Geography of Bangladesh
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Satellite_image_of_Bangladesh_in_October_2001.jpg
Bangladesh is a low-lying, riverine country located in South Asia with a largely marshy jungle coastline of 710 kilometers (440 mi.) on the northern littoral of the Bay of Bengal. Formed by a deltaic plain at the confluence of the Ganges (Padma), Brahmaputra (Jamuna), and Meghna Rivers and their tributaries, Bangladesh's alluvial soil is highly fertile, but vulnerable to flood and drought. Hills rise above the plain only in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the far southeast and the Sylhet division in the northeast. Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, Bangladesh has a subtropical monsoonal climate characterized by heavy seasonal rainfall, moderately warm temperatures, and high humidity. Natural calamities, such as floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and tidal bores affect the country almost every year. Bangladesh also is affected by major cyclones--on average 16 times a decade. One cyclone struck the southeastern coast in May 1991, killing 136,000 people.
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates:
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<p>Map references:
Asia
<p>Area:
total:
144,000 km²
land:
133,910 km²
water:
10,090 km²
Area comparative
- Australia comparative: 1.5 times larger than Tasmania
- Canada comparative: twice the size of New Brunswick
- United Kingdom comparative: larger than England
- United States comparative: slightly smaller than Iowa
total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km <p>Coastline: 580 km <p>Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 18 nautical miles
continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles
territorial sea: 12 nautical miles <p>Climate: tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October) <p>Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast <p>Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m <p>Natural resources: natural gas, arable land, timber <p>Land use:
arable land: 73%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 15%
other: 5% (1993 est.) <p>Irrigated land: 31,000 km² (1993 est.) <p>Natural hazards: droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely flooded during the summer monsoon season <p>Environment - current 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 <p>Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Reference
Much of the material in this article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.
- See also : Bangladeshes:Geografía de Bangladesh