The Ganges delta has the shape of a triangle and is considered to be an "arcuate" delta (arc-shaped). It covers more than 105000 km2 (41000 sq mi) and although the delta lies mostly in Bangladesh and India rivers from Bhutan China India and Nepal drain into it from the north. Approximately two-thirds of the delta is in Bangladesh. Most of the delta is composed of alluvial soils with red and red-yellow laterite soils found as one heads farther east. The soil has large amounts of minerals and nutrients which is good for agriculture. Bengal tigers also live in the area.

It is composed of a labyrinth of channels swamps lakes and flood plain sediments (Chars). The Ganges Delta is separated into two parts: eastern (active) and the western (less active). Population The Vidyasagar Setu or Second Hooghly Bridge which spans the Hoogli River in Kolkata India on the Ganges Delta

Between 125 and 143 million people live on the delta despite risks from floods caused by monsoons heavy runoff from the melting snows of the Himalayas and tropical cyclones. A large part of the nation of Bangladesh lies in the Ganges Delta and many of the country's people depend on the delta for survival.

It is believed that upwards of 300 million people are supported by the Ganges Delta and approximately 400 million people live in the Ganges River Basin making it the most populous river basin in the world. Most of the Ganges Delta has a population density of more than 200 people per km2 (520 people per square mile) making it one of the most densely populated regions on earth. Agriculture and fishing

Approximately two-thirds of the Bangladesh people work in agriculture and grow crops on the fertile floodplains of the delta. The major crops that are grown in the Ganges Delta are jute tea and rice. Fishing is also an important activity in the delta region with fish being a major source of food for many of the people in the area.

In recent years scientists have been helping the poor people of the delta to improve fish farming methods. By turning unused ponds into viable fish farms and improving methods of raising fish in existing ponds many people can now earn a living raising and selling fish. Using new systems fish production in existing ponds has increased 800%. Shrimp and salmon are farmed in containers or cages that are submerged in open watermost of these fish are exported. Cyclones and flooding

