Outline of the Geography of Bangladesh

Definition
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes (276-194 BC). Geography has been called "the world discipline" and "the bridge between the human and the physical science".

Geography of Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma (Myanmar) to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. Together with the Indian state of West Bengal, it makes up the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. The borders of present-day Bangladesh were established with the partition of Bengal and India in 1947, when the region became East Pakistan, part of the newly formed nation of Pakistan. However, it was separated from the western wing by 1,600 km of Indian territory. Due to political exclusion, ethnic and linguistic discrimination, and economic neglect by the politically-dominant West Pakistan, popular agitation grew against West Pakistan and led to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, which succeeded after Pakistan surrendered to an invasion by an Indian Brigade in Dhaka .

Description
Most of the areas of Bangladesh lie within the broad delta formed by the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. Lands are exceedingly flat, lowlying, 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.

Boundary
Total area: 1,44,000 square kilometers Land area: 1,33,910 square kilometers Land boundaries: 4,246 km total; 193 km with Myanmar, 4,053 km with India, Coastline: 580 km. Map:

Population
The country's population is almost evenly distributed throughout its 64 districts except for the three Hill Tracts districts which are rather sparsely inhabited. Regionally, the eastern districts have a slightly higher density than the western ones. As per the preliminary results of the latest census the countrys total population is 14.23 crore. (this is contradicted slightly by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which has estimated the countrys population at 15 crore and five lakh) and it is the 8th most populous nation in the world. Bangladesh's population growth was among the highest in the world in the 1960s and 1970s, when the country swelled from 65 to 110 million. With the promotion of birth control in the 1980s, the
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growth rate had slowed. The population is relatively young, with 60% being 25 or younger and 3% being 63 or older. Life expectancy is 63 years for both males and females.

Rivers
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.

Land distribution
arable land 67% forest and woodland 16% permanent crops 2% meadows and pastures 4% others 11%

Forests
In Bangladesh, the total forest area is 871,000 hectars. The Sundarbans, the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove
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forest in the world is situated mostly in Bangladesh (the Bangladeshi part being 81%). The forest covers 10,000 sq.km. of which about 6,000 are in Bangladesh. The area is known for the eponymous Royal Bengal Tiger. It became inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997. Bangladesh's high population density and lack of environmental planning have led to deforestation as a result of which conflicts between wildlife and people have increased. During a four-month period in 1997, elephants killed 30 people and injured over 100 as they sought food, which had become scarce due to forest clearing for agriculture.

Seasons
In Bangladesh. There are six seasons such as summer, the rainy season, early autumn, late autumn, winter and spring. Each season has its own beauty and features. Summer is the first season of the year. It consists of the months of Baishakh and Jaistha. It is the warmest season of the year. On account of terrible heat streams, canals, tanks, beels, etc. dry up. In spite of its disadvantages, summer is rich in juicy fruits such as mango, lichi and jackfruit. After summer comes the rain to drench everything in the months of Ashar and Sravan. During this time the sky often remains cloudy. It rains cats and dogs. Sometimes there is flood which causes great hardship to people. However, the plants and trees with their green leaves present a view of life and hope. The rainy season is followed by the early autumn. It consists of Bhadra and Aswin. Sometimes patches of white clouds are seen floating in the sky. It hardly rains. Plenty of fish is available in this
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season. Various aquatic flowers bloom and dance with small waves that pass merrily through the paddy plants. Then comes the late autumn. It consists of Kartik and Agrahayan . It is the harvesting season . Farmers remain busy in cutting paddy. There prevails a moderate weather in this season. It is neither hot nor cold but one feels that winter is not far away. There comes the winter. It consists of poush and magh. During this season the weather becomes dry. The northern wind blows terribly. Poor people suffer much from cold. The price of essential things falls and fish and vegetables over flood the market. Indeed it is the season of pleasant weather, cakes and puddings, festivals, marriages and of sports and games. Last of all comes the spring. It is the king of seasons. It consists of Falgoon and chaitra. During this season, trees and plants put on new leaves and twigs. Varieties of flowers bloom and make the whole atmosphere delightful with their sweet fragrance. The birds are happy and pour out their melodious songs which thrill the heart of all. In fact, it is the season of flowers, sweet songs of birds and of pleasant weather.

Climate
Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, Bangladeshi climate is tropical with a mild winter from October to March, a hot, humid summer from March to June. A warm and humid monsoon season lasts from June to October and supplies most of the country's rainfall. Natural calamities, such as floods, tropical cyclones, tornadoes, and tidal bores occur almost every year, combined with the effects of deforestation, soil degradation and erosion. The cyclones of 1970 and 1991 were particularly devastating. A cyclone that struck Bangladesh in 1991 killed some 140,000 people.

Community
The overwhelming majority of Bangladeshis are ethnic Bengali, comprising 98% of the population. The remainder are mostly Biharis and indigenous tribal groups. There is also a small but growing population of Rohingya refugees from Burma around Cox's Bazaar, which Bangladesh seeks to repatriate to Burma. The indigenous tribal peoples are concentrated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the southeast. There are 13 tribal groups located in this region, the largest being the Chakma. Outside the Hill Tracts, the largest tribal groups are the Santhals and Garos (Achiks), while smaller groups include the Kaibartta, Meitei, Mundas, Oraons, and Zomi.

Conclusion
In spite of its dense population, natural calamities and other problems as discussed above, the young country of 40 years has not given up hope. It is striving to establish itself in the international arena. It is the 4th largest rice producing country in the world even though we lose annually 1% of agricultural land. Bangladesh has graduated from being extensively dependent on agriculture for its economic growth and employment, and today approximately 25% of its GDP comes from the manufacturing industry. Bangladesh is the 4th largest manufacturer of readymade garments in the world. The per-capita inflation-adjusted GDP has more than doubled in the past 40 years, according to the World Bank, and poverty rate has fallen by 20% to 40% in the last two decades. However, with the doubling of the population since 1971, the country does not have enough resources to sustain the colossus growth of population. This problem may be solved by utilizing the ever increasing population and viewing it as a resource instead of a burden.