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Bangladesh is nestled in the crook of the
Bay of Bengal, surrounded by India. It shares a border in the
south-east with Myanmar and fronts onto the Bay of Bengal. The
country is flat, flat, flat, and dominated by the braided
strands of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Jamuna delta. Where
Bangladesh ends and the sea begins is a murky zone of shifting
sediments, watercourses, flood waters and silt. Over 90% of
the country is composed of alluvial plains less than 10m above
sea level, making it an inviting proposition to flood-prone
rivers and tidal waves. The only relief from these low-lying
plains occurs in the north-east and south-east corners where
modest hills rise to an average height of around 240m (787ft)
and 600m (1970ft) respectively.
Roughly two-thirds of Bangladesh is fertile
arable land and a little over 10% remains forested. The
country is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, leopards, Asiatic
elephants (mostly migratory herds from Bihar), and a few
remaining black bears. There are also plenty of monkeys,
langurs, gibbons (the only ape on the subcontinent), otters
and mongooses. Reptiles include the sea tortoise, mud turtle,
river tortoise, pythons, crocodiles and a variety of bloody
unpleasant poisonous snakes. There are more than 600 species
of birds: the best known is the mynah but the most spectacular
are the kingfishers and fishing eagles.
The climate of Bangladesh is subtropical
and tropical with temperatures ranging from an average daytime
low of 21°C (70°F) in the cold season to a top of 35°C (95°F)
in the hot season. Bangladesh has three main seasons: the
monsoon or 'wet' season from late May to early October; the
'cold' season from mid-October to the end of February; and the
'hot' season (known in Bangladesh as the 'little rainy
season') from mid-March to mid-May. There is also a 'cyclone
season' - May to June and October to November.
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