1998 in Bangladesh explained

The year 1998 was the 27th year after the independence of Bangladesh. It was also the third year of the first term of the Government of Sheikh Hasina.

Incumbents

• President: Shahabuddin Ahmed
• Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina
• Chief Justice: A.T.M Afzal

Demography

Population, total

122,682,818
Population density (per km^2)	942.5
Population growth (annual %)	2.1%
Male to Female Ratio (every 100 Female)	105.9
Urban population (% of total)	22.8%
Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people)	28.8
Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people)	7.3
Mortality rate, under 5 (per 1,000 live births)	97
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)	64.3
Fertility rate, total (births per woman)	3.4

Climate

Flood

From July to September 1998, Bangladesh suffered extensive flooding. Over 75% of the total area of the country was flooded, including half of Dhaka. It was similar to the catastrophic flood of 1988, in terms of the extent of the flooding. A combination of heavy rainfall within and outside the country and synchronisation of peak flows of the major rivers contributed to the flood. 30 million people were made homeless and the death toll reached over a thousand. The flooding caused contamination of crops and animals and unclean water resulted in cholera and typhoid outbreaks. Few hospitals were functional because of damage from the flooding, and those that were open had too many patients, resulting in everyday injuries becoming fatal due to lack of treatment. 700,000 hectares of crops were destroyed,

Economy

National Income

	Current US$	Current BDT	% of GDP
GDP	$50.0 billion	BDT2,269.3 billion
GDP growth (annual %)	5.2%
GDP per capita	$407.4	BDT18,497
Agriculture, value added	$11.3 billion	BDT512.6 billion	22.6%
Industry, value added	$11.3 billion	BDT514.2 billion	22.7%
Services, etc., value added	$24.9 billion	BDT1,130.9 billion	49.8%
Balance of Payment
	Current US$	Current BDT	% of GDP
Current account balance	style="text-align: right;"	-$35.2 million		style="text-align: right;"	-.1%
Imports of goods and services	$7,952.8 million	BDT365.9 billion	16.1%
Exports of goods and services	$5,865.4 million	BDT266.8 billion	11.8%
Foreign direct investment, net inflows	$190.1 million		0.4%
Personal remittances, received	$1,605.8 million		3.2%
Total reserves (includes gold) at year end	$1,935.8 million
Total reserves in months of imports	2.8

Note: For the year 1998 average official exchange rate for BDT was 46.91 per US$.

Events

• 23 June – Bangabandhu Bridge, the longest multipurpose bridge in Bangladesh, is inaugurated by the prime minister.^[1]
• 8 November – U.S. and now defunct energy company Unocal sign an agreement with Petrobangla to develop the country's largest gas field.^[2]
• 28 November – Floods devastate rice fields, pushing Bangladesh's annual food shortfall to 4.3 million tons.^[3] Over 1000 people reportedly died in the floods.^[4]

Awards and Recognitions

Independence Day Award

Recipients	Area	Note
	literature	posthumous
	science and technology
	liberation war	posthumous
	liberation war	posthumous
	liberation war	posthumous
	liberation war	posthumous
	liberation war	posthumous
	liberation war	posthumous
	liberation War	posthumous
	sports	posthumous

Ekushey Padak

1. Ranesh Das Gupta (literature)
2. Akhtaruzzaman Ilias (literature)
3. Rokanuzzaman Khan (journalism)
4. Abul Kashem Sandwip (journalism)
5. Ferdousi Mazumder (drama)
6. Mahbuba Rahman (music)

Sports

• Asian Games:
  • Bangladesh participates in the 1998 Asian Games, held from 6 to 20 December 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand. The men's Kabbadi team won bronze medal in the respective event in the tournament.
• Cricket:
  • Bangladesh hosts the 1998 ICC KnockOut Tournament (officially known as Wills International Cup).^[5] It is the first tournament apart from the World Cups to involve all test playing nations. South Africa defeated the West Indies in the final to win the event.
  • In November, the West Indies A team visits Bangladesh and plays three List A matches against Bangladesh. Starting on 12 November the two teams play the first-ever first-class match in Bangladesh (i.e., since independence). West Indies A win by 8 wickets.^[6]

