Geography
Bangladesh is in South Asia on the Bay of Bengal. It is
surrounded almost entirely by neighbouring India, and shares a small border
with Myanmar to its southeast, though it lies very close to Nepal, Bhutan, and
China. The country is divided into three regions. Most of the country is
dominated by the fertile Ganges Delta, the largest river delta in the
world.[57] The northwest and central parts of the country are formed by the
Madhupur and the Barind plateaus. The northeast and southeast are home to
evergreen hill ranges.
The Ganges delta is formed by the confluence of the Ganges
(local name Padma or Pôdda), Brahmaputra (Jamuna or Jomuna), and Meghna rivers
and their tributaries. The Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the
Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna, finally flowing into the Bay of
Bengal. Bangladesh is called the "Land of Rivers",[58] as it is home
to over 57 trans-boundary rivers, the most of any nation-state. Water issues
are politically complicated since Bangladesh is downstream of India.[59]
Bangladesh is predominantly rich fertile flat land. Most of
it is less than 12 m (39 ft) above sea level, and it is estimated that about
10% of its land would be flooded if the sea level were to rise by 1 m (3.3
ft).[60] 12% of the country is covered by hill systems. The country's haor
wetlands are of significance to global environmental science. The highest point
in Bangladesh is the Saka Haphong, located near the border with Myanmar, with
an elevation of 1,064 m (3,491 ft).[61] Previously, either Keokradong or Tazing
Dong were considered the highest.
In Bangladesh forest cover is around 14% of the total land
area, equivalent to 1,883,400 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from
1,920,330 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered
1,725,330 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 158,070 hectares (ha). Of
the naturally regenerating forest 0% was reported to be primary forest
(consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human
activity) and around 33% of the forest area was found within protected areas.
For the year 2015, 100% of the forest area was reported to be under public
ownership.[62][63]
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