Where to Go - Middle East / India

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Bangladesh

Population : 129,194,000

Literacy rate : 38.1%

Life expectancy at birth : male 60.4 yrs, female 59.91 yrs

Infant mortality rate : 71.66 deaths/1,000 live births

Population growth rate : 1.59%

GDP growth rate : 5.2%

GDP per capita : £1,000

Unemployment : 35.2%

Inflation rate : 9%

Climate : tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October).

Time : GMT +6

Electricity : 220/240v AC, 50Hz. Plugs are 2 and 2 pin round.

Websites :

Cyber Bangladesh is a privately maintained website with much information: http://www.cyberbangladesh.org/

The US Library of Congress country guide: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/bdtoc.html

This is really only a country for voluntary work wages are so low and the country so poor (see the startling unemployment figures above). The climate is not kind when it rains there is flooding, when the monsoon comes there is more flooding and the sea invades the land when there are storms.

Bangladesh was formerly a province of Pakistan. A downturn in the economy and increasing unrest led to a coup detat and the establishment of a separate country in 1972. Bangladesh is one of the worlds poorest countries, it has a mainly agricultural economy based on rice production and being the worlds largest producer of Jute. Jute is a fibrous plant used for making woven materials, sacks etc.. It was hope that the export of Jute would save the local economy, sadly Jute, although ecologically sound, just isn’t very good when compared to it’s petrochemical replicas.. The vagaries of the climate make this an unstable thing at best. The inefficiency of state-owned enterprises contributes a great deal to the general economic malaise. Efforts have been made to exploit the natural gas reserves, construct natural gas pipelines and power plants. However, progress in making economic reforms has met with opposition by vested interest groups and civil service unions. There is also a problem with unemployment as the agricultural sector cannot absorb the rapidly growing labour force.

This is an Islamic state, but fairly liberal. Many Bangladeshis emigrate in search of jobs to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman.

Entry requirements

It is illegal to work on the three-month tourist visa. Enforcement of this regulation is zealous. Regulations change frequently, so check with the Embassy or the Foreign Office.

Vaccinations

Hepatitis A, Polio, Tetanus, Malaria, Meningitis, Yellow Fever, Rabies and Typhoid. Your doctor might have a few interesting suggestions, too.

Tax and Insurance

Get health insurance, if possible with a repatriation clause. No information on tax..

Useful Contacts

If you cant get what you want from the websites above, try the British Council, the VSO or your local voluntary aid organisation.

Gap Year Programmes

Click here to find gap year programmes and placements in Bangladesh

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