh & Eighth digits are 02 or 20 this means your cell phone was assembled in Emirateswhich is very Bad quality IF the Seventh & Eighth digits are 08or 80 this means your cell phone was manufactured in Germanywhich is fair quality IF the Seventh & Eighth digits are 01 or 10 this means your cell phone was manufactured in Finland which is Good IF the Seventh & Eighth digits are 00 this means your cell phone was manufactured in original factory which is the best Mobile Quality. |
People's Republic of Bangladesh (My Mother Country)
Official name : People's Republic of
Local name :
Capital :
Time zone : GMT +6
Climate : Semitropical, monsoonal
Area : 147, 570 sq. km. (55,813 sq. mi.); about the size of
Cities : Capital :
Population total : (2007e) 150 448 000
Status : Republic
Languages : Bengali (official), also local languages and English widely spoken
Terrain : Mainly flat alluvial plain, with hills in the northeast and southeast..
Ethnic groups : Bengali (98%)
Religions : Muslim (86%, mainly Sunni)
Currency : 1 Taka (BDT) = 100 paisa
Calling code : +880
Declared: March 26, 1971
Victory Day: December 16 1971
National symbols of Bangladesh
Anthem: Amar Shonar Bangla
Animal:
Bird: Oriental Magpie Robin
Fish: Hilsa
Flower: White Water Lily
Fruit: Jackfruit
Sport: Kabadi
Nationality : Noun and adjective--Bangladeshi(s).
Population (July 2009 ) : 156 million.
Annual population growth rate (July 2009) : 1.29%.
Ethnic groups (1998) : Bengali 98%, other 2% (including tribal groups, non Bengali Muslims).
Religions (1998) : Muslim 83%; Hindu 16%; Christian 0.3%, Buddhist 0.6%, others 0.3%.
Languages : Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English.
Education : Attendance--61%. Adult literacy rate--47.5%. (UNDP Human Development Index 2007/2008)
Health (CIA World Factbook) : Infant mortality rate (below 1)--59/1,000. Life expectancy-- 60.25 years.
Work force (70.86 million) : Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries--63%; manufacturing--11%; mining and quarrying--0.2%.
Introduction
Bangladesh, in full, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, republic of southern Asia,It is surrounded by
Flag of Bangladesh
History
History Part of the State of Bengal until Muslim East Bengal created in 1905, separate from Hindu West Bengal; reunited, 1911; partitioned again in 1947, with West Bengal remaining in India and East Bengal forming East Pakistan; rebellion in 1971 led to independence as the People's Republic of Bangladesh; political unrest led to suspension of constitution, and assassination of first President, Sheikh Mujib, 1975; further coups, 1975, 1977, 1982; constitution restored, 1986; last military dictator overthrown, 1990; new constitution restored power to 300-member unicameral legislature, Jatiya Sangsad, 1991; 45 seats reserved for women, 2004.