In November 1970 the deadliest tropical cyclone of the twentieth century hit the Ganges Delta region. The 1970 Bhola cyclone killed 500000 people (official death toll) with another 100000 missing. The Guinness Book of World Records estimated the total loss of human life from the Bhola cyclone at 1000000 -2 Another cyclone hit the delta in 1991 killing about 138000 peoplesee 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone. People have to be careful on the river delta as severe flooding also occurs. In 1998 the Ganges flooded the delta killing about 1000 people and leaving more than 30 million people homeless. The Bangladesh government asked for $900 million to help feed the people of the region as the entire rice crop was lost. Climate The Ganges Delta lies mostly in the tropical wet climate zone and receives between 1500 to 2000 mm (59 to 79 in) of rainfall each year in the western part and 2000 to 3000 mm (79 to 120 in) in the eastern part. The coolest month of the year on average is January with April and May being the warmest months. Average temperatures in January range from 14 to 25 C (57 to 77 F) and average temperatures in April range from 25 to 35 C (77 to 95 F). July is the wettest month on average when over 330 mm (13 in) of rain falls on the delta (temperature averages from Kolkata). Flora and fauna Three terrestrial ecoregions cover the delta. The Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests ecoregion covers most of the delta region although the forests have mostly been cleared for agriculture and only small enclaves remain. Thick stands of tall grass known as canebrakes grow in wetter areas. The Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests ecoregion lies closer to the Bay of Bengal; this ecoregion is flooded with slightly brackish water during the dry season and fresh water during the monsoon season. These forests too have been almost completely converted to intensive agriculture with only 130 square kilometres (50 sq mi) of the ecoregion's 14600 square kilometres (5600 sq mi) protected. Where the delta meets the Bay of Bengal Sundarbans mangroves form the world's largest mangrove ecoregion covering an area of 20400 square kilometres (7900 sq mi) in a chain of 54 islands. They derive their name from the predominant mangrove species Heritiera fomes which are known locally as sundri or sundari. Animals in the delta include the Indian Python (Python molurus) Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) and crocodiles which live in the Sundarbans. Approximately 1020 endangered Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) are believed to inhabit the Sundarbans. It is estimated that 30000 chital (Axis axis) are in the Sundarbans part of the delta. Birds found in the delta include kingfishers eagles woodpeckers the shalik (Acridotheres tristis) the Swamp Francolin (Francolinus gularis) and the doel (Copsychus saularis). Two species of dolphin can be found in the delta: the Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) and the Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica). The Irrawaddy Dolphin is an oceanic dolphin that enters the delta from the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges River Dolphin is a true river dolphin but is extremely rare and considered endangered. Bengal Tiger Trees found in the delta include sundari garjan (Rhizophora spp.) bamboo mangrove palm (Nypa fruticans) and mangrove date palm (Phoenix paludosa). Future of the delta One of the greatest challenges people living on the Ganges Delta may face in coming years is the threat of rising sea levels caused mostly by subsidence in the region and partly by climate change. An increase of half a meter could result in six million people losing their homes in Bangladesh. Important gas reserves have been discovered in the delta. Several major oil companies have invested in exploration of the Ganges delta region. See also Ganges Fan Mega Delta References a b Merriam-Webster (1997). Merriam-Webster's geographical dictionary. Merriam-Webster. p. 412. ISBN 9780877795469. http://books.google.com/booksidCoVIPIJerIC&pgPA412. Retrieved 23 April 2011.  http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/contentpages/record.asprecordid53274 A river journey the Ganges by Rob Bowden 2003 Future Harvest - 1 Visible Earth NASA - 2 Water Resources in the Ganges River Basin Louisiana School for Math Science and the Arts - 3 The Ganges Delta by Prof. Kanan Gopal Bagchi 1944 Weather.com External links NASA (Johnson Space Center) : Ganges-Brahmaputra River Delta The Golden Fibre Trade Centre: Ganges Delta: Most Fertile Land for Growing Raw Jute Banglapedia: Ganges-Padma River System Bibliography on Water Resources and International Law. Peace Palace Library v d eHydrology of South Asia Inland Indus  Ganges  Yamuna  Chenab  Jhelum  Bhagirathi River  Brahmaputra  Godavari  Narmada  Tapti  Ravi  Beas  Sutlej  Padma  Sarasvati  Sharda   Krishna  Kaveri  Kali River  Meghna  Gandaki River  Mahanadi  Mahaweli  Son  Ghaghara  Betwa  Chambal  Kosi  Sankosh  Ganges Basin  Ganges Delta  Indus Delta  Dal Lake  Pookode Lake  Skeleton Lake  Chilka Lake  Lake Powai  Borith Lake  Saiful Muluk  Gosaikunda  Nizam Sagar  Red Hills Lake  Malampuzha  Kerala Backwaters  Damodar  Luni Coastal Indian Ocean  Arabian Sea  Laccadive Sea  Bay of Bengal  Gulf of Kutch  Gulf of Khambhat  Palk Strait  Gulf of Mannar Categories Lakes of India / Nepal / Pakistan  Reservoirs and dams in India  Rivers of Bangladesh / Bhutan / India / Nepal / Pakistan v d eGeography of South Asia Mountains and Plateaus Himalayas  Western Ghats  Eastern Ghats  Aravalli Range  The Nilgiris  Vindhya Range  Satpura Range  Garo Hills  Shivalik Hills  Mahabharat Range   Khasi Hills  Annamalai Hills  Cardamom Hills  Sulaiman Mountains  Toba Kakar Range  Karakoram  Hindu Kush  Chittagong Hill Tracts  Deccan Plateau  Thar Desert  Makran  Chota Nagpur  Naga Hills  Mysore Plateau  Ladakh Plateau   Gandhamardan Hills Lowlands and Islands Indo-Gangetic plain  Indus River Delta  Ganges Basin  Ganges Delta  Terai  Atolls of Maldives  Coromandel Coast  Konkan  Lakshadweep  Andaman and Nicobar Islands  Sundarbans  Greater Rann of Kutch  Little Rann of Kutch  Protected areas in Tamil Nadu Countries India  Pakistan  Nepal  Bhutan  Sri Lanka  Bangladesh  The Maldives Coordinates: 2242N 8940E / 22.7N 89.667E / 22.7; 89.667