Asia and Oceania

Bangladesh
Last reviewed: 22 July 2009

Country information

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GEOGRAPHY

Bangladesh has roughly the same land area as England and Wales. It is enclosed by Indian territory except for a short south-eastern frontier with Burma and borders the Bay of Bengal in the south. The alluvial plain of the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system - the largest delta in the world, forms most of the country; water flow is second only to that of the Amazon. To the east of the delta lie the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Flooding is normal and life has adapted to take account of this But occasionally excessive flooding, as in 1988, 1998, and 2004 causes widespread destruction and loss of life. Bangladesh remains vulnerable to natural disasters and to the impact of climate change. Arable land is extremely fertile. Bangladesh's principal natural resource is natural gas.

Climate

The climate is tropical and governed by the monsoon winds which in summer (June to September) bring very heavy rainfall (up to 200 inches), often accompanied by cyclonic storms. The short winter is mild and relatively dry. In winter the mean temperature is about 16 degrees centigrade (53F) and in summer 27 degrees centigrade (80F).