| Republic of Bangladesh | |
Head of State (President) | ||
2002 | Iajuddin Ahmed | |
2001–2002 | A.Q.M. Badruddoza Chowdhury | |
1996–2001 | Shehabuddin Ahmed | |
1991–6 | Abdur Rahman Biswas | |
1990–1 | Shehabuddin Ahmed | |
1983–90 | Hossain Mohammad Ershad | |
1982–3 | Abdul Fazal Mohammad Ahsanuddin Chowdhury | |
1981–2 | Abdus Sattar | |
1977–81 | Zia Ur-Rahman | |
1975– | Mujibur Rahman | |
1975– | Khondaker Mushtaq Ahmad | |
1975–7 | Abu Saadat Mohammad Sayem | |
1974–5 | Mohammadullah | |
1972– | Mujibur Rahman | |
1972–3 | Abu Saeed Chowdhury | |
1971–2 | Sayed Nazrul Islam Acting |
Head of Government (Prime Minister)
2007– Fakhruddin Ahmed Caretaker
2006–7 Iajuddin Ahmed Interim
2001–6 Begum Khaleda Zia
1996–2001 Hasina Wajed
1991–6 Begum Khaleda Zia
1989–91 Kazi Zafar Ahmed
1988–9 Moudud Ahmed
1986–8 Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury
1984–5 Ataur Rahman Khan
1982–4 Martial Law
1979–82 Mohammad Azizur Rahman
1975– Mohammad Monsur Ali
1975–9 Martial Law
1972–5 Mujibur Rahman
1971–2 Tajuddin Ahmed
Nawab of
1947–71 Part of Pakistan
1770–1947 British rule
1766–70 Saif-ud-Dawlah
1765–6 Najm-ud-Dawlah
1763–5 Mir Ja far (restored)
1760–3 Mir Qasim
1757–60 Mir Ja far
1756–7 Siraj-ud-Dawlah (Suraja Dowlah)
1740–56 Alivardi Khan
1739–40 Safaraz Khan
1727–39 Shuja-ud-Din
1703–27 Murshid Quli Ja far Khan
1576–1703 Part of Moghul Empire
1572– Bayazid Shah II
1572–6 Daud Shah
1564–72 Sulayman Kararani
1561–4 Ghiyath-ud-Din Jalal Shah
1555–61 Khidr Khan Bahadur Shah
1545–55 Muhammad Khan Sur
1540–5 Khidr Khan
1539–40 Shir Shah Sur
1533–9 Ghiyath-ud-Din Mahmud Shah III
1532–3 Ala-ud-Din Firuz Shah IV
1519–32 Nasir-ud-Din Nusrat Shah
1494–1519 Ala-ud-Din Husain Shah
1491–4 Shams-ud-Din Muzaffar Shah
1490–1 Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah II
1487– Sultan Shahzada Barbak Shah II
1487–90 Saif-ud-Din Firuz Shah III
1481– Sikandar Shah II
1481–7 Jalal-ud-Din Fath Shah
1474–81 Shams-ud-Din Yusuf Shah
1460–74 Rukn-ud-Din Barbak Shah I
1437–60 Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah I
1432–7 Shams-ud-Din Ahmad Shah
1418–32 Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Shah
1415–18 Raja Ganesh
1414–15 Ala-ud-Din Firuz Shah II
1412–14 Shihab-ud-Din Bayazid Shah I
1410–12 Saif-ud-Din Hamza Shah
1390–1410 Ghiyath-ud-Din Azam Shah
1358–90 Sikandar Shah I
1352–7 Shams-ud-Din Ilyas Shah East Bengal to 1345
1349–52 Ikhtiyar-ud-Din Ghazi Shah East Bengal
1339–49 Fakhr-ud-Din Mubarak Shah East Bengal
1324–39 Bahram Shah East Bengal Joint ruler to 1330
1318–30 Ghiyath-ud-Din Bhadur East Bengal Joint ruler from 1324
1298–1318 Shams-ud-Din Firuz Shah I
1291–8 Rukn-ud-Din Kai-Kaus
1282–91 Nasir-ud-Din Bughra Khan
Remnants of civilization in the greater
After the arrival of Indo-Aryans, the
European traders arrived late in the fifteenth century, and their influence grew until the British East India Company gained control of
Between 1905 and 1911, an abortive attempt was made to divide the
In 1950, land reform was accomplished in East Bengal with the abolishment of the feudal zamindari system However, despite the economic and demographic weight of the east,
In 1970, a massive cyclone devastated the coast of East Pakistan, and the central government responded poorly. The Bengali population's anger was compounded when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose Awami League won a majority in Parliament in the 1970 elections, was blocked from taking office. After staging compromise talks with Mujib, President Yahya Khan arrested him on the night of March 25, 1971, and launched Operation Searchlight, a sustained military assault on East Pakistan. Yahya's methods were extremely bloody, and the violence of the war resulted in many civilian deaths. Chief targets included intellectuals and Hindus, and about ten million refugees fled to neighbouring India (LaPorte, p. 103). Estimates of those massacred range from three hundred thousand to 3 million.
