Geography of Bangladesh

The country of Bangladesh, in Southern Asia, is located on the northern shore of the Bay of Bengal. It has an area of approximately 144,000 km². The population is about 144 million and is growing at a rate of 1.7 per cent.

The country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna and later joins the Meghna, eventually to empty into the Bay of Bengal. A tropical monsoon climate prevails, making Bangladesh among the rainiest countries in the world. Much of the country is routinely inundated by floods. Natural resources include natural gas, timber, coal and fertile alluvial soils: more than 60 per cent of the land is arable and used for farming.

Source: IFAD

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Bangladesh capital: Dhaka GNI per capita: less than or equal to US$530 [more maps...] 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Many congratulations to this year’s winners of the Nobel Peace Prize – Professor Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank. This award demonstrates global recognition for the personal achievement as well as for the microcredit revolution which has changed the lives of millions of poor rural women all over the world.  Explore... Rural poverty in Bangladesh Progress on the Millennium Development Goals: United Nations Development Group (UNDG) United Nations Statistics World Bank Statistics Total population (million), 2003 138 Population density (people per km2), 2003 1,060 Number of rural poor (million), 2003 101 Poor as % of total rural population, 2000 53 GNI per capita (US$), 2003 400 Population living below US$1 a day (%), 1990-2002 36.0 Population living below US$2 a day (%), 1990-2002 82.8 Population living below the national poverty line (%), 1990-2001 49.8 Share of poorest 20% in national income or consumption (%), 2000 9.0 Source: World Bank