Bhola Island

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Bhola
Bhola River by Jabber 2.JPG
River and flatlands of Bhola
Bangladesh adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Bhola
Bhola Island (Bangladesh)
Geography
Location Bay of Bengal
Coordinates 22°30′N90°45′E / 22.500°N 90.750°E / 22.500; 90.750
Area1,295 km2 (500 sq mi) [1]
Length90 km (56 mi)
Width25 km (15.5 mi)
Coastline550 km (342 mi) [1]
Highest elevation10 m (30 ft) [1]
Highest pointUnnamed
Administration
Bangladesh
Division Barisal Division
District Bhola District
Demographics
DemonymBholaya
Population1,800,000 (2020) [2]
Pop. density1,078/km2 (2792/sq mi)
Languages Bengali
Ethnic groups Bengalis

Bhola Island (also called Dakhin Shahbazpur) is the largest island of Bangladesh with an area of 1,295 km2 (500 sq mi) and a coastline of 324 km (201 mi). [1] It accounts for most of the land area of Bhola District in Barisal Division. [3]

Contents

Geography

South Shahbajpur Island (marked as DECCAN SHABAZPOUR l.) which is now Bhola Island in 1778 map by James Rennell The delta of Ganges by J. Rennel.jpg
South Shahbajpur Island (marked as DECCAN SHABAZPOUR l.) which is now Bhola Island in 1778 map by James Rennell

It is situated at the mouth of the Meghna River. There are ferry and launch services from Dhaka and Barisal. [4]

The Island is 130 kilometres (81 miles) long and has a population of 1.7 million. A 1776 map indicates that it was oval-shaped yet it is currently more elongated because of erosion by the Meghna River. It is only 6 feet (1.8 m) above ocean level at the most elevated point. [5]

Due to its low elevation, large parts of the island have already been inundated by sea level rise, and the island is at serious risk of disappearing entirely. [6]

Culture

According to the 2011 census, 96.7% are Muslim, 3.3% are Hindu.

Bhola Island is known for its Buffalo curd (doi) which is unique in Bangladesh. The process that has been used has remained unchanged. It is made in traditional clay pots and the process takes 18 hours. It is popular in the Island and is served in special occasions such as weddings, festivals and other special occasions. [7]

Energy

The Island has faced chronic power issues, although natural gas was discovered in Shahbazpur in 1994. The government decided to build a power plant which is expected to fully operational by August 2015. The state-owned Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) is installing a high voltage transmission line from Bhola Island to Borhanuddin Island. [8]

Media

There are 14 community radio stations on air. [9]

History

In 1970, it was affected by the devastating Bhola cyclone which completely devastated the southern half of the island and also destroyed the rice crop.

In October 1975, it was home to the last human being naturally infected with smallpox. When a toddler named Rahima Banu became infected with the virus, the World Health Organization sent a team to vaccinate 18,150 individuals who lived within a 1.5-mile radius of her home, which prevented the spread of the virus and eliminated it. [6]

In 1995, half of the island became flooded, leaving 500,000 people homeless. [10]

In 2005, floods affected over half a million people on the island. Significant floods in the months and years before had caused severe erosion and led to a number of rivers overflowing. As of 2009 a number of the island's inhabitants were living in the slums of Dhaka. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Bangladesh</span>

Bangladesh is a densely populated, low-lying, mainly riverine country located in South Asia with a coastline of 580 km (360 mi) on the northern littoral of the Bay of Bengal. The delta plain of the Ganges (Padma), Brahmaputra (Jamuna), and Meghna Rivers and their tributaries occupy 79 percent of the country. Four uplifted blocks occupy 9 percent and steep hill ranges up to approximately 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) high occupy 12 percent in the southeast and in the northeast. Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate characterised by heavy seasonal rainfall, high temperatures, and high humidity. Natural disasters such as floods and cyclones accompanied by storm surges periodically affect the country. Most of the country is intensively farmed, with rice the main crop, grown in three seasons. Rapid urbanisation is taking place with associated industrial and commercial development. Exports of garments and shrimp plus remittances from Bangladeshis working abroad provide the country's three main sources of foreign exchange income.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brahmaputra River</span> River in Tibet, India and Bangladesh