Most of the Awami League leaders fled and set up a government-in-exile in Calcutta, India. The Bangladesh Liberation War lasted for nine months. The guerrilla Mukti Bahini and Bengali regulars eventually received support from the Indian Armed Forces in December 1971. Under the command of Lt. General J.S. Arora, the Indian Army achieved a decisive victory over Pakistan on 16 December,1971, taking over 90,000 prisoners of war in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
After its independence, Bangladesh became a parliamentary democracy, with Mujib as the Prime Minister. In the 1973 parliamentary elections, the Awami League gained an absolute majority. A nationwide famine occurred during 1973 and 1974, and in early 1975, Mujib initiated a one-party socialist rule with his newly formed BAKSAL. On August 15, 1975, Mujib and his family were assassinated by mid-level military officers.
A series of bloody coups and counter-coups in the following three months culminated in the ascent to power of General Ziaur Rahman, who reinstated multi-party politics and founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Zia's rule ended when he was assassinated in 1981 by elements of the military. Bangladesh's next major ruler was General Hossain Mohammad Ershad, who gained power in a bloodless coup in 1982 and ruled until 1990, when he was forced to resign under western donor pressure in a major shift in international policy after the end of communism when anti-communist dictators were no longer felt necessary. Since then, Bangladesh has reverted to a parliamentary democracy. Zia's widow, Khaleda Zia, led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to parliamentary victory at the general election in 1991 and became the first female Prime Minister in Bangladesh's history. However, the Awami League, headed by Sheikh Hasina, one of Mujib's surviving daughters, clinched power at the next election in 1996 but lost to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party again in 2001. Bangladesh enjoys the distinction of having two female politicians leading national politics.
In January 2007, following widespread violence, a caretaker government was appointed to administer the next general election. The country had suffered from extensive corruption, disorder and political violence. The new caretaker government has made it a priority to root out corruption from all levels of government. To this end, many notable politicians and officials, along with large numbers of lesser officials and party members, have been arrested on corruption charges. The caretaker government claims to be paving the way for free and fair elections to be held before the end of 2008.
Land and Resources
Divisions, Districts, and Subdistrict
Among the major cities of
Divisions are subdivided into districts (zila). There are 64 districts in
Dhaka is the capital and largest city of
Natural Regions
Most of
A huge tract of mangrove swamp, the Sundarbans (Sunderbans), lies along the coast of
Rivers
Rivers are a prominent and important feature of the landscape in
Government and politics
Type : Parliamentary democracy.
Constitution: 1972; amended 1974, 1979, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1996, 2004.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state), prime minister (head of government), cabinet. Legislative--unicameral Parliament (345 members). Judicial--civil court system based on British model.
Administrative subdivisions : Divisions, districts, subdistricts, unions, villages.
Political parties : 30-40 active political parties. Largest ones include Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Awami League (AL), the Jatiya Party, and the Jamaat-e-Islami Party.
Suffrage: Universal at age 18.
However the President's powers are substantially expanded during the tenure of a caretaker government, which is responsible for the conduct of elections and transfer of power. The officers of the caretaker government must be non-partisan and are given three months to complete their task. This transitional arrangement is an innovation that was pioneered by
The Constitution of Bangladesh was written in 1972 and has undergone fourteen amendments. The highest judiciary body is the Supreme Court, whose members are appointed by the President. The judicial and law enforcement institutions are weak. Laws are loosely based on English common law, but family laws such as marriage and inheritance are based on religious scripts, and hence differ from one religious community to another.
The two major parties in
Two radical Islamist parties, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) and Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), were banned in February 2005. Bomb attacks taking place since 1999 have been blamed on those groups, and hundreds of suspected members have been detained in numerous security operations, including the head of those two parties in 2006. The first recorded case of a suicide bomb attack in
The 2006 election was postponed indefinitely and emergency law declared in January 2007 as the caretaker government of Fakhruddin Ahmed aims to revise the voter list and crack down on corruption. The government aims to hold new elections by 2008 but the two leading candidates, Zia and Hasina, are facing criminal charges in court.
