When it comes to the South Asian region, in addition to its famously hot climate, the region is also known for its large population. For example, India's population has surpassed 1.4 billion in 2022 and has grown further to 14 in April 202328.6 billion, surpassing China to become the most populous country. Pakistan's population reached 2At 3.6 billion, it ranks fifth in the world, behind India, China, the United States and Indonesia. Even more striking is Bangladesh, whose population reaches 17.1 billion, ranking eighth in the world, even surpassing the ninth-ranked population of 27 million in Russia.
It is worth noting that Bangladesh covers only 14With an area of 70,000 square kilometres, the size of China's Anhui province and only 1,116 of Russia's, this small but dense territory makes it one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
With such a large population base, what does Bangladesh rely on to sustain its people's livelihoods? Bangladesh is a relatively young country with a small land area, having gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. In the early days of independence, the population had reached 68 million, and after 52 years of development since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the net population has increased by about 10.3 billion, with an average annual growth of about 2 million. For this populous country, solving the food problem is a top priority, which is naturally inseparable from the development of agriculture.
First of all, in order to feed so many people, the infrastructure of agriculture must be excellent, and the terrain is particularly critical.
Looking at the topographic map of Bangladesh, we can see that more than 85% of the country is plain, with only some mountains and hills in the east and southeast. The vast plains provide a good basis for agricultural activities, and most of Bangladesh is plains, a large part of which is alluvial plains, in this case the Ganges Delta.
The Ganges Delta is located in the lower reaches of the Ganges and Jamuna rivers and covers an area of 10At 50,000 square kilometers, it is one of the largest estuarine deltas in the world, with a small part in India and most in Bangladesh. The nutrient-rich, fertile soils of this delta plain have been an important food producing region in India since ancient times and have become the foundation of modern Bangladesh.
In addition to land conditions, agricultural production also requires sufficient irrigation water, and Bangladesh is also rich in resources in this regard.
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Located in the estuary delta of the Ganges and Jamuna rivers, the Ganges River has an annual runoff of about 550 billion cubic meters, and the Jamuna River (the upper reaches of China's Brahmaputra River, known as the Brahmaputra River when it enters India, and the Jamuna River when it flows into Bangladesh) has an annual runoff of about 620 billion cubic meters, with a total of more than 1.2 trillion cubic meters, surpassing the Yangtze River in China.
In addition, there are hundreds of small rivers in Bangladesh, forming a country full of rivers and lakes, truly "full of rivers".
Although the water of these two major rivers is not exclusively owned by Bangladesh, as most of the middle and upper reaches of the river are located in India, in fact, India has reduced the amount of water available downstream through upstream interception and large-scale water projects, such as the "North-South Water Transfer" and "River Connection". But even so, Bangladesh is still a water-rich country.
On the other hand, Bangladesh is not only blessed with many rivers but also abundant rainfall.
Geographically, Bangladesh is located on the northern edge of the Bay of Bengal, in the northeastern corner of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by the Himalayas and Rakhine Mountains. The Indian Ocean itself is very rich in water vapour, and in summer, the southwest monsoon transports it to the northeast and forms a large amount of precipitation when it encounters the Himalayas and Rakhine Mountains.
In Cirapunzi, India, known as the world's rain pole, the highest recorded annual precipitation exceeded 26,000 mm, which is even more than the total precipitation in Beijing for more than 40 years. Considering that Cherapunzi is only 10 kilometres from Bangladesh, you can imagine the abundance of precipitation in Bangladesh.
With fertile plains and abundant water sources, coupled with Bangladesh's superior light and heat conditions near the Tropic of Cancer, it is in the same latitude zone as Guangdong, Guangxi and China have abundant sunshine, and the average annual temperature is about 265 degrees, rain and heat in the same season, can basically achieve a three-cropping farming mode a year.
Thus, despite its limited land area and large population, Bangladesh is still a food self-sufficient country and can still export a large amount of food every year.
However, despite good agricultural conditions, Bangladesh still faces a number of natural challenges, particularly the low-lying plains that are prone to flooding. For example, in most parts of Bangladesh, where the elevation is generally no more than 10 metres, heavy rains can lead to poor drainage, and coastal areas can also be flooded, posing a serious threat to agricultural production.
At the same time, due to the low and flat terrain, Bangladesh is not suitable for the construction of reservoirs and hydropower stations in most of the river areas, which limits the effective management and utilization of rivers. The country's only hydropower station is located in the Rakhine Hill area on the eastern side of Chittagong, and the situation has gradually improved until 2000, when Bangladesh had a low level of agricultural mechanization and imperfect water facilities.
Agriculture not only feeds a large population, but also absorbs a large number of jobs. According to statistics, two-thirds of Bangladesh's workforce is engaged in agricultural work. However, it is well known that the economic added value of agriculture is relatively low, which is one of the reasons why Bangladesh is still among the least developed countries in the world despite its large population but generally not wealthy. To achieve wealth growth, Bangladesh must transform into higher value-added industrial and service sectors.
With the upgrading of China's industrial structure and the transfer of low-end industrial chains, Bangladesh has become one of the recipient countries of low-end industrial transfer with its abundant human resources. At present, Bangladesh's largest foreign trade industry is the garment manufacturing industry, which accounts for more than 80% of the country's total exports, provides more than 5 million jobs, and has become a pillar industry in Bangladesh.
Despite this, Bangladesh's population is growing at a rate of 2 million people a year, putting enormous pressure on food production. In addition, Bangladesh faces a long and arduous task in the face of a huge employment population for the sake of further economic growth and industrial upgrading.