COUNTRY OVERVIEW
President: A.Q.M. Baddrudoza Chowdhury (since 14 November 2001)
Prime Minister: Begum Khaleda Zia (since 10 October 2001)
Independence: December 16, 1971 (from Pakistan)
Population (July 2001E): 131.3 million
Location/Size: Southern Asia, bordering Bay of Bengal, between India and Burma/55,813 square miles (about the size of Wisconsin)
Major Cities: Dhaka (capital -- population, 10 million), Chittagong (2.8 million), Khulna (1.8 million), Rajshahi (1 million)
Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Ethnic Groups: Bengali (98%), tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims
Religions: Muslim (88%), Hindu (11%), Christian, Buddhist, others (1%)
Defense (8/98): Total manpower 121,000 (Army 101,000; Navy 10,500; Air Force 9,500); Paramilitary (49,700)

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW
Finance Minister: M. Saifur Rahman
Currency: Taka (Tk)
Market Exchange Rate (2/19/02): US$1 = 59.5 Tk
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (2001E, market exchange rates): $47.8 billion
Per Capita GDP (market exchange rate, 2001E): $341
Real GDP Growth Rate (2001E): 5.9% (2002E): 5.6%
Inflation Rate (consumer prices) (2001E): 1.7%
Current Account Balance (2001E): -$116 million
Merchandise Exports (2001E): $6.3 billion
Merchandise Imports (2001E): $7.9 billion
Merchandise Trade Balance (2001E): -$1.6 billion
Major Trading Partners (2001): United States, India, China, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, France
Major Export Products: Garments and knitwear, frozen fish, jute and jute goods, leather and leather products, tea, urea fertilizer, ceramic tableware
Major Import Products: Capital goods, foodgrains, petroleum, textiles, chemicals, vegetable oils
International Reserves (2001E): $1.2 billion
Total Foreign Debt (2001E): $16.7 billion

ENERGY OVERVIEW
Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources:  Begum Khaleda Zia
Proven Oil Reserves (1/1/02E): 56.9 million barrels
Oil Production (2001E): 4,581 bbl/d, of which 3,381 bbl/d was crude oil
Oil Consumption (2001E): 62,000 bbl/d
Net Oil Imports (2001E): 57,419 bbl/d
Crude Oil Refining Capacity (1/1/02E): 33,000 bbl/d
Natural Gas Reserves (2000E): 16.3 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) (current "net receoverable reserves" estimate of the Bangladeshi government.  Other estimates vary widely.  The US Geological Survey has estimated that Bangladesh has an additional 32.1 Tcf in "undiscovered reserves.")
Natural Gas Production/Consumption (1999E): 319.6 billion cubic feet (Bcf)
Coal Reserves (2000E): minor reserves.
Electric Generation Capacity (2000E): 3.8 gigawatts (Bangladeshi government figure)
Electricity Production (1999E): 12.1 billion kilowatthours (87% natural gas, 6% oil, 6.3% hydro)
Percentage of Population with access to Electricity (2000E): 15% (25% urban; 10% rural)

ENVIRONMENTAL OVERVIEW
Minister of Environment & Forests: Shajahan Saraj
Minister of Water Resources: L.K. Siddiqui
Total Energy Consumption (1999E): 0.44 quadrillion Btu* (0.1% of world total energy consumption)
Energy-Related Carbon Emissions (1999E): 6.9 million metric tons of carbon (0.1% of world carbon emissions)
Per Capita Energy Consumption (1999E): 3.5 million Btu (vs U.S. value of 355.8 million Btu)
Per Capita Carbon Emissions (1999E): 0.05 metric tons of carbon (vs U.S. value of 5.5 metric tons of carbon)
Energy Intensity (1999E): 13,806 Btu/ $1990 (vs U.S. value of 12,638 Btu/ $1990)**
Carbon Intensity (1999E): 0.21 metric tons of carbon/thousand $1990 (vs U.S. value of 0.19 metric tons/thousand $1990)**
Sectoral Share of Energy Consumption (1998E): Transportation (12.8%), Industrial (67.9%), Residential (16.9%), Commercial (2.3%)
Sectoral Share of Carbon Emissions (1998E): Industrial (63.9%), Residential (18.0%), Transportation (16.0%), Commercial (2.1%)
Fuel Share of Energy Consumption (1999E): Natural Gas (70.7%), Oil (26.8%), Coal (0.8%)
Fuel Share of Carbon Emissions (1999E): Natural Gas (65.3%), Oil (33.4%), Coal (1.3%)
Renewable Energy Consumption (1998E): 442 trillion Btu* (35% decrease from 1997)
Number of People per Motor Vehicle (1998): 1000 (vs U.S. value of 1.3)
Status in Climate Change Negotiations: Non-Annex I country under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (ratified on April 15, 1994). Not a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol.
Major Environmental Issues: Many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; limited access to potable water; water-borne diseases prevalent; water pollution especially of fishing areas results from the use of commercial pesticides; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation; deforestation; severe overpopulation.
Major International Environmental Agreements: A party to the Conventions on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection and Wetlands. Has signed, but not ratified, the Law of the Sea.

* The total energy consumption statistic includes petroleum, dry natural gas, coal, net hydro, nuclear, geothermal, solar, wind, wood and waste electric power. The renewable energy consumption statistic is based on International Energy Agency (IEA) data and includes hydropower, solar, wind, tide, geothermal, solid biomass and animal products, biomass gas and liquids, industrial and municipal wastes. Sectoral shares of energy consumption and carbon emissions are also based on IEA data.
**GDP based on EIA International Energy Annual 1999

OIL AND GAS INDUSTRIES
Organizations: Bangladesh Oil, Gas, and Minerals Corp. (also known as Petrobangla), formed in 1974, is the state company responsible for oil and gas exploration, production, and distribution. Petrobangla also is involved in exploration and production for minerals, including coal. Petrobangla has 10 operating companies, including Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, formed in 1976 and a separate corporate entity, handles oil imports, refining, and marketing. Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration Company (Bapex) is the exploration subsidiary of Petrobangla. Besides Bapex, Petrobangla has 7 other subsidiaries: Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Ltd. (gas development and production, mainly in central gas fields); Sylhet Gas Fields Ltd. (responsible for northern gas fields operation) Gas Transmission Company Limited (national gas transmission system); Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Ltd. (natural gas liquids and liquefied petroleum gas); Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company (regional gas distribution, with 73% of the market); Bakhrabad Gas Systems Ltd. (regional gas distribution, with 21% of the market); Jalalabad Gas Transmission and Distribution System Ltd. (regional gas distribution, with 6% of the market).
Refinery: Chittagong (33,000 bbl/d)
Foreign Energy Company Involvement: Cairn, Halliburton, Occidental, Rexwood-Okland, Shell, Texaco, Unocal
Gas Fields: Bakhrabad, Beani Bazar, Chattak, Feni, Habiganj, Jalalabad, Kailashtilla, Narshingdi, Rashidpur, Sangu, Shahbazpur, Sylhet, and Titas
Ports: Chittagong, Mongla (Khulna) 

Sources for this report include: Dow Jones News wire service; DRI/WEFA Asia Economic Outlook; Economist Intelligence Unit ViewsWire; Electric Utilities Databook for the Asian and Pacific Region; Financial Times; the Independent; Modern Power Systems; New York Times; Oil and Gas Journal; U.S. Commerce Department, International Trade Administration -- Country Commercial Guides; U.S. Energy Information Administration; U.S. State Department Background notes on Bangladesh; U.S. Trade and Development Agency -- Bangladesh Strategic Gas Utilization Study; World Gas Handbook.