Short facts about the geography of Bangladesh

Location:

Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India

Geographic coordinates:

24 00 N, 90 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total:  144,000 sq km land:  133,910 sq km water:  10,090 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Land boundaries:

total:  4,246 km border countries:  Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Coastline:

580 km

Maritime claims:

contiguous zone:  18 NM continental shelf:  up to the outer limits of the continental margin exclusive economic zone:  200 NM territorial sea:  12 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:  73% permanent crops:  2% permanent pastures:  5% forests and woodland:  15% other:  5% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:

31,000 sq km (1993 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified:  Law of the Sea

Source: World Factbook