Foreign policy and military
The current strength of the army is around 200,000, the air force 7,000, and navy 14,950. In addition to traditional defense roles, the military has been called on to provide support to civil authorities for disaster relief and internal security during periods of political unrest.
Plant and Animal Life
With the exception of the Chittagong Hill Tracts District, portions of the Madhupur Tract, and the Sundarbans, few extensive forests remain in
Geography and climate
Most parts of
The highest point in
Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, Bangladeshi climate is tropical with a mild winter from October to March, a hot, humid summer from March to June. A warm and humid monsoon season lasts from June to October and supplies most of the country's rainfall. Natural calamities, such as floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and tidal bores occur almost every year, combined with the effects of deforestation, soil degradation and erosion. Cox's Bazar, south of the city of
In September 1998,
The climate of
Economy
DeFiscal year: July 1 to June 30.
Annual GDP growth rate (FY 2008): 6.2%; (FY 2008 World Bank est.): below 6%.
Current GDP (2008 est.): $84.2 billion (official); $226.4 billion (PPP).
Per capita GDP (2008 est.): $554 (official); $1,500 (PPP).
Inflation (December 2008): 6.03% (point to point basis) and 8.9% (monthly average basis).
Exchange rate: Dec. 2009: U.S. $1=69.03 BDT; 2008: U.S. $1=68.55 BDT; 2007: U.S. $1=69.89 BDT.
Annual budget (2008 est.): $12.54 billion.
Natural resources: Natural gas, fertile soil, water.
Agriculture (19.1% of GDP): Products--rice, jute, tea, sugar, wheat.
Industry (manufacturing; 28.6% of GDP): Types--garments and knitwear, jute goods, frozen fish and seafood, textiles, fertilizer, sugar, tea, leather, ship-breaking for scrap, pharmaceuticals, ceramic tableware, newsprint.
Trade: Total imports (FY 2008)--$21.6 billion: capital goods, food grains, petroleum, textiles, chemicals, vegetable oils. Growth rate over previous fiscal year: 25.95%. Total exports (FY 2008)--$14.11 billion: garments and knitwear, frozen fish, jute and jute goods, leather and leather products, tea, urea fertilizer, ceramic tableware. Growth rate over previous fiscal year: 16.04%. Exports to U.S. (Jan.-Dec. 2008)--$3.74 billion. Imports from U.S. (Jan.-Dec. 2008)--$468.1 million.
spite sustained domestic and international efforts to improve economic and demographic prospects,
Jute was once the economic engine of the country. Its share of the world export market peaked in World War II and the late 1940s at 80% and even in the early 1970s accounted for 70% of its export earnings. However, polypropylene products began to substitute for jute products worldwide and the jute industry started to decline.
Obstacles to growth include frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises, mismanaged port facilities, a growth in the labour force that has outpaced jobs, inefficient use of energy resources (such as natural gas), insufficient power supplies, slow implementation of economic reforms, political infighting and corruption. According to the World Bank, "among
Despite these hurdles, the country has achieved an average annual growth rate of 5% since 1990, according to the World Bank.
One significant contributor to the development of the economy has been the widespread propagation of microcredit by Muhammad Yunus (awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2006) through the Grameen Bank. By the late 1990s, Grameen Bank had 2.3 million members, along with 2.5 million members of other similar organizations.
In order to enhance economic growth, the government set up several export processing zones to attract foreign investment. These are managed by the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority.
Demographics
Recent (2005-2007) estimates of
The main language, as in
The two major religions practiced in
Health and education levels have recently improved as poverty levels have decreased. Nevertheless,
Culture
A new state for an old nation,
The musical tradition of
Nokshi
The culinary tradition of
The sari (shaŗi) is by far the most widely worn dress by Bangladeshi women. However, the salwar kameez (shaloar kamiz) is also quite popular, and in urban areas some women wear Western attire. Among men, European dressing has greater acceptance. Men also use the kurta-paejama combination, often on religious occasions. The lungi, a kind of long skirt, is widely worn by
The two Eids, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha are the largest festivals in the Islamic calendar. The day before Eid ul-Fitr is called Chãd Rat (the night of the Moon), and is often marked by firecrackers. Other Muslim holidays are also observed. Major Hindu festivals are Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja. Buddha Purnima, which marks the birth of Gautama Buddha, is one of the most important Buddhist festivals while Christmas, called Bôŗodin (Great day) in Bangla is celebrated by the minority Christian population. The most important secular festival is Pohela Baishakh or Bengali New Year, the beginning of the Bengali calendar. Other festivities include Nobanno, Poush parbon (festival of Poush) and observance of national days like Shohid Dibosh.
