Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a low lying country, (most of the country lies 30m above sea level) created by the rivers Ganges and Bramaputra that have created a delta in their lower courses. As these mighty rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal they deposit silt which has built up to create new flat land. The land is unstable as the rivers constantly change their course as they head towards the sea. This land is also incredibly fertile and allows a population of 120 million people to live in a country the size of the UK. Bangladesh is prone to flooding, about 20% of the country floods each year. This is due in part to snowmelt in the Himalayas which travels through other countries such as India and Nepal before entering Bangladesh, and the monsoon climate that this country is subjected to. As well as this flooding Bangaldesh is hit by cyclones which cause severe flooding and damage to parts of the country. A major flood was caused by cyclones in 1998 when over 2/3 of the country was flooded and 2007 when most of the country and other areas of Asia were flooded, displacing 5 million people, and over 2000 people lost their lives. The flooding was caused by a combination of a cyclone named 03B and snowmelt. The toll from Cyclone Sidr, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane Nov. 15, 2007 casused even more death (3447 people)and destruction (US$ 1.7 million)from flooding and high winds.