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The Ganges River delta seen from space.

auteur: Nasa/Novapix

référence: t-asban-00001

Image Size 300 DPI: 33 * 33 cm

A glacier at about 22,100 feet in the Himalayas is the source of the Ganges River. Hundreds of miles later and joined by other tributaries the Ganges delta enters the Bay of Bengal. The delta, at 200 miles wide (320 kilometers) is one of the most fertile and densely populated regions of the world. The eastern side of the delta changes rapidly and forms new land because of rapid sedimentation. The southern part of the delta has a darker appearance because of tidal forests, swampland, and mangroves. The Sundarbans is the name of this forested area and it is the site of a tiger preservation project for the governments of India and Bangladesh. Photo taken from the space shuttle Columbia on Dec 5 1997.

Keywords for this photo:

1997 - ASIA - BANGLADESH - DELTA - EARTH - EARTH FROM SPACE - GANGES - GANGES DELTA - INDIA - RIVER - STS-87 - WATER -