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in
Natural Resources
With the exception of natural gas, the mineral endowment of
Environmental Issues
Waterborne diseases such as cholera are a serious threat to public health in
Population
The estimated population of
Ethnic Groups
More than 98 percent of
Languages
The official language is Bengali, also known as Bangla. It belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family and is, along with Assamese, the most eastern of these languages. Its script is derived from the Devanagari script of Sanskrit. The cultural and national identity of ethnic Bengalis is closely associated with their language. Bengali has two distinct variants—a formal written form that developed during the 16th century, and a more casual spoken form that became an accepted literary form in the 20th century.
Although the vast majority of Bangladeshis speak Bengali, other languages are spoken in the country as well. Urdu, an Indo-Iranian language, is spoken by the Bihāris; Sino-Tibetan languages are spoken by the Garo and Santal peoples, among others; and Tibeto-Burman languages are spoken by the Chakmas, Marmas, and Tripuras in the Chittagong Hill Tracts District. English is widely used in higher education and government.
Religion
Islam, the state religion, is the faith of 88 percent of the population. Almost all of the country’s Muslims adhere to the Sunni branch; however, there are also a small number of Shia Muslims, including members of the Ismaili sect. Hindus make up most of the remainder of the population, but the country also includes small communities of Buddhists, Christians, and animists.
Education
Public education in
Libraries and Museums
Cultural institutions are concentrated in Dhaka, which is the site of the
Labor
The civilian labor force of
Agriculture
Agriculture in
The principal cash, or export, crop is jute (a plant used to make burlap and twine), grown throughout the annually flooded portions of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta; the amount of jute harvested in 2006 was about 801,000 metric tons. Tea, also a valuable cash crop, is grown almost exclusively in the northeast, around Sylhet. Cattle and buffalo are numerous, raised for dung (a source of fuel), hides (for leather), and meat.
Fishing, Forestry, and Mining
Aquatic animals provide a major source of animal protein in the Bangladeshi diet. Hilsa (a kind of herring) and prawns are among the principal commercial species. The amount of fish caught in 2005 was 2.2 million metric tons, mostly consisting of freshwater varieties. Most freshwater fish are raised in farm ponds throughout the country. The leading commercial types of trees are wild sundari, gewa, and teak. Bamboo is also an important forest product.
Natural gas production is the primary mining activity in
Manufacturing
The manufacturing sector is made up principally of small-scale enterprises. The chief manufactures of the country are jute products (such as cordage and sacks), textiles, garments, processed food, beverages, tobacco items, and goods made of wood, cane, or bamboo. Large-scale factories process jute and sugarcane. Much of the nation’s heavy industry, including a small steel mill, is in the
Energy
The greatest share of
Currency and Banking
The principal unit of currency in
The Grameen (Village) Bank has pioneered innovative approaches to providing credit to the rural poor in
Commerce and Foreign Trade
The per-capita volume of Bangladeshi internal and foreign trade is low. Domestic trade in rural areas is conducted largely through thousands of periodic markets called hats. Since independence in 1971 the value of
Government
Since the nation’s formation in 1971, the government of
Executive and Legislature
The president, elected by parliament to a renewable five-year term, is head of state. The prime minister, or head of government, is appointed by the president following parliamentary elections, based on a majority nomination of parliament.
Judiciary
The highest tribunal in
Local Government
For administrative purposes,
Political Parties
The principal political parties in
Social Services
Health and welfare services in
International Organizations