Bangladesh Geography:
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates:
24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
144,000 sq km
land:
133,910 sq km
water:
10,090 sq km
Area - comparative:
Slightly smaller than Iowa
Land boundaries:
total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4053 km
Coastline:
580 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 18 NM
continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
Tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain:
Mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m
Natural resources:
Natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Land use:
arable land: 62.11%
permanent crops: 3.07%
other: 34.82%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
38,440 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
Droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
Environment - current issues:
Many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; water-borne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
Most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal |
