Independent University Bangladesh

ENV 212 Environmental Geography Course Instructor: Ms. Kazi Sunzida Lisa

Class Assignment

Physiography of Bangladesh

Submitted By: Sabhanaz Rashid Diya ID 0920186

Date: 22 / 02 / 2011

Definition
Physiography is the description of the physical nature (form, substance, arrangement and changes) of objects, especially natural features. It is the combination of physio and graphy where physio means earth and graphy means study, so in short, physiography is the study of the earth. It reveals the physical condition of land. Physiographic unit is a region that shares the same physical characteristics and geomorphic background. Its topographic features differ from that of surrounding landforms.

Physiography of Bangladesh Introduction

Bangladesh is a low-lying, riverine deltaic region situated in South Asia. Its deltaic plains are formed by the confluence of three major river systems the GangesPadma, Meghna-Jamuna and Brahmaputra-Surma. Bangladesh is situated between latitudes 20~34' and 26~38' north and latitudes 88~01' and 92~41' east. With an area of 144,000 square kilometers, the country extends 820 kilometers north to south and 600 kilometers east to west. On its northern, eastern and western relative borders lies India the land frontier extending 2400 kilometers; while the southeastern border has the smaller land and water frontier of Myanmar. A stretch of marshy jungle coastline can be found at the south and southwest Ganges floodplain, the Sundarbans. The southern region of Bangladesh is surrounded by Bay of Bengal. Like any physiographical features, the physical features of the landforms in Bangladesh are constantly changing. What was once a water body may now be a desert land.

Characteristics
On the basis of its physical characteristics, Bangladesh can be classified under seven physiographical units. They are: (a) Tertiary Hills The only exceptions to the Bangladeshs lowlands are the hill tracts in Chittagong in the southeastern part of the country, the low hills of Sylhet in the northeast and the highlands of the north and northwest. The Chittagong Hills form the western fringe of the north-south mountain ranges of Myanmar and India. They rise to steep narrow ridge lines of altitudes of 600 to 900 meters above sea level. (b) Pleistocene Terraces The Lalmai uplands in Comilla coupled with the low hills in the east through Dhaka and Rajshahi leading to West Bengal in India are characteristic of Pleistocene terraces. The river systems of Meghna and Jamuna trisect the Pleistocene upland, creating three sets of smooth rolling highlands. The Barind Tract, the Modhupur Tract and the Tippera Surface form these sets. Pleistocene uplands cover 10% of the total landform in Bangladesh and rise over 15 meters above sea level. (c) Piedmont Alluvial Plains The gently sloping land found at the foot of hills formed as a result of the deposit of sediments by water bodies. A portion of the Old Himalayan Piedmont plains stretches into Bangladesh at the northwestern part of the country, namely the entire district of Thakurgaon and major parts of Panchagarh and Dinajpur districts. (d) Coastal Plain This is found along the coastal belt of Bangladesh, that is the southern part of the country and the mouth of the Bay of Bengal. It is mostly composed of saline clays and is affected by flash floods. Sediments near the hill are mostly silty, locally sandy with clays more extensive in floodplain basins.

(e) Tidal Plain The tidal plain has a low ridge and a basic relief crossed by innumerable tidal rivers and creeks. This unit covers most of Satkhira, Bagerhaat, Khulna, Jhaluokathi, Barisal, Bhola and Patuakhali in the southern part of the country, excluding the Sundarbans in the southwest. (f) Deltaic Plain This area stretches from the southern part of Rajshahi, Natore and Pabna to the boundary of tidal plane from Ganges or Padma. It is very fertile due to the silt of rivers. (g) Flood Plain Bangladesh is vastly floodplains. Most of the land is shallowly flooded during monsoon and is very fertile. This plain is part of the larger Plain of Bengal, sometimes referred to as the Lower Gangetic Plain. Although altitudes up to 105 meters above sea level occur in the northern part of the plain, most elevations are less than 10 meters above sea level. Elevations decrease in the coastal south, where the terrain is generally at sea level. Under the aforementioned broad classifications of the physiography of Bangladesh, it can also be divided into 24 physical segments and 54 units. The major units are: i) Old Himalayan Piedmont Plain; ii) Tista Floodplain; iii) Old Brahmaputra Floodplain; iv) Jamuna (Young Brahmaputra) Floodplain; v) Haor Basin; vi) SurmaKushiyara Floodplain; vii) Meghna Floodplain - a. Middle Meghna Floodplain, b. Lower Meghna Floodplain, c. Old Meghna Estuarine Floodplain, d. Young Meghna Estuarine Floodplain; viii) Ganges River Floodplain; ix) Ganges Tidal Floodplain; x) Sundarbans; xi) Lower Atrai Basin; xii) Arial Beel; xiii) Gopalganj-Khulna Peat Basin; xiv) Chittagong Coastal Plain; xv) Northern and Eastern Piedmont Plain; xvi) Pleistocene Uplands: a. Barind Tract, b. Modhupur Tract and c. Tippera Surface; xvii) Northern and Eastern Hills a. Low Hill Ranges (Dupi Tila and Dihing Formations), b. High Hill or Mountain Ranges (Surma and Tipam Formations).

Soil Types
About 67% of Bangladeshs nonurban soil is arable. Permanent crops cover about 2%, meadows and pastures cover 4%, and woodland and forests cover about 16%. A total of 21 different soil types have been identified in Bangladesh. The following illustrates a table that lists major soil types:
General soil type Floodplain soils Calcareous Alluvium Non-calcareous Alluvium Calcareous Brown Floodplain soils Calcareous Grey Floodplain soils Calcareous Dark Grey Floodplain soils Non Calcareous Grey Floodplain soils Non Calcareous Brown Floodplain soils Non Calcareous Dark Grey Floodplain soils Black Terai soils Acid Basin clays Acid Sulphate soils Peat Grey Piedmont Soils Made-land Hill soils (Brown Hill Soils) Terrace soils Shallow Red-Brown Terrace soils Deep Red-Brown Terrace soils Area (ha) 9,718,722 591,796 562,242 478,518 170,767 1,434,678 3,387,153 383,312 1,599,645 83,408 348,994 226,647 130,005 215,279 106,278 1,561,472 1,028,030 72,549 189,380 (%) 78.96 4.81 4.57 3.89 1.39 11.66 27.52 3.11 13.00 0.68 2.84 1.84 1.06 1.75 0.86 12.69 8.35 0.59 1.54

Brown Mottled Terrace soils Shallow Grey Terrace soils Deep Grey Terrace soils Grey Valley soils Total soil area Source FAO/UNDP, 1988

34,235 265,427 352,152 114,287 12,308,224

0.28 2.16 2.86 0.93 100.00

Table: Different soil types in Bangladesh. Source: Banglapedia

Riverine System
The rivers of Bangladesh mark the physiography of the country. Over 700 rivers crisscross the country, most of them flowing south. The profusion of rivers can be divded into five major system i) Padma-Ganges; ii) Jamuna-Brahmaputra; iii) Surma-Meghna; iv) Padma-Meghna; and v) Karnaphuli.

Conclusion
Approximately 133,910 square kilometers of Bangladesh is land, while 10,090 square kilometers is water. The physical geography of the area is varied and evolves over time due to external and climate change.

References: Wikipedia, Banglapedia, UNEP.org, www.sma-bd.com