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Physical Overview
Most of the areas of Bangladesh
lies within the broad delta
formed by the Ganges and
Brahmaputra rivers. Lands are
exceedingly flat, low-lying, and
subject to annual flooding. Much
fertile, alluvial soil is
deposited by the floodwaters. The
only significant area of hilly
terrain, constituting less than
one-tenth of the nation's
territory, is the Chittagong Hill
Tracts in the narrow southeastern
panhandle of the country. There,
on the border with Burma, is
Mowdok Mual (1003 m/3292 ft), the
country's highest peak. Small,
scattered hills lie along or near
the eastern and northern borders
with India. The eroded remnants
of two old alluvial terraces-the
Madhupur Tract, in the north
central part of the country, and
The Barind, straddling the
northwestern boundary with India-
attain elevations of about 30 m
(about 100 ft). The soil here is
much less fertile than the
annually replenished alluvium of
the surrounding floodplain.
Land
Total area: 144,000 square
kilometers;
Land area: 133,910 square
kilometers
Land boundaries: 4,246 km total;
193 km with Myanmar, 4,053 km
with India, Coastline: 580 km.
Land distribution:
-
arable land 67%
-
forest and woodland 16%
-
permanent crops 2%
-
meadows and pastures 4%
-
others 11%
Rivers and Lakes
Bangladesh is a land of rivers
that crisscrossed throughout the
mostly flat territories of the
country. They include hundreds of
brooks and a good number of big
ones. The Ganges (Ganga) is known
as the Padma below the point
where it is joined by the Jamuna
River, the name given to the
lowermost portion of the main
channel of the Brahmaputra. The
combined stream is then called
the Meghna below its confluence
with a much smaller tributary of
the same name. In the dry season
the numerous deltaic
distributaries that lace the
terrain may be several kilometers
wide as they near the Bay of
Bengal, whereas at the height of
the summer monsoon season they
coalesce into an extremely broad
expanse of silt-laden water. In
much of the delta, therefore,
homes must be constructed on
earthen platforms or embankments
high enough to remain above the
level of all but the highest
floods. In non-monsoon months the
exposed ground is pocked with
water-filled borrow pits, or
tanks, from which the mud for the
embankments was excavated.
Throughout the country there are
bils, haors and lakes that meet
the need of drinking, bathing and
irrigating water.
Seasons
Traditionally Bangladeshis
subdivide the year into six
seasons: Grismo (summer), Barsha
(rainy), Sharat (autumn), Hemanto
(cool), Sheet (winter), and
Bashonto (spring). For practical
purposes, however, three seasons
are distinguishable: summer ,
rainy, and winter.
Climate
Bangladesh has a tropical
monsoon-type climate, with a hot
and rainy summer and a dry
winter. January is the coolest
month with temperatures averaging
near 26 deg C (78 d F) and April
the warmest with temperatures
from 33 to 36 deg C (91 to 96 deg
F). The climate is one of the
wettest in the world. Most places
receive more than 1,525 mm of
rain a year, and areas near the
hills receive 5,080 mm ). Most
rains occur during the monsoon
(June-September) and little in
winter (November-February).
Bangladesh is subject to
devastating cyclones, originating
over the Bay of Bengal, in the
periods of April to May and
September to November. Often
accompanied by surging waves,
these storms can cause great
damage and loss of life. The
cyclone of November 1970, in
which about 500,000 lives were
lost in Bangladesh, was one of
the worst natural disasters of
the country in the 20th century.
In Dhaka the average temperature
in January is about 19° C (about
66° F), and in May about 29° C
(about 84° F).
Flora and Fauna
Chittagong Hill Tracts, portions
of the Madhupur Tract, and the
Sundarbans (a great tidal
mangrove forest in the
southwestern corner of the
country) are principal vegetation
in Bangladesh. The wooded area
amount to less than one-sixth of
the total area. Broadleaf
evergreen species characterize
the hilly regions, and deciduous
trees, such as acacia and banyan,
are common in the drier plains
areas. Commercially valuable
trees in Bangladesh include
sundari (hence the name
Sundarbans), gewa, sal (mainly
growing in the Madhupur Tract),
and garan (in the Chittagong Hill
Tracts). Village groves inslude
fruit trees (mango and jackfruit,
for instance) and date and areca
(betel) palms. The country also
has many varieties of bamboo.
Bangladesh is rich in fauna,
including nearly 250 indigenous
species of mammals, 750 types of
birds, 150 kinds of reptiles and
amphibians, and 200 varieties of
marine and freshwater fish. The
rhesus monkey is common, and
gibbons and lemurs are also
found.
The Sundarbans area is one of the
principal remaining domains of
the Royal Bengal tiger, and herds
of elephants and many leopards
inhabit the Chittagong Hill
Tracts. Other animals living in
Bangladesh include mongoose,
jackal, Bengal fox, wild boar,
parakeet, kingfisher, vulture,
and swamp crocodile.
Mineral Resources
Bangladesh is not so rich in
mineral resources. The principal
energy resource, natural gas, is
found in several small fields in
the northeastern part. With the
assistance of some foreign
especially American companies gas
expedition has increased. There
is a coalfield in the northwest
and large peat beds underlie most
of the delta. Limestone and
pottery clays are found in the
northeastern Bangladesh.
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