What is Bangladesh famous for? It is home to the world's largest river delta, which is formed by the Brahmaputra and the Ganges river. Roaming Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans, a mangrove and swampland in the delta. For the longest natural uninterrupted sea beach in Asia (Cox's Bazar beach), which is 150 km long.
For most of its course the Ganges flows through Indian territory, although its large delta in the Bengal area, which it shares with the Brahmaputra River, lies mostly in Bangladesh. The general direction of the river's flow is from northwest to southeast.
The larger rivers serve as the main source of water for cultivation and as the principal arteries of commercial transportation. Rivers also provide fish, an important source of protein. At the point where the Brahmaputra meets the Tista River in Bangladesh, it becomes known as the Jamuna.
Bangladesh has predominantly four major river systems - (1) the Brahmaputra-Jamuna, (2) the Ganges-Padma, (3) the Surma-Meghna, and (4) the Chittagong Region river system. However, Brahmaputra is the 22nd longest (2,850 km) and the Ganges is the 30th longest (2,510 km) river in the world.
There are 8 major river systems in India, with more than 400 rivers in total. Rivers play an important role in the lives of the Indian people due to their crucial importance in sustenance and their place in Indian religions.
Starting in the Himalayas in Tibet as the Tsangpo River, the river flows eastward for 704 miles. At the Shuomatan Point, the river bends and enters India crossing the Assam Valley. It then flows south through Bangladesh exiting at the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta into the Bay of Bengal.
| Ichamati River |
|---|
| View from Taki Guest House. The shores of Bangladesh are visible on the other side of Ichamati River. |
| The lower Ichamati channel flows criss-cross through India and Bangladesh |
| Location |
| Countries | Bangladesh and India |
Most of the deltaic rivers and all of the Sundarbans channels experience a marked tidal influence. The Ganges delta shows a mixed drainage pattern. The stem-stream of the delta, the Ganges-Padma, is a braided channel with a meandering course. Most of the other major distributaries also follow a sinuous course.
Bangladesh is called the Drain of the Himalayas as the melting ice on the mountains causes floods. The Ganges Delta plays a part in the floods as when it overflows and floods.
WORLD
- Nile: 4,132 miles.
- Amazon: 4,000 miles.
- Yangtze: 3,915 miles.
It is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, the Brahmaputra, Lohit, Siang, and Dihang in India, and the Jamuna in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh's economy, development and growth are directly influenced by major rivers: Padma, Jamuna, Meghna, Karnaphuli and Halda. Rivers being most valuable resource and fabric have turned into heaven for the greedy polluters and grabbers.
Meghna River, major watercourse of the Padma River (Ganges [Ganga] River) delta, in Bangladesh. The name is properly applied to a channel of the Old Brahmaputra downstream from Bhairab Bazar, after it has received the Surma (Barak) River.
| Sl. No. | River | Length (km) |
|---|
| 1. | Indus | 2,900 |
| 2. | Brahmaputra | 2,900 |
| 3. | Ganga | 2,510 |
| 4. | Godavari | 1,450 |
The Ganges River (Fig. 3) was supposed to be shared in some way between India and Pakistan. It is fed by many tributaries (54) the largest of which is the Brahmaputra River that flows through Bangladesh, but most of the Ganges River Basin is in northeastern India.
63 dams barrages in India | buildings and structures in India.
The Ganges River is extremely important to the people of India as most of the people living on its banks use it for daily needs such as bathing and fishing. It is also significant to Hindus, as they consider it their most sacred river.
The Ganga is the river of Asia that rises in the western Himalayas and flows through India and Bangladesh. When it enters West Bengal, it splits into the Padma and the Hooghly. The Padma River goes through Bangladesh and finally into the Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh, the eastern neighbour with which India hopes to resolve differences on sharing of Teesta and Feni rivers, is criss-crossed by over 300 rivers, 54 of which are common with India.
