Question

Describe the location, extent and formation of the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta in India and Bangladesh.

Answer 1

Ganga- Brahmaputra Delta

• The Ganges Brahmaputra Delta, also named Ganges Delta, Sunderbans Delta or Bengal Delta is situated in Asia where the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers discharge into the Bay of Bengal.
  
• It is, with a surface area of more than 100,000 sq. km, the world's largest Delta. Approximately two-thirds of the delta is in Bangladesh, the rest constitutes the state of West Bengal, India.
  
• The Ganges Delta is the floodplain of three great rivers: the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna.
• The Ganges Delta is among the most fertile regions in the world. Along the coast, he width of the delta is approximately 350 km. The distance from the confluence of the Brahmaputra and the Ganges to the coast is some 250 km.
  
• When the Ganga flows towards West Bengal, it splits into two the Bhagirathi-Hooghly (a distributary) flows southwards through the deltaic plains to the Bay of Bengal. The main stream, flows southwards into Bangladesh and is joined by the Brahmaputra, thus resulting in the formation of a delta. The delta formed by these rivers is known as the Sunderban Delta. The Sunderban Delta derived its name from the Sundari tree which grows well in marsh land. It is the world's largest and fastest growing delta.
  
• With some 130 million inhabitants, the Ganges delta belongs to the most densely populated areas in the world.