Births

• 16 January – Masuk Mia Jony, footballer^[7]
• 1 February – Zakir Hasan, cricketer^[8]
• 22 February – Jaker Ali, cricketer^[9]
• 22 May – Munim Shahriar, cricketer^[10]
• 25 May – Nazmul Hossain Shanto, cricketer^[11]
• 10 September – Hossain Ali, cricketer^[12]
• 11 September – Robiul Islam, cricketer^[13]
• 7 October – Yasir Arafat Mishu, cricketer^[14]
• 15 October – Mosabbek Hossain, cricketer^[15]
• 30 October – Saif Hassan, cricketer^[16]
• 12 December – Towhid Hridoy, cricketer^[17]

Deaths

• 26 January – Muhammad Sohrab Hossain, politician (b. 1922)
• 14 February – Badrul Haider Chowdhury, Chief Justice of Bangladesh (b. 1925)^[18]
• 14 May – Shawkat Osman, writer (b. 1917)^[19]
• 1 June – Brojen Das, swimmer (b. 1927)
• 12 August – Gazi Shamsur Rahman, lawyer, writer, translator, columnist and television personality (b. 1921).
• 8 October – Jashim, film actor (b. 1950)
• 30 November – Abdullah-Al-Muti, educationist (b. 1930)^[20]

See also

• 1990s in Bangladesh
• List of Bangladeshi films of 1998
• Timeline of Bangladeshi history

Notes and References

1. Book: Raj Kumar Singh. Relations of NDA and UPA with Neighbours. 2010. Gyan Publishing House. 978-81-212-1060-7. 266.
2. News: Unocal signs Bangladesh gas deal . BBC News . 8 November 2004.
3. News: Floods devastate rice Bangladesh rice fields . CNN . 28 November 1998.
4. Web site: After the flood: Official Damage Statistics of Bangladesh Flood 1998 - Bangladesh.
5. Web site: The Mini World Cup, 1998–99 – When cricket really was the winner . 2000 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20090403004425/http://content.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/155194.html . 3 April 2009 . live . 14 March 2009 .
6. https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/66/66666.html Bangladesh v West Indies A 1998
7. Web site: M. Mia Zoni . Soccerway.
8. Web site: Zakir Hasan . ESPNcricinfo.
9. Web site: Jaker Ali . ESPNcricinfo.
10. Web site: Munim Shahriar . ESPNcricinfo.
11. Web site: Nazmul Hossain Shanto . ESPNcricinfo.
12. Web site: Hossain Ali . ESPNcricinfo.
13. Web site: Robiul Islam . ESPNcricinfo.
14. Web site: Yasir Arafat Mishu . ESPNcricinfo.
15. Web site: Mosabbek Hossain . ESPNcricinfo.
16. Web site: Saif Hassan . ESPNcricinfo.
17. Web site: Towhid Hridoy . ESPNcricinfo.
18. Book: Hoque, Kazi Ebadul . 2012 . Chowdhury, Justice Badrul Haider . http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Chowdhury,_Justice_Badrul_Haider . Islam . Sirajul . Sirajul Islam . Jamal . Ahmed A. . Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh . Second . Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
19. Book: Huq, Syed Azizul . 2012 . Osman, Shawkat . http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Osman,_Shawkat . Islam . Sirajul . Sirajul Islam . Jamal . Ahmed A. . Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh . Second . Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
20. Book: Miah, Sajahan . 2012 . Sharafuddin, Abdullah Al-Muti . http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Sharafuddin,_Abdullah_Al-Muti . Islam . Sirajul . Sirajul Islam . Jamal . Ahmed A. . Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh . Second . Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.