|
Bangladesh
is a picturesque low-lying plain of about 144,000
square kilometers, situated north of the Bay
of Bengal at the mouth of the Ganges River.
Countless brooks, rivulets, and mighty streams
crisscross the country. This myriad network
of about 220 rivers and waterholes comprises
two thirds of the country's entire area. During
the monsoon, the country boasts about 8,000
kilometers of navigable waters while the dry
season makes it possible to navigate 5,000 kilometers.
Most of the waterways found in the country's
eastern and southeastern regions. The three
major rivers, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and
the mighty Meghna, have created the largest
river delta on earth.
As a river delta, the country
essentially depends on the behavior of its rivers.
Floods are an almost regular phenomenon, which
causes infinite suffering and misery to the
vast majority of people. However, at the same
time, the rivers serve as the country's economic
backbone and create immeasurable beauty. Bangladesh
depends almost in its entirety on the rivers
for transportation, agriculture, fishing, internal
trade, and ecological balance.
The innumerable waterways have
rendered the lands fertile, green, and beautiful.
Beyond them unfolds a riverine countryside characterized
by the picturesque lifestyle and the age-old
cultural traditions of rural Bangladesh.
The splendors of this vast
river delta offer an experience unlike any other
in world.
|
|