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barisal Division</span> Division of Bangladesh

Barisal Division is one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Located in the south-central part of the country, it has an area of 13,225 km2 (5,106 sq mi), and a population of 9,325,820 at the 2022 Census. It is the least populous Division in Bangladesh. It is bounded by Dhaka Division on the north, the Bay of Bengal on the south, Chittagong Division on the east and Khulna Division on the west. The administrative capital, Barisal city, lies in the Padma River delta on an offshoot of the Arial Khan River. Barisal division is criss-crossed by numerous rivers that earned it the nickname Dhan-Nodi-Khal, Ei tin-e Borishal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meghna River</span> River in Bangladesh

The Meghna is one of the major rivers in Bangladesh, one of the three that form the Ganges Delta, the largest delta on earth, which fans out to the Bay of Bengal. A part of the Surma-Meghna River System, the Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh in Kishoreganj District above the town of Bhairab Bazar by the joining of the Surma and the Kushiyara, both of which originate in the hilly regions of eastern India as the Barak River. The Meghna meets its major tributary, the Padma, in Chandpur District. Other major tributaries of the Meghna include the Dhaleshwari, the Gumti, and the Feni. The Meghna empties into the Bay of Bengal in Bhola District via four principal mouths, named Tetulia (Ilsha), Shahbazpur, Hatia, and Bamni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhola District</span> District of Bangladesh in Barisal Division

Bhola District is an administrative district (zila) in south-central Bangladesh, which includes Bhola Island, the largest island of Bangladesh. It is located in the Barisal Division and has an area of 3,403.48 km2. It is bounded by Lakshmipur and Barisal District to the north, the Bay of Bengal to the south, by Lakshmipur and Noakhali districts, the (lower) Meghna river and Shahbazpur Channel to the east, and by Patuakhali District and the Tetulia river to the west. About 400 million cubic feet natural gas has been found at Kachia in Bhola which is being used to run a power station.

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Lakshmipur is a district in Bangladesh with an area of 1,440 km2. It is bordered by Chandpur to the north, Bhola and Noakhali districts to the south, Noakhali to the east, and Barisal and Bhola districts to the west. Lakshmipur was part of Noakhali until 15 February 1984, when the western part of Noakhali was reorganised from Lakshmipur subdivision into Lakshmipur district to improve administrative efficiency.

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Manpura Island is an island in the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, at the mouth of the Meghna river. It consists of Manpura upazila, Bhola District. The island has an area of 373 km2. Other major offshore islands of this region are Bhola Island and Hatia Island. All of these islands are densely populated.

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Hatiya Island is an island in the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, at the mouth of the Meghna river. The island falls under Hatiya Upazila of Noakhali District. The island has an area of 480 km2. Other major offshore islands of this region are Bhola Island and Manpura Island. All of these islands are densely populated. It is frequently subject to cyclones and destructive ocean waves.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Bhola". world-islands.net. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  2. Bangladesh population and housing census 2011 : zila report Bhola. [Dhaka]: Parisaṃkhyāna Byuro, Bangladesh. Parisaṃkhyāna Byuro. Statistics and Informatics Division. 2015. ISBN   978-984-33-8653-3. OCLC   978250366.
  3. Md Sakhaowat Hossain (2012). "Bhola District". In Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal (ed.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  4. "About Bhola Island". Bhola's Children. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  5. Doyle, Alister. "Sonar to help slow Bangladesh erosion in Ganges delta". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  6. 1 2 Johnson, Steven. "How Humanity Gave Itself an Extra Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  7. Seraj, Shykh (19 March 2015). "Buffalo Curd: Heritage of Bhola". The Daily Star . Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  8. Khan, Sharier (8 March 2015). "Big boost for Bhola". The Daily Star. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  9. Rahman, Jahangir. "Community radio as change agent". The Financial Express. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  10. "In Flood-Prone Bangladesh, a Future That Floats", Emily Wax, The Washington Post, 27 September 2007
  11. Catie Leary (16 October 2009). "7 places forever changed by eco-disasters: Bhola Island". Mother Nature Network . Retrieved 2 June 2017.